Farmers plan protests against the government for rice payments

[Lite Beer]

Farmers plan protests against the government for rice payments

Rice farmers have threatened mass protests against the government for its repeated broken promises to pay them for the crops which were “pledged” with the government dating back to as long as last October.

Mr Prasit Boonchoey, president of Thai Rice Farmers Association, said Tuesday that the association’s representatives who are farmers in various provinces have held discussions about the actions to be taken after the government has kept postponing the delayed payments originally from the end of last year to January 15, then January 25 and, lately, to January 31.

The government’s repeated procrastination of the payments shows that it is not sincere with the farmers and has kept lying all the time, said Mr Prasit, adding that farmers have been suffering badly because they need the money to make a living, to pay their debts, to pay rentals to the landlords or to pay the school fees of their children.

He indicated that the farmers had no choice but to “come out” to make their demand. He also dismissed the government’s claim that the delayed payments were caused by the protesters’ closure of the Finance Ministry, noting that the siege was over several weeks ago “and yet the government has no money to pay the farmers”.

Prasit went on saying that rice farmers these days are not stupid and are fully aware of the situation.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/farmers-plan-protests-government-rice-payments/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=farmers-plan-protests-government-rice-payments

-- Thai PBS 2014-01-14

[MunterHunter]

Not even paying their bread and butter supporters any more - my lord! the days are numbered for these corrupt leeches who call themselves PTP!!!

[Costas2008]

Why are they complaining?

They are going to get paid on the 31st!

Anyway.....please vote for PTP in the next elections.........you are not stupid after all.

Edited January 14, 2014 by Costas2008

[Theoutsider]

Land of protests

[Thait Spot]

I hope Yingluck has packed her desert clothes

[khwaibah]

Why are they complaining?

They are going to get paid on the 31st!

Anyway.....please vote for PTP in the next elections.........you are not stupid after all.

What month of what year ?

Edited January 14, 2014 by khwaibah

[zydeco]

"We wuz robbed."

[up-country_sinclair]

Will these people ever wise up?

[MunterHunter]

Will these people ever wise up?

Looks like that day might be sooner than you think...

(assuming your talking about the farmers)

[slapout]

Add another group to the affliction referred to as 'enlightment' by some and "ungratfullness" by others. Throw in a few rubber, corn/maize, fruit and vegatable farmers and your looking at a sizable number of votes to play to.

Now all it will take is for some obliging soul to post the farm gate prices that the farmers receive vs what the retail prices are that another large group are contending with.

[lazygourmet]

Why are they complaining?

They are going to get paid on the 31st!

Anyway.....please vote for PTP in the next elections.........you are not stupid after all.

What month of what year ?

February 31st... This year...

[tingtongfarang]

Will these people ever wise up?

Yes...it just take a lot longer

[Fabribest]

Farmers also from Isaan protest, Bangkok protest, from south protest and not makes candidates for elections .... still have some one that support governement? Only Thaksin with his money and ppls he can buy?

Sent from my i-mobile IQ X3 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Costas2008]

khwaibah, on 14 Jan 2014 - 18:39, said:

Costas2008, on 14 Jan 2014 - 18:31, said:

Why are they complaining?

They are going to get paid on the 31st!

Anyway.....please vote for PTP in the next elections.........you are not stupid after all.

What month of what year ?

What year they will get paid or what year elections will take place?

Both debatable

[Cuchulainn]

Finally!!! Have they woken up to the Pheu Turds?

[Bluespunk]

Will these people ever wise up?

I think this article implies that in fact they have. The thing is have PT wised up to that fact yet?

Edited January 14, 2014 by Bluespunk

[JesseFrank]

Now that is what I call the

[Sunderland]

The rice farmers joining the anti-government protests can't come soon enough for Suthep. Although they clearly want different things, the huge support for Yingluck and friends is not as big as it used to be, although they would probably be the dominant party if an election were held tomorrow.

More protests, red cards, court rulings, etc. to come before 2 Feb. No way in the world a peaceful election will take place.

[aimbc]

The rice farmers joining the anti-government protests can't come soon enough for Suthep. Although they clearly want different things, the huge support for Yingluck and friends is not as big as it used to be, although they would probably be the dominant party if an election were held tomorrow.

More protests, red cards, court rulings, etc. to come before 2 Feb. No way in the world a peaceful election will take place.

Yes, they are coming for the thing that the protesters have been telling the world. About the corrupt govt.

[Scamper]

" Prasit went on saying that rice farmers these days are not stupid and are fully aware of the situation. " That's a very dangerous development for Thaksin.

[khwaibah]

The rice farmers joining the anti-government protests can't come soon enough for Suthep. Although they clearly want different things, the huge support for Yingluck and friends is not as big as it used to be, although they would probably be the dominant party if an election were held tomorrow.

More protests, red cards, court rulings, etc. to come before 2 Feb. No way in the world a peaceful election will take place.

There is an article in yesterdays Bangkok Post that gives the location and numbers of red-shirt support at rallies for her across the country and YES she is in deep shyt. People even after being paid 300 baht for attending and 1000 baht for signing a protest letter are not coming out. (Surin) It doesn't get any redder than here. The farmers are what we shall say PISSED OFF from all the lies.

[ratcatcher]

Before we get too wound up about the disgruntled farmers, these groups are probably from the northern rice growing areas of Phitsanulok (Dem), Sukothai (tied) and Phichit (Chart T.) I doubt the N.E.boys will squeak.

However, tomorrow is pay day for these guys so we must wait and see if the PTP has deep pockets or just another "kittifib"

has been told.

However their presence in Bangkok won't help PTP or hurt PCAD.

[djjamie]

Economists, scientists, businessmen, judges, lawyers, professors, engineers, social workers, doctors, public servants, consumer advocates, unions, students, tax payers, teachers, academics and now the rice farmers are starting to see the PT for what they truly are. The rice scheme was a great success apparently according to the fanboys. Then they went from 1st to 3rd place rice exporter. Rice farmers didn't care. Fanboys didn't. The PTP never do any wrong. The rest did. Now the money has stopped and the rice farmers are perking up. Stand in line boys. There are many many people before you with grievances as well. When your undemocratic and demagoguery is your poison then expect the current situation to rear its dictatorial head about 2.5 years after coming into power. The day that the Shinawatra's can run a respectable democratic govt will be the day that they tell the truth about the rice scheme. The way things are going the only supporters of the PTP will be about 9 falangs on TV.

[tullynagardy]

PT is in big trouble. That said late subsidies are better than no subsidies which the other side offer.

Why or why cant the yellow side put someone more appealing and centreground into the middle instead of that <deleted> Suthep. If they did everyone could perhaps unite round and progress the country for the better. Really is time to get someone a bit more pragmatic and forward thinking than him who actually has an achievable end goal.

[djjamie]

Economists, scientists, businessmen, judges, lawyers, professors, engineers, social workers, doctors, public servants, consumer advocates, unions, students, tax payers, teachers, academics and now the rice farmers are starting to see the PT for what they truly are. The rice scheme was a great success apparently according to the fanboys. Then they went from 1st to 3rd place rice exporter. Rice farmers didn't care. Fanboys didn't. The PTP never do any wrong. The rest did. Now the money has stopped and the rice farmers are perking up. Stand in line boys. There are many many people before you with grievances as well. When your undemocratic and demagoguery is your poison then expect the current situation to rear its dictatorial head about 2.5 years after coming into power. The day that the Shinawatra's can run a respectable democratic govt will be the day that they tell the truth about the rice scheme. The way things are going the only supporters of the PTP will be about 9 falangs on TV.

Going by Costas2008's comment, he will be one of the 9!

[ttthailand]

How does the old saying go .... You can fool some of the farmers all of the time and all of the farmers some of the time but you can't fool all of the farmers all of the time...... Or can you ???

Lets see how many more times they change the date for their payment without a major protest..... Damn fooled again ! And again ! And Again ..... Hahaha

[icommunity]

This protest proved the farmers need the rice scheme. The rice scheme was sabotaged and obstacles laid to make it difficult to operate and delayed the result. The farmers should instead help the government in rooting up the unscrupulous traders, politicians, irregularities and oppositions of the scheme etc to make the scheme continue to bear fruit of their labor. If the farmers are unhappy with the rice scheme, they can vote the PTP out and bring in the DEM who opposed the scheme. The DEM who made many promises during election campaign but never fulfill them in full.

[JRSoul]

This protest proved the farmers need the rice scheme. The rice scheme was sabotaged and obstacles laid to make it difficult to operate and delayed the result. The farmers should instead help the government in rooting up the unscrupulous traders, politicians, irregularities and oppositions of the scheme etc to make the scheme continue to bear fruit of their labor. If the farmers are unhappy with the rice scheme, they can vote the PTP out and bring in the DEM who opposed the scheme. The DEM who made many promises during election campaign but never fulfill them in full.

Rice farming is a business; like any other it should allow market forces decide who succeeds and fails so that the inefficient and incompetent will move to a more remunerative occupation. Instead, the price has been artificially inflated, not only allowing the inefficient to remain just that, but encouraging even more marginal operators to the business. Please explain why inefficient rice farmers should receive the taxes of other Thais to support their lifestyle when they should be providing infrastructure and government services for ALL Thais.

The answer is that this was a vote buying scheme using taxation revenue, which has also allowed huge amounts to be siphoned off by the corrupt. A question you might ask yourself is why there was no measures put in place to prevent rents on rice growing land to increase if the aim was to increase the income of the poorest Thais. The answer lies in who are the largest land owners. You probably won't like the obvious answer.

[Ricardo]

The problem for whoever forms the next government will be, the money's largely gone, and the pledge-price for rice is simply too high, so will have to be cut.

That's going to cause a real problem for PTP, how will Thaksin propose to solve it, apart from 'borrowing' funds from the infrastructure loans ?

I'd expect the Red propaganda-machine to continue, to try to blame the PDRC & Suthep for the delayed-payments, rather than admitting that PTP has cocked it all up, the Big Boss doesn't 'do' contrition or admissions of his past-mistakes.

But will the poor rice-farmers believe what they're told, if they think continued loyalty might get them their money-owed, that's the key question, IMO.

[djjamie]

This protest proved the farmers need the rice scheme. The rice scheme was sabotaged and obstacles laid to make it difficult to operate and delayed the result. The farmers should instead help the government in rooting up the unscrupulous traders, politicians, irregularities and oppositions of the scheme etc to make the scheme continue to bear fruit of their labor. If the farmers are unhappy with the rice scheme, they can vote the PTP out and bring in the DEM who opposed the scheme. The DEM who made many promises during election campaign but never fulfill them in full.

Supa tried to tell the PTP about corruption and irregularities in the scheme and she was sacked, intimidated and investigated. So because the govt are so useless they won't seriously look into it you propose the voters should do the govt.'s job for them?

Then you say the DEMS have failed in their election promises? Guess what? They didn't win the election so how can they fulfill their promises?

Man, I love some of the comments on this site.

In summary - Govt failed, so the voters have to do the govt.'s job and the DEMS are evil because they didn't fulfill promises they were never given an opportunity to fulfill.

This highlights why the PTP ministry of propaganda is the most successful ministry in the govt.

It would be funny if it wasn't so dangerous. It is that type of mentality that allow the PTP to be sooo unaccountable.

As education raises the benefits of civic participation, it raises the support for more democratic regimes relative to dictatorships. This comment could not be more appropriate here.