Govt retracts Bt712 million request for rice payments
By Digital Content



BANGKOK, Feb 20 – The caretaker government has withdrawn its letter to the Election Commission (EC) seeking Bt712 million from the central fund to pay farmers under the rice pledging scheme, according to an EC member.

Somchai Srisuthiyakorn, EC member for election administration, said the caretaker government reasoned that the request lacked sufficient detail, and promised to return the request to the EC for approval.

The Bt712 million allocation, if approved, is only a small portion of the total Bt130 billion the government has yet to pay farmers nationwide for the rice they have delivered from the 2013/2014 crop.

The EC resolved yesterday to go ahead with elections in 28 pending constituencies in eight southern provinces and announced that it would recruit officials to be assigned to polling booths using the EMS postal service.

The Election Law requires nine officials to facilitate balloting at each polling station.

Elections are set for March 2 in five provinces – Phetchaburi, Rayong, Phetchabun, Samut Songkram and Samut Sakhon.

New elections in 28 constituencies in eight southern provinces are scheduled for April 27 while advance elections are a week earlier, or on April 20.

Printing and delivering ballots will be conducted confidentially to avoid possible disruption, Mr Somchai said, adding that administrative, police and military personnel will be asked to provide security at polling booths on the election day.

He said the announcement of 125 party-list MPs would not be made unless elections in 375 constituencies nationwide are complete. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2014-02-20

" the caretaker government reasoned that the request lacked sufficient detail "

I bet.

This Government doesn't know if it's "Arthur or Martha" ..... " Yes we are , No where not " ....

incompetence again!!!

For a government that said the rice scheme is within the budget there seems to be a lot of loaning being requested. I suppose that could be attributed to a budget of 500 billion baht being blown out to 700 billion baht of which losses of 400 billion is through corruption and inefficiencies.

For a government that said the rice scheme is within the budget there seems to be a lot of loaning being requested. I suppose that could be attributed to a budget of 500 billion baht being blown out to 700 billion baht of which losses of 400 billion is through corruption and inefficiencies.

yes it is within budget - their own personal budgets - about 400 billion of it stolen from the Thai people

In the south, postal employees will not transmit mails

In the south, postal employees will not transmit mails

What did they decide to do with femails?

you can see this governement has never had the intention nor the budget to pay them

but that was never their priority in the first place

So when will the anti corruption agency start reporting about the trail of rice money and deposits? This is taking way too long.