Rice-scheme woes not major factor in suicides, agency says
Pongphon Sarnsamak
The Nation


A farmer carries a credit card while braving the hot sun to attend a rally in Bangkok on Monday to support the caretaker government and the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives in their quest to find funds to pay farmers in its rice-pledging

Mental Health Dept claims investigation shows farmers killed themselves for other reasons

BANGKOK: -- Debts stemming from participation in the government's rice-pledging scheme were not the major reason for the recent suicides of a number of farmers, according to the state mental-health agency.

The Mental Health Department sent a team to investigate the causes of the suicides of 13 rice farmers during the past few weeks.

Department deputy director-general Dr Panpimol Wipulakorn said the investigation found that nine of them had committed suicide because they owed a large number of informal debts. Three committed suicide as they had been suffering from congenital diseases. The remaining farmer's suicide could not be linked to the rice-pledging scheme.

"We found that the main risk factors for committing suicide were mental-health problems, physical ailments and family problems. Economic problems caused by large informal debts was also a main factor leading them to commit suicide," Panpimol said.

The rice farmers who committed suicide were aged between 40 and 60. Most had complained of feeling depressed and frustrated. Some had harmed themselves or tried to commit suicide on previous occasions.

In a related development, the department found that about nine rice farmers among those protesting in front of the Commerce Ministry were at risk from suffering depression. The department has instructed protest leaders to keep a close eye on this group and provide them with counselling services.

Panpimol said the department had received many reports over the past few years about rice farmers committing suicide because of their crops being affected by natural disasters, and because of their large financial burdens.

People are urged to keep a close eye on family members who may be at risk of committing suicide, she said.

"Farmers should learn that all problems can be solved step by step," she added.

Farmers who are prone to depression are at risk of committing suicide and are advised to consult health volunteers or hospitals.

Panpimol said that according to the World Health Organisation, negative news reports were an additional factor leading farmers to take their own lives.

"When [at-risk people] receive a lot of information about others committing suicide, it puts them at [greater] risk of committing suicide," she said.

Media are urged against constantly repeating reports of suicide as this could trigger "copycat" suicides, she said.


-- The Nation 2014-02-19

"Economic problems caused by large informal debts was also a main factor leading them to commit suicide," Panpimol said.

And some might wonder, why those (and many other) farmers had resorted to borrowing from loan-sharks, if not because of the government failure to pay them what they were owed ?

""We found that the main risk factors for committing suicide were mental-health problems, physical ailments and family problems. Economic problems caused by large informal debts was also a main factor leading them to commit suicide," Panpimol said."

Thank you for your diagnosis, Dr. Panpimol. I also have a mental problem that will make me suicide because of the crap that you mentioned. A typical, familiar, suspicious Pheu Thai comment to save face...

" Media are urged against constantly repeating reports of suicides " which also doubles as " stop reporting on all the government's screw ups "

Saying the opposite to reality is normal for the PTP.

We have a budget for the rice season in 13/14.

The rice scheme is a great success.

There is no corruption in the scheme.

The amnesty bill will bring reconciliation.

Now it is;

If you don't support the government you have mental health problems.

Why does my whole computer room suddenly smell like BS?

It totally beggars belief what utter bolleux these people come out with. How many pieces of silver did it take for this 'professional' to deliver a message that has been so 'spun' it will be dizzy for decades. Shameful.

Did Yingluck tell you to say that?....

Rice-scheme woes not major factor in suicides, agency says

Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

A farmer carries a credit card while braving the hot sun to attend a rally in Bangkok on Monday to support the caretaker government and the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives in their quest to find funds to pay farmers in its rice-pledging

Mental Health Dept claims investigation shows farmers killed themselves for other reasons

BANGKOK: -- Debts stemming from participation in the government's rice-pledging scheme were not the major reason for the recent suicides of a number of farmers, according to the state mental-health agency.

The Mental Health Department sent a team to investigate the causes of the suicides of 13 rice farmers during the past few weeks.

Department deputy director-general Dr Panpimol Wipulakorn said the investigation found that nine of them had committed suicide because they owed a large number of informal debts. Three committed suicide as they had been suffering from congenital diseases. The remaining farmer's suicide could not be linked to the rice-pledging scheme.

"We found that the main risk factors for committing suicide were mental-health problems, physical ailments and family problems. Economic problems caused by large informal debts was also a main factor leading them to commit suicide," Panpimol said.

The rice farmers who committed suicide were aged between 40 and 60. Most had complained of feeling depressed and frustrated. Some had harmed themselves or tried to commit suicide on previous occasions.

In a related development, the department found that about nine rice farmers among those protesting in front of the Commerce Ministry were at risk from suffering depression. The department has instructed protest leaders to keep a close eye on this group and provide them with counselling services.

Panpimol said the department had received many reports over the past few years about rice farmers committing suicide because of their crops being affected by natural disasters, and because of their large financial burdens.

People are urged to keep a close eye on family members who may be at risk of committing suicide, she said.

"Farmers should learn that all problems can be solved step by step," she added.

Farmers who are prone to depression are at risk of committing suicide and are advised to consult health volunteers or hospitals.

Panpimol said that according to the World Health Organisation, negative news reports were an additional factor leading farmers to take their own lives.

"When [at-risk people] receive a lot of information about others committing suicide, it puts them at [greater] risk of committing suicide," she said.

Media are urged against constantly repeating reports of suicide as this could trigger "copycat" suicides, she said.

-- The Nation 2014-02-19

What an absolute pile of croc. If they were paid they wouldn't need 'informal' loans. Loans that come from loan sharks that the law prohibits but the courts refuse to act upon. Why not stop these people being able to loan at unfeasible rates and pay the farmers for what they have sold when they were supposed to have paid them.

It is indefensible to lay the blame of farmers suicides at foreign adverse media - these people would not even read such news. Indefensible and disgraceful.

Another feeble disgusting person trying to deflect the blame from where it squarely lies.

Disgusting. Why the F would they come out and state something like this?

"The Mental Health Department sent a team to investigate the causes of the suicides of 13 rice farmers during the past few weeks."

And...their conclusions were based only on third party interviews without ever having any contact with the people before they committed suicide, or with health professionals who had examined the aforementioned victims before these tragic events. No competent professional, mental health or otherwise, would base any conclusions on such brief interviews with people who have no experise on the issues in question. How does one know if is they were experiencing symptoms of depression or is just sad over a single event? I doubt that any of those interviewed could recite any symptoms or signs of clinical depression.

This "investigation" is either a sign that the Mental Health Department consists of total incompetents or it is under the thumb of the present administration, trying to save their butts from the economic/social fiasco it created with their irrepsponsible programs.

This has to be genuinely the lowest point in propaganda .

First the nation and other news just prints that every farmer suicide is rice scheme related. Then the government refutes it?

People died.........

Stop.using it for politics and solve the f*****g issue.

Lets see! Large informal debts have absolutely nothing to do with their inability to repay due to the rice scheme. Flailing health means excessive medical bills so their inability to pay those are not a factor as well. What a joke this mental health report is making.

Sent from my GT-S5310 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Panpimol said the department had received many reports over the past few years about rice farmers committing suicide because of their crops being affected by natural disasters, and because of their large financial burdens.

The good doctor has his head up his backside, he compares the rice scheme with natural disasters as far as suicides go. Your government is not supposed to hit you with another disaster in one of the few years that you don't have floods or drought. It is typically Thai to not delve too deeply into the cause though, just blame it on superficial things like he had no money, why didn't he have money, i don't know, maybe he spent it all.

Of course the farmers did not kill themselves over the rice scheme.

Total propaganda in the past by the PDRC supporting media to try to drum up support for their failing protests.

As the protests fail more they will come up with more pathetic articles to try to get more support in my opinion. If there is a drought it will be due to rice scheme, lorry kills car passengers that will be due to rice scheme making driver angry, weather very hot will of course be due to the rice scheme, old man dies of heart attack will be rice scheme related............... that is how pathetic the backers of the PDRC and their biased media are becoming.

Rice scheme made people commit suicide ? NONSENSE.

All in my opinion of course.

This is exactly the reason they have the PTP state agency stating this. So the gullible would swallow it.

Not a word before hand by any PTP supporter even questioning why the farmers are committing suicide. Why? We knew why, the farmers knew why and the farmers families knew why and they said it was because of non payments.

This story was aimed at PTP supporters or supporters that are starting to question why they support the PTP. The people that believe this understandably support the PTP because they are gullible. People that are not extremely gullible know better.

Next you will say you believed yingluck when she referred to inflation "There is no inflation", "it is all in your imagination because of the hot weather" Believe that one too? Aimed at the same people.

Did Yingluck tell you to say that?....

I guess so...

Did Yingluck tell you to say that?....

since when this woman got brain to tell people to do this do that

Better tell this family it is all in their imagination.

"How can I kill myself without pain?"

It was a question rice farmer Thongma Kaisuan often asked friends, when they talked about debt caused by long-overdue government payments. No one thought he was serious.

Then his son-in-law saw him walk from his home outside the north-eastern city of Roi Et, carrying a rope. An hour later he was found hanging in these trees...

http://english.cntv.cn/program/bizasia/20140208/101895.shtml

Better tell this mourning wife why her husband really dies.

"When the (rice) payments stopped, he couldn't eat, he couldn't sleep," Ms. Thongbai said, kneeling next to his coffin. "He couldn't stop worrying about it. In the end it was just too much for him."

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304428004579352590377530118?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304428004579352590377530118.html

Department deputy director-general Dr Panpimol Wipulakorn, could you dare to go to the funerals and please tell the family members of the farmers about this FACT ?

if not, then please keep your opinion in your toilet.

Ok. Will you or I tell this farmers wife it is all in her imagination and he DIDN"T really die because of the rice payments

Meanwhile... Pichit farmer commits suicide because rice mortgage payment worth 200,000 baht from Yingluck government is 4 months overdue

http://www.tnews.co.th/html/news/79472/สลด!!-ชาวนาพิจิตรเครียดดับ-หลังไม่ได้เงินจำนำข้าวจากรัฐ.html

“We assume that all statements must be mild inversions of the truth, because it's too weird to imagine people who aren't casually lying, pretty much all the time.”

If the article wasn't so obviously written for the PTP it might be excused as something written by a first year psych. student. It is professionally incompetent and demonstrates both a complete lack of understanding about suicide and mental health in general. How demeaning, and ignorant of both the farmers who died and the grief now being experienced by their families.

Well put Mr. Armstrong. A few posts have been removed from view. You may not like this article, but please be civil and show some respect for the victims.

Ahhhh, after re-reading the article I could be mistaken for an April fool. They demagogued us.

Arguments unrelated to a discussion

Unrelated facts — bringing unrelated facts that sound in favor of the speaker's agenda. For example, marking a vegetable or cereal product as "cholesterol free". Since cholesterol is only found in animal products, such labeling does not actually distinguish this product from similar competitors.

In this case looking at this article and keep in mind that there have been 9 suicides directly related to the rice scheme; Notice the bits underlined.

Department deputy director-general Dr Panpimol Wipulakorn said the investigation found that nine of them had committed suicide because they owed a large number of informal debts. Three committed suicide as they had been suffering from congenital diseases. The remaining farmer's suicide could not be linked to the rice-pledging scheme.

The underlined bit is the bit we are interested in. This is the nine farmers that have committed suicide due to debts. All 9 suicides in the links above and after interviews with the families show they refer to the rice scheme and having no money as the reason for suicide. We all know they borrowed off loan sharks (informal debt) so this is truth. The other bits are for the gullible trying to get us off the root truth and bewilder us with UNRELATED FACTS.

Three committed suicide as they had been suffering from congenital diseases. I am sure they are correct. We knew this had nothing to do with the rice scheme.

The remaining farmer's suicide could not be linked to the rice-pledging scheme. Remaining? What 10, 50, 100? Either way you are still correct. We knew this had nothing to do with the rice scheme.

This allows the govt dept to shift the blame away from them while still slipping the truth in there.

They nearly got me on this one.

Sorry Dr Panpimol Wipulakorn, I'm not that gullible.

It's always useful when state agencies release rubbish like this. Shows you who's payroll they're on.

There's probably the odd numpty out there that will believe it but overall such statements just undermine the credibility of the agency.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Here is an example why every western country does not recognise anything from Thailand to do with medical, mental health or any other educational institutions... probably one of the most epic failures, to go with a host of others, in coming out with a factual investigation. Absolute garbage... and the blind trying to manipulate a fast awaking and seeing public.

And the informal debts were caused by what? Borrowing money "informally" because the banks could not loan them the money (tenant farmers - no assets) and their rice not paid for? I do not know on a case by case basis but I bet the informal debts would in some of the 9 cases be linked to non payment for rice sold to the YL Govt scheme. In fact It would be interesting to know how many of the deaths involved farmers with unpaid-out Rice scheme credits. Period. Let the public decide on the likelyu cause-effect links.

This Dr never understand the poor farmers stress was due to money as she might raise from rich family never encounter whar hardship was the poor farmers usally borrow money from loan shark with very high interest 20% per month and BAAC bank only offer some loans but farmer were not easy to get it as it meet many requirment or old loan unsettle .

Death was not a joke there's not copy cat who one wish to play his or her life for fool like this.They have family and loved one and do the Dr thinks they just going for holiday?

And the 'headline' Rice-scheme woes not major factor in suicides, Thai agency says tell that to the wife of the guy who has just topped himself