Northern rice farmers threaten to block Asian Highway

[webfact]

Northern rice farmers threaten to block Asian Highway



BANGKOK: -- Northern rice farmers threatened to blockade Asian Highway early next year if the government fails to pay for the rice they have pledged with the government under the rice-pledging scheme.

Hundreds of farmers in Phichit province blockaded the Asian Highway 117 from Phitsanulok to Nakhon Sawan today to pressure immediate payment but later agreed to remove the blockade after a talk was arranged with the representatives of the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives, and the Internal Trade Department.

A farmer leader Prakasit Jaemjamrat said farmers in Phichit are now in trouble when they not only did not have money to grow new crop but also no money to afford their children to schools.

Many of them have to seek loans from unorganized money sources which charge very high on interest rates.

He said that if they did not get paid for their rice within tomorrow, they would blockade the highway.

But he said that since this was the period when people would travel to celebrate New Year, farmers would wait until next year to blockade the highway if they are not paid.

He said farmers have been promised several times by the commerce deputy minister but nothing have been met.

Most farmers were given vouchers for their pledged rice. When they brought their vouchers to claim cash from the bank, they were told that it has no money as the government has not yet allocated money to the bank to pay them.

At the negotiation today, bank representative offered to pay 30% of value in the voucher to ease their troubles temporarily.

Meanwhile the Internal Trade Department representative told farmers that they would be paid in mid January.

Negotiation is still on with farmers.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/northern-rice-farmers-threaten-block-asian-highway/


-- Thai PBS 2013-12-26

[ggold]

time to learn you can never trust a Politician! Now they can deal with the result of the scam, as they voted for it! In that regard I don't feel sorry for the farmers.

[noikrit]

Yep it all looked Red and Rosey when you voted for them ...now ...????

[Eddy B]

Blockade the highways now! Make your point and protest now! 30% payment is nothing if you were promised 100% at the start! Show BKK you are not just stupid rice farmers who have buffalo's!

[h90]

Blockade the highways now! Make your point and protest now! 30% payment is nothing if you were promised 100% at the start! Show BKK you are not just stupid rice farmers who have buffalo's!

Bangkok is a city out of concrete.....Better show it the Thai PM who is from Chang Mai....

[Thait Spot]

In this case the buffalos are I'm charge of the ministries

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[TVGerry]

Unpaid rice farmers to the North threatening a blockade.

Angry protestors in the Central waiting for you to be overthrown.

While bombs are exploding in the South

Ohh PTP how well you've governed this country!

[EyesWideOpen]

Too funny for words. That is if you like irony....... So looks like the red buffaloes have

finally woken up. But rather than a wake up to the reality of the Thaksin clan looting

the country, there wake up was the government in essence broke and cannot pay them

for the rice they sold. So they have gotten to the same place as intelligent voters,

they just took a different route. I suspect if Thaksin wants to win the next sham

election, he will have to lay out some serious money for vote buying. Think the

days of 500 baht per vote are long gone....

[soi41]

On Thai social media, Yingluck is often called "Kwai Daeng".

The way things are going now, it is a grave insult to the buffalo!!

The house of cards coming down!!

[Nibbles48]

You sold your vote to this government..... now live with your mistakes.

Sad thing is.... YL and the Thaksin government will probably listen to and acknowledge this threat to protest, while in contrast they totally ignore the millions protesting down south.

Edited December 26, 2013 by Nibbles48

[BeforeTigers]

This place is so damn wild.
Never a dull moment.

[chainarong]

Oh my how the worm has turned, this promise to the Rice farmers is the end result of money for votes and how a plan can become a noose around the PTP neck, no costing's with model planning , if this crowd has problems with the rice farmers , one can only imagine what shambles the high speed rail network is going to turn out.

[nong38]

I wonder where all the rice pledge money went then? Someobody was paying the farmers over the odds but the farmers did not get the money mmmmmmm, perhaps I will dress up like a farmer and stroll down to the right ministry see if I can get a handout after all I have just found out I have 2000 tons of the best rice to sell, here is a picture of it with me in front!

[ratcatcher]

Oh my how the worm has turned, this promise to the Rice farmers is the end result of money for votes and how a plan can become a noose around the PTP neck, no costing's with model planning , if this crowd has problems with the rice farmers , one can only imagine what shambles the high speed rail network is going to turn out.

The way things are looking for this government, this is the only type of High Speed train they will be able to afford. IF.. they ever manage to form another government under YS / TS.

[Robby nz]

Looks like Yingluck only went to the cities on her trip around the North and North east.

Steered well clear of the farmers or she may well have got more than a bunch of roses

[Longtooth]

Where are the banks going to get 30% of all the money owed (It's "owed", NOT "promised".) to all of the northern farmers? If I were a farmer I would be afraid of a "30% of money owed" settlement, as a possible "final word" payment. The older I get (and I'm pretty old now) the more I think this is how the whole world economy works. Nobles and serfs. Ever hear of "Noctus Primus"? An old English right of Nobles over serfs. Maybe it still goes on..

[jobsworth]

Where are the banks going to get 30% of all the money owed (It's "owed", NOT "promised".) to all of the northern farmers? If I were a farmer I would be afraid of a "30% of money owed" settlement, as a possible "final word" payment. The older I get (and I'm pretty old now) the more I think this is how the whole world economy works. Nobles and serfs. Ever hear of "Noctus Primus"? An old English right of Nobles over serfs. Maybe it still goes on..

Prima Nocta or

Droit du seigneur.

or should that be

JUS PRIMAE NOCTIS

any Latin scholars out there?

i guess the yellows are the nobles and the reds are the serfs.

There will always be haves and have nots.

Democracy was invented to redress the balance and prevent either side becoming too powerful

and thereby ensure peace.

Edited December 26, 2013 by jobsworth

[Longtooth]

Where are the banks going to get 30% of all the money owed (It's "owed", NOT "promised".) to all of the northern farmers? If I were a farmer I would be afraid of a "30% of money owed" settlement, as a possible "final word" payment. The older I get (and I'm pretty old now) the more I think this is how the whole world economy works. Nobles and serfs. Ever hear of "Noctus Primus"? An old English right of Nobles over serfs. Maybe it still goes on..

P.S. Edit to post. Sorry.... "Primae Noctis". Anyway you probably figured it out.

[khwaibah]

8 weeks and counting...

[Scamper]

This is what happens when you offer free money. People get used to it, and you create huge dependencies on it. But that's not all. It also bankrupts the government, cripples the GDP, allows huge stores of rice to spoil, and has taken Thailand off its previously proud position as the world's largest exporter of rice. But then again, perhaps it's better to pay them off, and lock up their vote.

[tezzainoz]

No money for thr ice farmers

but all the MP's and government workers get a large bonus

and there are still many on TV who think the government are the best for this country

and have a right to rip off all thai's because they scammed the vote at the late and possible next election

[LuckyLew]

mai pen rai ...............

and if the EC all resign .... how will the PTP BAAC get the funds to pay the farmers

[skorchio]

I have said it before, if the Govt gets this rice scam wrong it may lead to their downfall. If they are waiting on payment from 'sales' of rice to pay the farmers, they may in a bind. The people who buy the rice know that by delaying payments, this Govt is vulnerable, they will use this to drive the price down. The whole system is vulnerable ....

[hotrod4098]

NEW YEAR HERE IS..no money no whisky...somchoi wont be happy

[rogerdee123]

Poor Yingluck .... may have to summons up more tears to plead with the farmers ....

[allan michaud]

This is what happens when you offer free money. People get used to it, and you create huge dependencies on it. But that's not all. It also bankrupts the government, cripples the GDP, allows huge stores of rice to spoil, and has taken Thailand off its previously proud position as the world's largest exporter of rice. But then again, perhaps it's better to pay them off, and lock up their vote.

And of course there is the problem of land rental prices, seed prices and pesticide/fertiliser prices that the farmers have to pay, which all went up when the rice scam was announced. I very much doubt those prices will drop back again when this scam finally collapses.

This shows how desperate the need is for a basic education, far too many rural Thai's cannot even manage the most basic of arithmetic and are probably oblivious to the costs of the ruinous PTP policies, either to them personally or to the country as a whole. Given all these troubles for PTP I think a 'normal' Thai election on Feb 2nd might be quite interesting so as to see how many people will take Thaksin's money this time around, just how many will have learned their lesson?

[Costas2008]

Just in:

Yingluck promised to pay all rice farmers by 2020.

As extra bonus will be given a tablet each.

[winstonc]

This is what happens when you offer free money. People get used to it, and you create huge dependencies on it. But that's not all. It also bankrupts the government, cripples the GDP, allows huge stores of rice to spoil, and has taken Thailand off its previously proud position as the world's largest exporter of rice. But then again, perhaps it's better to pay them off, and lock up their vote.

And of course there is the problem of land rental prices, seed prices and pesticide/fertiliser prices that the farmers have to pay, which all went up when the rice scam was announced. I very much doubt those prices will drop back again when this scam finally collapses.

This shows how desperate the need is for a basic education, far too many rural Thai's cannot even manage the most basic of arithmetic and are probably oblivious to the costs of the ruinous PTP policies, either to them personally or to the country as a whole. Given all these troubles for PTP I think a 'normal' Thai election on Feb 2nd might be quite interesting so as to see how many people will take Thaksin's money this time around, just how many will have learned their lesson?

correct allan time will tell sir,i just dont see them switching sides somehow,no matter what their gripe is,people should remember there are rice farmers down south as well...

[timber]

I wonder how much of a dent the PM's trips with her cronies would make in the money owed the farmers. Hire a jet every two weeks, stay at the best hotels, expensive dinners, etc.

[Jasun]

Pretty sure they'll be paid by Feb 2.