Rubber protesters gather near Surat Thani airport

[webfact]

SURAT THANI
Rubber protesters gather near airport
The Nation

Farmers not impressed with govt Bt22-billion subsidy package

SURAT THANI: -- Protesting rubber farmers in Surat Thani yesterday blocked a main road after a government decision not to accept their demand for it to intervene in the price of raw rubber sheets, although the Cabinet had earlier in the day granted a Bt1,260-per-rai subsidy to them.

After blocking Route 41, a large number of them headed towards the airport, which was guarded by about 100 anti-riot police. They later walked past the airport and converged at a location not far away, as of press time yesterday evening.

The Bt22-billion budget cleared by the Cabinet yesterday will be spent on a Bt1,260 per-rai subsidy for those owning no more than 10 rai (1.6 hectares) of plantations each year, but their demand that the government buy rubber sheets from them at Bt100 to Bt120 per kilogram, up from the average current price of Bt78.13, was not met.

The farmers rallying in Surat Thani, the largest group of protesters, reacted quickly upon learning of the Cabinet decision reached in the afternoon. They immediately moved to block a key route to the South, while those holding parallel rallies in Nakhon Si Thammarat, where the second-largest protest is being held, and in Chumphon, Prachuap Khiri Khan, and Krabi are expected to follow suit.

According to Daily News, the group of people at the Surat Thani rally site who blocked Route 41 are those travelling from Songkhla's Thepha district, who arrived and started blocking the route. This prompted about 10,000 protesters also to join in the blockade, which resulted in heavy traffic congestion over 5 kilometres.

There are about 20,000 protesters gathering at five main rally sites in seven southern provinces, while about 500 rubber planters are converging on the eastern province of Rayong and blocking a main road. Rubber planters and tappers elsewhere, who are friendlier to the Pheu Thai-led government, had earlier called off their protests, or reduced the size of their rallies even before the Cabinet yesterday officially approved Bt22 billion for subsidy.

The protesters in Surat Thani had earlier promised not to blockade roads as a measure to pressure the government, but protest leaders said later that the promise would be kept only if the government successfully solved the problem.

Rubber farmers from Satun, Trang and Songkhla were travelling to join the rallies even before the Cabinet approval of the Bt22-billion subsidy. The prices of raw rubber sheets, as cited at various rallies, vary from Bt101 to Bt120 per kilo. Onstage statements promising not to block roads were made at several venues, if the government came up with measures that "would be accepted by most rubber farmers".

Police in Uttaradit in the lower North are on standby to handle a possible rally by local rubber growers who are converging along Route 11, although a network of growers in 17 northern provinces had unofficially announced an end to their planned protests.

A deputy secretary-general to the prime minister, Thawat Bunfueng, and senior officials will meet with representatives of rubber farmers today at two venues in Bangkok. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has assigned Deputy Prime Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong to head the government delegation.


-- The Nation 2013-09-04

[CelticBhoy]

These rubber farmers are going to have to bend a little.

Things will bounce back. They must erase negative thoughts.

[15Peter20]

"The protesters in Surat Thani had earlier promised not to blockade roads as a measure to pressure the government, but protest leaders said later that the promise would be kept only if the government successfully solved the problem."

So they promised not to block roads in order to pressure the government, but only if they don't have to pressure the government. Its logic Jim, but not as we know it.

[lee b]

I'm so glad im not flying in or out of there then !

[Robby nz]

As I posted before the govt seems to have come up with some reasonable proposals and subsidies but the farmers are not buying them.

Perhaps these things don't look so good in the original Thai as they do in the English translation.

Now it would seem the Govt is saying to the farmers reps, 'come to BKK and we will talk to you'.

Should it not be the other way round the Govt reps should be going to talk to the farmers?

[daoyai]

The govt. set a precedense by buying rice at above mkt. price so they should do the same for rubber, then they can have a rubber mountain too. At least rubber can be stored easily and then sold later if and when the price goes up......

[Somtamnication]

What lands at that god-forsaken airport? Flying buffaloes? Close Phuket and BKK airports, like their yellow cousins did in 2006. That is more effective!!!!

Mob rule raises its ugly head in Thailand, again. It used to be a yearly event, now it is a daily event.

[MaxLee]

Be careful rubber farmers, or one if you will get shot dead again, (just saying)

[notmyself]

What lands at that god-forsaken airport?

Busy airport and lots of expats use it to get from Bangkok to Samui because it costs half the price of a direct Bangkok airways flight. I can well imagine it has seen expanded passenger numbers as of late what with the rail crashes too.

I'm just about to book a ticket to return home to Samui in a week or so and am looking for MAN - CNX - USM to avoid anything. Was talking to a friend just a few minutes ago heading in from the US and is looking to go via Siem Reap which has a direct flight to Samui.

[Mosha]

As I posted before the govt seems to have come up with some reasonable proposals and subsidies but the farmers are not buying them.

Perhaps these things don't look so good in the original Thai as they do in the English translation.

Now it would seem the Govt is saying to the farmers reps, 'come to BKK and we will talk to you'.

Should it not be the other way round the Govt reps should be going to talk to the farmers?

I've talked with my wife, and there is a suspicion the government will use it as a means to get the farmers deeper into dept. To get any benefit, the land has to be registered with the BAAC according to yesterdays BP

[webfact]

PM's Deputy Sec-Gen Pol Maj Gen Tawat to meet with rubber protesters at 11am; Surat Thani protesters threaten to close airport /MCOT

[webfact]

Rubber protests spread across Thailand’s southern region
By English News



NAKHON SI THAMMARAT, Sept 4 – Protests and demonstrations against the slump in rubber prices has spread from this southern province to other rubber-producing provinces including Chumphon, Surat Thani and Phatthalung.

Rubber farmers rejected the Cabinet’s decision yesterday to offer financial aid to them at Bt1,260 per rai, at the maximum of 10 rai per household, and insisted on an increase of the rubber price to more than Bt80 per kilogramme.

The major protest site was at the co-op building in Surat Thani, and protesters were still blocking the Asian Highway at Nhong Klee intersection, in Phunphin district.

They threatened that if government representatives did not appear for talks by midday, they would block the Surat Thani airport.

Deputy Prime Minister/Finance Minister Kittiratt Na Ranong was reportedly scheduled to chair a meeting with 15 representatives from southern rubber planters at the Government Center on Chaengwattana Road in Bangkok.

However the rubber farmers network association led by Aeid Seng-aeid said planters would have no representatives at the meeting with Mr Kittiratt.

He said the prime minister's deputy secretary-general Pol Maj Gen Tawat Boonfueng was scheduled to meet the protester leaders in Nakhon Si Thammarat at 11am.

In Nakhon Si Thammarat, more than 1,000 protesters moved from Tha Sala district office to block the main road which links the province with neighbouring Surat Thani, and set up a stage on the road. Only one lane remained open to traffic.

They threatened to close the Nakhon Si Thammarat airport if their demand for a higher rubber price was not met.

In Surat Thani, over 100 protesters closed the Asia 41 Highway despite a warning by leaders against the blockade. The farmers carried on their demonstration and sealed off the road from Sabayoi district in Songkhla.

In Srinagarindra district of Phatthalung, one lane of the Phatthalung-Trang road was closed and protesters talked on stage, attacking the government and its handling of the rubber price slump.

Prapak Choothip, member of the provincial administration organisation, said the protest in Phatthalung was part of a multi-pronged demonstration in the South to put pressure on the government.

About 50 uniformed and plainclothes police officers were on duty in the area to facilitate traffic and keep public order.

The demonstration also went on during the day in Chumphon amid protesters’ dissatisfaction with the authorities’ indifference to their plight.

They dispersed on learning that rubber growers had gathered at the co-op building in Surat Thani, but said they would regather at Chumphon provincial hall today before moving to Phetchkasem Road in Tha Sae district. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2013-09-04

[Tatsujin]

Ha ha, they've seen how greedy the Govt. is and want their piece of the pie . . . shame they don't understand politics or economics.

[baboon]

Surat Thani is an air force base. I don't imagine the Powers That Be would be too impressed if it was blocked..

[15Peter20]

hmmm....closing an airport. Where did they get that idea from, I wonder?

[Nickymaster]

So far the government has spend about 30 billion USD on buying rice and yesterday approved a budget of 700 million USD to buy rubber. In the long run this is going to completely destroy Thailand's competitiveness in the world market but that's a problem for later I guess.

So, that's about 2% for the rubber farmers and 98% for the rice farmers.

[laurentbkk]

I dont really know anything about that story but I guess those people want the same treatment that Rice farmers had ....

[Nickymaster]

I dont really know anything about that story but I guess those people want the same treatment that Rice farmers had ....

They might have heard the Red shirt leaders preach; NO MORE DOUBLE STANDARDS during their occupation of Bangkok in 2010.

[webfact]

RUBBER DEMAND
Tight security at Surat Thani Airport
The Nation

SURAT THANI: -- Deputy Prime Minister Pracha Promnok vows on Wednesday that the Surat Thani Airport could not fall under the control of protesting rubber farmers.

He said that all officials in the province are closely monitoring the situation. Protesters at some points also disperse, while others still stay, he said.

A government representative is now negotiating with Surat Thani rubber-farmer cooperative, and this negotiation could be pursued in Bangkok.

At 2pm, a negotiation is scheduled, where Pracha and Deputy Prime Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong are ready to join. It remains unclear if the protesters’ leader will show up.

Asked if the situation would worsen, he said all depends on the negotiation. Yet, he said that it would be impossible for the protesters to close the airport, as this would tarnish the country’s image. "If we are pushed to exercise forces, we will," he said.


-- The Nation 2013-09-04

[livinthailandos]

I see total failure happening as they are bringing in mr kittiratt. As I saw him talk last week on cnbc he is 100% completely clueless and useless.

By the way im following this story even more as to see if the protesters block more roads or block enough roads to cause a major supply disruption in regards to food and gas

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[johnnie20110]

Sounds like the government will need to extend the date that its amnesty bill covers.

[WAERTH]

The "funny" thing is they want the protesters to come to bangkok instead of them going to meet them over there

[Thaddeus]

Chicken farmers next then, cassava, sugar cane etc

If the only way you can get elected is by buying votes, it will eventually reach the point when you have to buy everyone's vote.

[Pimay1]

Yet, he said that it would be impossible for the protesters to close the airport,

Really?

[Mosha]

The govt. set a precedense by buying rice at above mkt. price so they should do the same for rubber, then they can have a rubber mountain too. At least rubber can be stored easily and then sold later if and when the price goes up......

It has a sell by date. It goes off eventually.

[chuang]

Abhisit and gang must be celebrating....

[terry101]

The govt. set a precedense by buying rice at above mkt. price so they should do the same for rubber, then they can have a rubber mountain too. At least rubber can be stored easily and then sold later if and when the price goes up......

It has a sell by date. It goes off eventually.

Similar to the government which has a sell by date, but unfortunately this government has reached it's sell by date long time ago and after expiring has filled the air with the stench of BS.

[pedro01]

350,000 per household for rice farmers, 12,600 per household for rubber farmers.

No shock that they did not go for that.

[Nickymaster]

Abhisit and gang must be celebrating....

Why??

[SICHONSTEVE]

I'm so glad im not flying in or out of there then !

I did the day before!!!