Farmers close Bangkok-South road to demand payment for rice

[Lite Beer]

BREAKING

Farmers close Bangkok-South road to demand payment for rice
By Digital Content



Major roads from/to Hua Hin, Samui, Phuket and the whole of Southern Thailand affected

RATCHBURI, Feb 3 – The road linking Bangkok and Thailand’s South was completely blockaded in Wang Manao sub-district today in a strengthened protest by disgruntled farmers who demanded the government’s payment for the rice they have sold.

The farmers from six southwestern provinces of Ratchburi, Kanchanaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phetchburi, Nakhon Pathom and Samut Songkram wanted the government to pay for the rice they have delivered under the Yingluck Shinawatra government’s rice pledging scheme.

Rama II Road was closed on both sides at kms 83-84 in Wang Manao sub-district of Pak Tho district, disrupting traffic between Bangkok and 14 southern provinces.

Farmers said the road would remain blocked until they received payment from the government.

More farmers and supporters of the anti-government People’s Democratic Reform Committee have joined the rally which was kicked off Saturday. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2014-02-03

[MGP]

Suthep and all the protesters in Bangkok could go home today. The farmers and the Anti-Corruption Commission will accomplish the "de-thaksinization" process that the protesters started with the Amnesty Bill.

Google "A rotten harvest" on Bangkok Post for the latest analysis of the situation.

(If I understand it correctly, it's not allowed to post links to BP)

Edited February 3, 2014 by MGP

[Habs]

Now the fun begins.......... ........

[ExpatOilWorker]

Suthep and all the protesters in Bangkok could go home today. The farmers and the Anti-Corruption Commission will accomplish the "de-thaksinization" process that the protesters started with the Amnesty Bill.

Google "A rotten harvest" on Bangkok Post for the latest analysis of the situation.

(If I understand it correctly, it's not allowed to post links to BP)

From the above, they have spend $22 billion on rice. That could be the worlds most expensive experiment, moving the Large Hadron Collider to second place.

With a budget of 7.5 billion euros (approx. $9bn or £6.19bn as of Jun 2010), the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is one of the most expensive scientific instruments[90] ever built.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_Hadron_Collider)

[Suriya4]

The faster Yingluck goes, the faster farmers been paid.

Because Suthep promise to pay farmers with money to be seize from Yingluck.

[djjamie]

They (northerners) are not protesting because the UDD are intimidation them and not letting them practice that principle of democracy.

http://www.khaosod.co.th/en/view_newsonline.php?newsid=TVRNNU1EazVNamczTUE9PQ%3D%3D&sectionid=TURVd01BPT0%3D

Edited February 3, 2014 by sbk
quotes deleted post

[ExpatOilWorker]

For $22 billion Thailand could have build a Large Hadron Collider AND developed the A380. They would even have $2 billion left for, you know what.

[Scamper]

The atmosphere before and after the election must resemble a mirror to Pheu Thai, as the problems of the election, the problems of the rice payments, and all the other problems that have dogged this administration - remain in full force. Except this time, the pressure is building.

[H1w4yR1da]

I encountered this roadblock on the way to Kaeng Krachan on Sunday. A message to these farmers. You get the government you deserve. You've sold your vote for a few hundred Baht to corrupt politicians for decades and now your chickens have come home to roost. They've stolen your rice AND your money. What in Earth did you think would happen?

Som Nam Na!

[ajarnmarc]

It's interesting to see that when Thai don't get what ever they want,

they just block anyone from getting around.

Does anyone know if shipping trucks are permitted to pass?

[ajarnmarc]

My guess is, if they want to see their money, it's best to get the rice back.

Knowing Thai's, once you give them money, they never give it back,

but not so sure about staple goods?

I must of overlooked the info concerning where is the money from the rice that has sold?

I've seen that some payments have been made, but certainly this admin wasn't naive enough

to hold onto the rice, knowing the farmers need to be compensated, were they?

There's most likely speculation about the money,

but I don't see more noise being made about anyone tracking the money.

Just hope the banks continue to hold their resistance to loan any money,

towards this massive scandal of great proportions.

Edited February 3, 2014 by sbk

[celso]

 

Suthep and all the protesters in Bangkok could go home today. The farmers and the Anti-Corruption Commission will accomplish the "de-thaksinization" process that the protesters started with the Amnesty Bill.

Google "A rotten harvest" on Bangkok Post for the latest analysis of the situation.

(If I understand it correctly, it's not allowed to post links to BP)

Can they go home, if this road is blocked?

[sammyD]

disgruntled farmers who demanded the government’s payment for the rice they have sold

Go farmers.

[ajarnmarc]

Suthep and all the protesters in Bangkok could go home today. The farmers and the Anti-Corruption Commission will accomplish the "de-thaksinization" process that the protesters started with the Amnesty Bill.

Google "A rotten harvest" on Bangkok Post for the latest analysis of the situation.

(If I understand it correctly, it's not allowed to post links to BP)

Thanks for the post, with regards to A Rotten Harvest info.

Just read the article,

and I have to say,

it was indeed an eye opener.

What a complete mess up with this admin.

I was total relieved the tablet scheme failed,

that was a disaster waiting to happen,

as the parents became responsible for the tablet,

and due to the poor quality of the build,

it was a guarantee the parents would be buying at least one a year,

to replace the original junk they got for free.

In the end the parents would each be buying two tablets for each child,

since the free version was said to have to last for two years.

But in reality it was more like the tablets would last six month,

at best; before burning up or getting broken from the abuse the kids put them through.

[sbk]

Very inappropriate post and responses to that post have been deleted.

[BSJ]

Lets not hang the farmers. Farmers in general get the short end of the stick in a lot of countries. They get taken advantage of with transport costs, fertilizer costs, seed, milling costs. It's easy to figure out they, the Thai farmers, were right into the pledging scheme as it gave them extra money in their pockets to buy things they couldn't normally have.

It's not fair of some posters to lay the blame on the Thai farmer for the mess that has been created. Their not international economists or do they sit shoulder to shoulder with the big bankers in Bangkok. The only thing they know about economics is they are always just making enough for a basic existence.

It was the governments job to make sure the scheme was viable (not the farmers), which would lead to it being sustainable. But as we have seen it was flawed from the beginning. Add to that the corruption that exists and as others have predicted it will take the country at least 10 years to rid itself of all the problems that have been created.

We should be happy to see the farmers protesting. To show your support, toot and wave as you try to go past!

[cronus]

They (northerners) are not protesting because the UDD are intimidation them and not letting them practice that principle of democracy.

http://www.khaosod.co.th/en/view_newsonline.php?newsid=TVRNNU1EazVNamczTUE9PQ%3D%3D&sectionid=TURVd01BPT0%3D

Interesting, thanks for sharing.

[prakhonchai nick]

If her ladyship had not acted in such haste in calling an election. her administration would have realised they needed to provide for the farmers, by whatever means were possible, which they were prevented from doing once the Royal decree had been issued.

[gemini81]

All silent on the pro-red expat front.....hmmm, interesting.

[falangadang]

The faster Yingluck goes, the faster farmers been paid.

Because Suthep promise to pay farmers with money to be seize from Yingluck.

... and if that fails he is such a nice guy that he'll pay them directly from the cash donations he's been collecting on his marches over the past few weeks,... must be into the billions already!

[ratcatcher]

No doubt one of them will be along soon to say it's all the farmer's fault for growing the damned rice in the first place.

edit spellng.

Edited February 3, 2014 by ratcatcher

[BlueNoseCodger]

Suthep and all the protesters in Bangkok could go home today. The farmers and the Anti-Corruption Commission will accomplish the "de-thaksinization" process that the protesters started with the Amnesty Bill.

Google "A rotten harvest" on Bangkok Post for the latest analysis of the situation.

(If I understand it correctly, it's not allowed to post links to BP)

From the above, they have spend $22 billion on rice. That could be the worlds most expensive experiment, moving the Large Hadron Collider to second place.

With a budget of 7.5 billion euros (approx. $9bn or £6.19bn as of Jun 2010), the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is one of the most expensive scientific instruments[90] ever built.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_Hadron_Collider)

Can I eat it?

[Gweiloman]

All silent on the pro-red expat front.....hmmm, interesting.

The caretaker govt is not allowed by law to pay the farmers from the govt coffers. What's so interesting about that? What is more interesting is that the PDRC is ACTIVELY preventing the farmers from being paid by threatening those who might be willing to ease the farmers' plight.

[gemini81]

The faster Yingluck goes, the faster farmers been paid.

Because Suthep promise to pay farmers with money to be seize from Yingluck.

... and if that fails he is such a nice guy that he'll pay them directly from the cash donations he's been collecting on his marches over the past few weeks,... must be into the billions already!

If you could read Thai, or alternately talk to some locals who have a clue, you'd see he's about broke after having made a lot of sacrifices and effort into this protest. Also note Abhisit was worth, and still is, far less than the PTP head criminals. Your post is nonsense accusations of accepted bribes. There are no saints in politics, but the two listed above are far less the devil than the little weasel in Dubai, who would never have the balls to march the streets. He had about 90 or so die as 'martyrs' instead, as he devised.

[Arkady]

This doesn't seem good for tourism in Hua Hin, Chumpon, Khao Tao, Khao Phagnan and all other resorts that rely on tourists coming South on that road. Was planning to go to Hua Hin myself this week-end.

[garvon]

I think Thaksin is smiling quite openly these days - the rice fiasco is his baby and is all part of his major plan to get even. In other words if he can't come home then he will cripple the country and bring it to its knees. Not doing too bad a job of it I'd say.

[jaideeguy]

Stupid people!! All the money [and man power] that was wasted on the protests could have paid the rice debt many times over................but, no, because protests are much more fun!!

[Arkady]

 

If her ladyship had not acted in such haste in calling an election. her administration would have realised they needed to provide for the farmers, by whatever means were possible, which they were prevented from doing once the Royal decree had been issued.

 

Seems like there was a serious lack of coordination within the government. A cabinet resolution to approve an emergency increase to the budget before Yingluck dissolved parliament would have fixed this. There also seems to have been a lack of communication between the Finance and Commerce Ministries. Finance was under the illusion that Commerce was going to transfer significant cash flows from the large two government to government rice sales to China in time to pay some of what they owed to farmers. Commerce was coy about disclosing that the sales had never taken place.

Before the dissolution of parliament Finance had a debt auction blow up in its face where it raised only about half of a cB50bn auction. So Kittirat already knew there was a shortfall, even if the Commerce Ministry had delivered. Basically a complete b*uggers' muddle.

[Arkady]

 

I think Thaksin is smiling quite openly these days - the rice fiasco is his baby and is all part of his major plan to get even. In other words if he can't come home then he will cripple the country and bring it to its knees. Not doing too bad a job of it I'd say.

 

Thaksin plan, as he openly said in interviews, was to hoard the Thai rice surplus that is normally exported and drive up global rice prices. Some rice economists actually agreed that it would work but they all overlooked the fact that Thailand's total production is a rather small proportion of total global production. Thus, while Thailand's surplus made it a big player in global trade they overlooked India because it traditionally consumed all its own production with no surplus to export, even though its production is about three times the size of Thailand's modest production. A happy confluence of conditions in 2013 gave India an unusual surplus of about 3% for export which suddenly made it a global player of the same order of magnitude as Thailand. So bye bye to Thaksin's selfish dream of f*cking the world's poor in underdeveloped countries by pushing up their staple food costs.

The same sort of thing happened to the Hunt brothers when they tried to corner the silver market in the early 70s. Mr Market won and they went bust. But the situation is much worse for rice because it is perishable and the stocks hoarded from the 2011-12 harvest must be starting to rot now. Given the massive corruption in the scheem too, the final bill to the Thai taxpayer is likely to be huge. So far government expenditures on it are already equivalent to two years' of government investment and 60% of an entire year's agricultural production. At this rate it will make more sense to cancel all rice farming, put farmers on the doll and import rice from elsewhere.

[WilliamCave]

Suthep and all the protesters in Bangkok could go home today. The farmers and the Anti-Corruption Commission will accomplish the "de-thaksinization" process that the protesters started with the Amnesty Bill.

Google "A rotten harvest" on Bangkok Post for the latest analysis of the situation.

(If I understand it correctly, it's not allowed to post links to BP)

From the above, they have spend $22 billion on rice. That could be the worlds most expensive experiment, moving the Large Hadron Collider to second place.

With a budget of 7.5 billion euros (approx. $9bn or £6.19bn as of Jun 2010), the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is one of the most expensive scientific instruments[90] ever built.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_Hadron_Collider)

If this is the amount of money on the rice pledging ,,,,woow it is a lot of money to Amy country how are they doing it and keep going , these numbers would even affect G7 countries

How how how