Thai rice farmers rejoice after junta head orders immediate cash payment

[mikemac]

Thank goodness the uneducated farmers don't have the sense to realize that in general the ex gov were blocked at every turn.

It was all part of the process leading to where we are now.

Whatever the case happy to see they are getting their payments, enjoy!

Perhaps if they were no so "uneducated" as you so crudely put it, they would not have been conned into voting these cheating criminals into power, and not been ripped off by them via the rice pledging scam.

And you are correct, it was all part of the process leading to where we are now. It was one off the bigger nails the greedy and scheming PTP drove into their own coffin.

So nice of you to be happy about them finally being paid up, I am sure they will appreciate your thoughts.

[Gonzo the Face]

I wonder how many farming families will still be in debt to loan sharks even after this payment.

many loansharks are a proxy setup by Thaksin's regime. 2%/day repayments ... and different settings from the loansharks we know from before. They eventually will be rounded up too now.

the loansharks have been around for more than 100 years. It's simply pathetic to try to blame Thaksin for that, as well as being profoundly dishonest

Is there some stupendous prize to be the last one defending the now replaced Thaksin group ????

[AGareth2]

glad they will get their money

But how will they remember it?

By the paymaster or the originator of the subsidy scheme?

[realenglish1]

Good going General Keep this up and you can run for Prime Minster and Win

[Piichai]

God bless the farmers, and God bless Prayuth!

[Baerboxer]

How strange that in less than a week the Army can pay the farmers but the PTP exgovernment couldn't manage to do the same thing in more than 9 MONTHS.

My understanding is that when they had caretaker status, they were not able to borrow money as the government of Thailand. The army, however, can simply order banks to provide the loans necessary for the payments.

And what is your understanding on why they couldn't pay for 3 months before they had caretaker status? Or why they didn't ensure suitable provision had been made before dissolving parliament?

[thai4me]

Well done. At least now the needy are getting the funds that is rightfully theirs.

[mikemac]

Very bad timing for the farmers.

The World Cup is only a few weeks away and the illegal bookies will be lining up to take their money.

Thais love their football!

They should hand out the money after the final

Well this takes the cake ! Despite fierce opposition this lame-brained excuse for a wrong being righted wins the Darwin Award for Journalism.

Congrats.

[The stuttering parrot]

The farmers and the north will never forgive the people who took away their right to vote and their democratically elected governments over the past 10 years!

I'm glad to see the farmers paid albeit by default but anyone who thinks that the reds are a spent force are living in a fools paradise!

The next election will prove me right

Watch this space!

[MMarlow]

Thank goodness the uneducated farmers don't have the sense to realize that in general the ex gov were blocked at every turn.

It was all part of the process leading to where we are now.

Whatever the case happy to see they are getting their payments, enjoy!

Some of them may have been better educated than you, d'you think you're better than them?

[Skywalker69]

The farmers and the north will never forgive the people who took away their right to vote and their democratically elected governments over the past 10 years!

I'm glad to see the farmers paid albeit by default but anyone who thinks that the reds are a spent force are living in a fools paradise!

The next election will prove me right

Watch this space!

Your nicname suits you well.

[Piichai]

How strange that in less than a week the Army can pay the farmers but the PTP exgovernment couldn't manage to do the same thing in more than 9 MONTHS.

My understanding is that when they had caretaker status, they were not able to borrow money as the government of Thailand. The army, however, can simply order banks to provide the loans necessary for the payments.

Yingluck failed to pay the farmers before PDRC hit the streets, and Yingluck failed to provide for the farmers when she dissolved parliament.

It's Yingluck's fault !

[GeorgeO]

How strange that in less than a week the Army can pay the farmers but the PTP exgovernment couldn't manage to do the same thing in more than 9 MONTHS.

My understanding is that when they had caretaker status, they were not able to borrow money as the government of Thailand. The army, however, can simply order banks to provide the loans necessary for the payments.

We have gone over this umpteen times ... the debts to the farmers predate the dissolution of parliament, so why did they not deal with the problem before they dissolved parliament...?! I think the answer is clearly that they had skimmed off so much from the nation that there were no funds left for them to pay the farmers...!! Anyone who says it was nothing of the sort, just the effects of the rice subsidy policy itself, is then clearly admitting that it was a failure all along...!!

[The stuttering parrot]

And some of you should lighten up if you thought the football post was serious!

I mean really are you guys that...

Nah I'll let that go through to the keeper!

[rubl]

Farmers will be pleased to be paid. It's great. However, they will not forget that it was the old guard who blocked the payment in the first place.Nothing to do with the policy itself , just pure bloody-mindedness by Sutphep and the cronies.

ACtually it was the Yingluck government which had put all RPPS related payments into a separate (non-)revolving fund outside parliamentary scrutiny. With the dissolution of the House the caretaker government didn't have the legal power to accept new obligations which would have to be honered by a new government. That's why the caretaker government had to ask the E.C. for permission.

Now if only the Yingluck government had included the RPPS related costs/benefits in the NationalBudget nothing would have been delayed. Of course that's assuming the RPPS had been realistically budgetted.

Hi Onkle! What is RPPS?

I got tired of typing "Rice Price Pledging Scheme"

[bangarang]

so thats 28,606 farmers that no longer support the thaksin/red-shirt regime which is a huge victory for the country.

[wilcopops]

Where is the cash coming from?

[mikemac]

I can appreciate all the glowing accolades the General is being showered in right now. But when you think about it what has he done since he "took" power? What any decent and honest government would do as a matter of fact. Paid the rice farmers the money that has been owed to them (in some cases since long before the anti-government mob started protesting) and hopefully rid the country of red-shirted terrorists. And also chase all the PTP associated rats out of Thai politics, one way or another.

Best thing to happen to the country in years.

Keep up the good work General.

[rubl]

How strange that in less than a week the Army can pay the farmers but the PTP exgovernment couldn't manage to do the same thing in more than 9 MONTHS.

My understanding is that when they had caretaker status, they were not able to borrow money as the government of Thailand. The army, however, can simply order banks to provide the loans necessary for the payments.

The Thai Military Bank won't get such orders.

Since you phrase your reply as a statement, could you please explain what you mean here?

[Skywalker69]

Farmers will be pleased to be paid. It's great. However, they will not forget that it was the old guard who blocked the payment in the first place.Nothing to do with the policy itself , just pure bloody-mindedness by Sutphep and the cronies.

ACtually it was the Yingluck government which had put all RPPS related payments into a separate (non-)revolving fund outside parliamentary scrutiny. With the dissolution of the House the caretaker government didn't have the legal power to accept new obligations which would have to be honered by a new government. That's why the caretaker government had to ask the E.C. for permission.

Now if only the Yingluck government had included the RPPS related costs/benefits in the NationalBudget nothing would have been delayed. Of course that's assuming the RPPS had been realistically budgetted.

Hi Onkle! What is RPPS?

I got tired of typing "Rice Price Pledging Scheme"

Thank you!

[wilcopops]

I don't like to compare the last coup with this one, but we know and th army admits it - that when it comes to fiscal matters they are amateurs. Last time they caused a finance market crash.

[Piichai]

PTP led government did not delay paying the rice farmers. It was EC who tried to bargain with the government - delay election or no payment, and the dem and its pdrc blocking the payments. Threatened banks not to cooperate with the government to pay rice farmers. According to this report, they have been enough funds to pay them and other avenues that funds were available.

Yingluck failed to pay the farmers before PDRC hit the streets, and Yingluck failed to provide for the farmers when she dissolved parliament.

It's Yingluck's fault !

[GeorgeO]

So 40 million baht will be paid from the government coffers, and an additional 50 billion baht will be loaned by banks which have guns pointed to their heads? Which banks are these and what do their shareholders and customers think of having to forcibly loan the government this money? Why doesn't the junta order DSI to trace the original money that was stolen and force politicians involved to pay back the money?

I think that is likely to take quite some time, so it's not in the best interests of the farmers who need the money now; however, I have no doubt that once the auditors have been in and unexplained payments are identified to people all over the place, no doubt those people will have their assets sequestered...!!

[catweazle]

Finally, Thailand is led by a person with a brain!

If anyone still believes that the coup was a bad thing should think twice now.

The farmers and fields are the blood, the livelyhood of this country - how could any of those crooked politicians think they could get away with not paying their own HARD WORKING (and not HiSo shopping, selfie-loving) folks?

Go ahead General Prayut - I salute you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited May 26, 2014 by catweazle

[Baerboxer]

Farmers will be pleased to be paid. It's great. However, they will not forget that it was the old guard who blocked the payment in the first place.Nothing to do with the policy itself , just pure bloody-mindedness by Sutphep and the cronies.

How do you justify writing lies like this to yourself? You know very well PTP ran into difficulties with paying the farmers months before the protests against the corrupt amnesty bill forced them to dissolve parliament.

They were lying about having enough money months before any protest and then cocked up further by not bothering about paying the farmers before dissolving the house. They needed the 2.2.trillion to cover it all up.

Will be interesting to see what comes to light if/when the real books are found and audited.

[OnTheRun]

Well done! Excellent move, but more than anything, the farmers are finally getting paid! Miltary scores again...

Military takes over and manages to get rid of demonstrations from both sides Military 1 - Thaksin 0.... Military pays Rice Farmers right away Military 2 - Thaksin 0.

You forgot to mention they got rid of him in the first place, I make it 3-0

[Piichai]

Mrs is in touch with a farmers son in Singburi who is also a reporter for local radio and newspaper.

He has compiled numbers of farmers and how much they are owed in the Singburi province divided up by ampour and he has it down to the last baht.

For instance in the InBuri Ampour there are 857 farmers who are owed a total of 156,973,494 B

Total for the small province of Singburi is 7936 farmers who are owed 899 million.

It would seem this will be paid out in more than one lot with the first comprising 2574 farmers paid a total of 380 million an average of 147,630 each.

There is an item on Thai PBS TV on this right now.

This will be a huge injection of money into a small province.

Go the general

In time to come, the farmers will not remember or care who paid them the money that they are owed. All they will remember is that it was PTP's scheme.

It would seem you Reds don't think very highly of the farmers.

[Piichai]

I wonder how many farming families will still be in debt to loan sharks even after this payment.

Perhaps they should start a class action suit against Thaksin and the PTP.

Thaksin acts, and PTP acts!

I wonder how many farming families will still be in debt to loan sharks even after this payment.

Perhaps they should start a class action suit against Thaksin and the PTP.

Thaksin thinks, and PTP acts!

Edited May 26, 2014 by Piichai

[Gunna]

PTP led government did not delay paying the rice farmers. It was EC who tried to bargain with the government - delay election or no payment, and the dem and its pdrc blocking the payments. Threatened banks not to cooperate with the government to pay rice farmers. According to this report, they have been enough funds to pay them and other avenues that funds were available.

More lies and distortions

[connda]

I'm truly happy for these folks.