Nakhon Si Thammarat rubber farmer self-immolates as crop price plunges

[rametindallas]

If the farmer thought this through, instead of impulsively taking his own life, he would realize that his family will be in even worse financial straits than before and will now have to add the expense of his funeral. I consider what he did a selfish act with no thought for what would happen to his family. In most everyone's life, there are ups and downs. Suicide, unless you are clinically depressed or have other long-term mental problems, is selfish. Now, he has given up any chance of an improvement in his or his family's life.

Selfish it is not... People have the right to drink, smoke, eat crap food, drive like idiots and so on and kill themselves slowly in front of others,,,,, but cannot just pass on ?

Stating he did it because he had mental illness just shows a lack of anything on your behalf. There is an old saying... "Spend a day in someone else's shoes..... " then pass judgement.... In the meantime, enjoy your latte, take your missus, gf or bf to the cinema, enjoy the day and have a good life ~sic~

Do you really believe that setting fire to yourself is a sane act, even if you condone suicide? Surely he could have "passed on" without the personal pain, and leaving others to clean up his charred corpse, and the memories it would have left his family.

Should they get a discount on his cremation?

Do you really believe that setting fire to yourself is a sane act

Not necessarily yes or no. During the protests in Vietnam during the corrupt, Catholic, Diem administration (1960s), several Buddhist monks self-immolated to protest the treatment of Buddhists. Were those sane acts? When I first started reading the OP, I thought the farmer had set himself on fire to protest the price of rubber (some months back, some rice farmers committed suicide over not being paid for their crops) but when I read he did it in his home, I had to rethink. Just because someone commits suicide, doesn't necessarily mean they are not sane; in the clinical sense.

I do believe there is such a thing as 'temporary insanity' (most courts agree there is such a condition). It is rash, impulsive behavior that, if it were to occur regularly would be deemed chronic mental illness. If you've been in the Kingdom for any length of time or kept up with news articles here, you would realize there is an abundance of rash/impulsive behavior, with no thought for the consequences. Here's one example. Did you read about the guy who killed another man because, earlier in the night, he had looked at his 'coyote dancer' girl-friend when she was performing in a club. He pulled up alongside the 'looker's' motorcycle and shot him. Now, a man is dead and another in prison and the 'coyote dancer' girl will have a new, hopefully less jealous, boy-friend. Would you say that that was a 'sane' act? If you say he was not sane then there is a lot in insanity in Thailand. Thailand, the 'hub' of impulsive behavior.

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

Sad story, but maybe the oversupply will end all the burnings of the rainforests in SE for making place for rubber and palm oil plantations?

[MobileContent]

Maybe he was on Yaba and couldn't pay for the next kick.

I know a farang who got 200 rai's of Rubber at 6 years age now. His Mrs told him to buy the land cheap and plant rubber. 200 Rai at 50,000 Baht is over 10 million Baht just for the land. I warnedthe farang not to buy it but he listen to his new found family and love in Isaan.

I have been asked for the past 3 years buy land and plant rubber but my answer is sorry I am not a farmer. THose offers by the way was not made my my family in Isaan

[ParadiseLost]

Got to protect the people. The European Union provides subsidies to it's own farmers. Thaksin subsidised the rice farmers. The guys in charge now should subsidise the rubber farmers.

The results of the rice scheme speak for themselves. but I do agree with you somewhat - there needs to be a safety net for farmers if the nation benefits from their lifetime investment.

The only problem is the minute a 'scheme' is announced, millions of rai will be planted with rubber - as happened with the rice 'scheme'.

The EU/US subsidies have long been condemned by the UN; they are anti-competition and are far too 'fat' - farmers become rich/er even when conditions are bad for everyone else.

Sadly there seems to be no solution.

[Thai at Heart]

Got to protect the people. The European Union provides subsidies to it's own farmers. Thaksin subsidised the rice farmers. The guys in charge now should subsidise the rubber farmers.

The results of the rice scheme speak for themselves. but I do agree with you somewhat - there needs to be a safety net for farmers if the nation benefits from their lifetime investment.

The only problem is the minute a 'scheme' is announced, millions of rai will be planted with rubber - as happened with the rice 'scheme'.

The EU/US subsidies have long been condemned by the UN; they are anti-competition and are far too 'fat' - farmers become rich/er even when conditions are bad for everyone else.

Sadly there seems to be no solution.

Well, I don't think the solution is to do nothing.

There is a solution but this involves the govt organising what gets grown where, and in what volume. The govt cannot get involved if the system is allowed to run as a free for all.

Edited August 30, 2014 by Thai at Heart

[ParadiseLost]

Got to protect the people. The European Union provides subsidies to it's own farmers. Thaksin subsidised the rice farmers. The guys in charge now should subsidise the rubber farmers.

The results of the rice scheme speak for themselves. but I do agree with you somewhat - there needs to be a safety net for farmers if the nation benefits from their lifetime investment.

The only problem is the minute a 'scheme' is announced, millions of rai will be planted with rubber - as happened with the rice 'scheme'.

The EU/US subsidies have long been condemned by the UN; they are anti-competition and are far too 'fat' - farmers become rich/er even when conditions are bad for everyone else.

Sadly there seems to be no solution.

Well, I don't think the solution is to do nothing.

There is a solution but this involves the govt organising what gets grown where, and in what volume. The govt cannot get involved if the system is allowed to run as a free for all.

Perhaps I should have said there is no solution which will suit everyone.

Yes, fully agree that land should be utilised according to the nation's best interests, but here everything is driven by greed. No chance of limiting the amount of land planted with any crop.

Again you are correct in saying that something has to be done - perhaps the government could sponsor insurance premiums for farmers, so disasters can be cushioned? Setting a minimum price per kilo is dangerous, unless it is very low.

[thaiguzzi]

If ever there was proof that the markets for all agricultural products need reform in Thailand, this is it.

Very sad, and for everyone moaning that subsidies are bad, tell that to people who are on the bones of their ass, with no assistance from anyone available.

The price of rubber in Thailand is down because of the rain. The quality of the rubber deteriorates during the rainy season, because of the large amount of water in the tree. Agriculture prices are controlled by the market In the past governments have stepped in and tried to control the market, a good example would be the rice program of the previous government.

You do not know what you are talking about.

[Mosha]

If ever there was proof that the markets for all agricultural products need reform in Thailand, this is it.

Very sad, and for everyone moaning that subsidies are bad, tell that to people who are on the bones of their ass, with no assistance from anyone available.

The price of rubber in Thailand is down because of the rain. The quality of the rubber deteriorates during the rainy season, because of the large amount of water in the tree. Agriculture prices are controlled by the market In the past governments have stepped in and tried to control the market, a good example would be the rice program of the previous government.

Where do I buy what you smoke cos heck it's good stuff. The price is down cos 5 Million Rai world wide has come on line, eg Ghana cocoa farmers now grow rubber.

[bendejo]

The price of rubber took off gangbusters in 2011, reaching a price three times what it was just a few years before. Happily the country folk who tended the stuff profited well, rather than just the commodities markets, banks et al. My guess is a lot of these people bought things on credit without really understanding the consequences (as most of us know, the first thing bought is a new pickup truck).

Now the prices are back where they were before. No more surplus income, and no telling what level of financial obligation some of these people got themselves into. I would think there's a lot of repossession of things, along with the humiliation that goes with it.

This poor guy opted for the early exit.

[NeverSure]

I guess I disagree with most here, but I grew up on a large wheat and cattle ranch in the US and I just can't agree that this is the government's issue at all. If it is it can only be populist to gain votes. It that's true, then someone else in another line of work has to pay for it.

Farming is a business. Businesses have risks. Products like rubber and rice are global commodities so the government can't control the price.

If I buy land and plant rubber I'm an idiot. It costs too much and takes too long to get a return, and by then the price could drop. If it does it's my fault. I should have diversified with crops I could quickly change as prices changed.

In a free economy people are free to invest as they wish. If they buy a bar and it goes broke don't look to me to bail them out. Someone who's a lot smarter might buy it and make a lot of money. Or not.

We will always have businesses going broke. Better ideas will succeed.

We can't bail out business failures. We can't afford it. It's possible that the Thai government lost as much as 1 trillion baht on the rice scheme. They haven't paid it back to the Ag Bank yet. Where do they get the money to pay the loans for the failed rice scheme before they even think about rubber?

When a government, which creates no wealth, bails out business it goes into debt to do it and we transfer the debt from the business to the government which means to all of the people. Now everyone is in debt due to the mistakes of a small minority.

[NCFC]

Imagine if this happened on Yingluck's watch. TV would be in meltdown.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[Wat dee]

If the farmer thought this through, instead of impulsively taking his own life, he would realize that his family will be in even worse financial straits than before and will now have to add the expense of his funeral. I consider what he did a selfish act with no thought for what would happen to his family. In most everyone's life, there are ups and downs. Suicide, unless you are clinically depressed or have other long-term mental problems, is selfish. Now, he has given up any chance of an improvement in his or his family's life.

Robin Williams post was all condolences...Poor Thai is selfish bstrd.

Robin Williams was known to suffer from clinical depression for which there is no cure. We have absolutely no idea about the mental state of the farmer in question. He is only selfish if he did not have mental illness, including clinical depression. When people commit suicide to escape their inner demons, I am happy for them that their endless suffering is over. I know it is hard for the ones they leave behind, but I don't want anyone to have to suffer the constant anguish that often accompanies mental illness. When people commit suicide because life is not 'going their way', I believe them to be thinking only of themselves. I have no pity for those who can't/won't endure the vicissitudes of life. We all have our ups and downs. Sane people, who are not selfish, will persevere and understand that things will most likely get better than the lows in their life. Again, it would be wrong to judge this farmer. There are a lot of 'ifs' about his mental state. There were no 'ifs' with Robin Williams. It was well known that he had been suffering for years. No comparison between the two from the information we have.

Poor Thai is selfish bstrd.

BTW, if you are under the misapprehension that I categorically stated the farmer was selfish, you have a deficit in your reading comprehension.

Sane people don't take gasoline showers and play with matches!

No need for Freud!

[Robespiere]

If the farmer thought this through, instead of impulsively taking his own life, he would realize that his family will be in even worse financial straits than before and will now have to add the expense of his funeral. I consider what he did a selfish act with no thought for what would happen to his family. In most everyone's life, there are ups and downs. Suicide, unless you are clinically depressed or have other long-term mental problems, is selfish. Now, he has given up any chance of an improvement in his or his family's life.

So if Yingluck was blamed by the PDRC and their TV supporters for rice farmer suicides when she was PM, who are we now to blame for rubber farmer suicides?

[rametindallas]

If the farmer thought this through, instead of impulsively taking his own life, he would realize that his family will be in even worse financial straits than before and will now have to add the expense of his funeral. I consider what he did a selfish act with no thought for what would happen to his family. In most everyone's life, there are ups and downs. Suicide, unless you are clinically depressed or have other long-term mental problems, is selfish. Now, he has given up any chance of an improvement in his or his family's life.

Robin Williams post was all condolences...Poor Thai is selfish bstrd.

Robin Williams was known to suffer from clinical depression for which there is no cure. We have absolutely no idea about the mental state of the farmer in question. He is only selfish if he did not have mental illness, including clinical depression. When people commit suicide to escape their inner demons, I am happy for them that their endless suffering is over. I know it is hard for the ones they leave behind, but I don't want anyone to have to suffer the constant anguish that often accompanies mental illness. When people commit suicide because life is not 'going their way', I believe them to be thinking only of themselves. I have no pity for those who can't/won't endure the vicissitudes of life. We all have our ups and downs. Sane people, who are not selfish, will persevere and understand that things will most likely get better than the lows in their life. Again, it would be wrong to judge this farmer. There are a lot of 'ifs' about his mental state. There were no 'ifs' with Robin Williams. It was well known that he had been suffering for years. No comparison between the two from the information we have.

Poor Thai is selfish bstrd.

BTW, if you are under the misapprehension that I categorically stated the farmer was selfish, you have a deficit in your reading comprehension.

Sane people don't take gasoline showers and play with matches!

No need for Freud!

Maybe you're too young to remember that in Vietnam, in 1963, several, very sane, Buddhist monks poured gasoline over themselves and lit a match. It was to protest the treatment of Buddhists by the Catholic dominated government of Diem. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwQTsCiguHc

A Brief History of Self-Immolation

http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2043123,00.html

None of these people are insane! As far as I know, the farmer was protesting lack of government support for rubber prices. In any case, his family is worse off without him.

[rametindallas]

If the farmer thought this through, instead of impulsively taking his own life, he would realize that his family will be in even worse financial straits than before and will now have to add the expense of his funeral. I consider what he did a selfish act with no thought for what would happen to his family. In most everyone's life, there are ups and downs. Suicide, unless you are clinically depressed or have other long-term mental problems, is selfish. Now, he has given up any chance of an improvement in his or his family's life.

So if Yingluck was blamed by the PDRC and their TV supporters for rice farmer suicides when she was PM, who are we now to blame for rubber farmer suicides?

It is sad that you can't draw a distinction between the two situations. The current government never made any commitments or withheld promised payments to the rubber farmers. No rubber farmer had any reason to expect government help. It was Yingluck Thaksin and the PTP government who led the rice farmers 'down the garden path' by making so many promises they didn't keep. The rice farmers were betrayed and the rubber farmers were not. Too bad your propaganda addled brain can't see the difference.

BTW, I am not one of those who blamed Ms Yingluck for rice farmers' suicides so you probably need to address your question to them.

[spidermike007]

Rubber Farmer Self-Immolates As Crop Price Plunges

By Khaosod English

NAKHON SI THAMMARAT — A rubber farmer in Nakhon Si Thammarat province committed suicide yesterday as the price of raw rubber, a staple crop for many farmers is southern Thailand, continues to plunge.

Pithakchai Kongthongkam, 31, doused his body with petrol and lit himself on fire at his home in Thoong Song district yesterday, police say.

Mr. Pithakchai's widow, Sujitra Srisawang, told police that her husband was distressed by the recent drop in the rubber prices, which threatened his livelihood as a rubber farmer.

"The price for rubber used to be at 70-80 baht per kilogram. Our family had an earning of 500-600 baht per day, enough to get by,” Ms. Sujitra said. “But in these days the rubber price dropped to only 40 baht per kilogram, which means one third of our earnings disappeared.”

Thailand is the world’s largest producer and exporter, but falling global demand has caused rubber prices to drop 24 percent this year.

Ms. Sujitra added that her husband was forced to borrow money from neighbours and employers to take care of the family. "It's likely that my husband was so stressed he decided to kill himself," Ms. Sujitra said.

However, officers at Kapang Police Station said Mr. Pithakchai was recently arrested by police and charged with drug abuse, which may have played a role in his suicide.

While the motive behind Mr. Pithakchai's suicide remains unclear, the drop in rubber prices has caused a genuine crisis for rubber farmers in southern Thailand.

Last year, southern rubber farmers protested the government at the time and requested a guaranteed price of 80-100 baht per kilogram for their crops. Although many rubber farmers supported the 22 May military coup that ousted the former government, Thailand's new military regime has not taken up their proposal either.

Instead of subsidies, the junta has promised sustained "structural" measures to solve the problem, such as providing soft loans for famers to purchase fertilizer.

However, some economists have expressed worry that the causes of the rubber price crisis may be too complicated for the military junta to understand.

"I cannot see any clear direction from the new government to solve the plunging robber price," said Withee Supithak, president of Federation of Industry of Thailand's southern division, "I am not sure how much [the military officers] will understand the problem about rubber price, because it's an issue that many previous governments tried to solve but failed."

He added, "It's a really complex issue. It will take a long time, continuity in policies, and serious enforcement to solve the problem."

Source: http://en.khaosod.co.th/detail.php?newsid=1409303035

-- Khaosod English 2014-08-29

It is not up to the junta to try to understand the falling rubber prices. It is a world commodity, and is subject to fluctuation. Withee simply got used to the Yingbat promising every farmer under the sun a subsidy to keep them happy, and get their support and their vote. Yes, she could not even pay the rice farmers! She was a complete, and utter failure as a politician. About as effective as Abhisit. Serious enforcement to solve the problem? What kind of enforcement? Telling the rubber industry worldwide that the prices are not enough for Thai farmers? Hello. You take a risk when you grow a world commodity, the prices fluctuate.

As for this loser who killed himself, what can one say? My income is down, so I am going to kill myself? Sorry, but no sympathy from this poster. Get a job, grow another crop, get creative, make things happen. Taking ones own life is about as cowardly and selfish as it gets.

[Mosha]

In the good times, Abhisit warned then not to count on the price always being good. Don't be rushing out and buying cars or pickups. Well in Ranong we had the perfect storm so to speak. Almost daily rain for 2 months, combined with 24 Baht for Kee Yang. couple of week ago it bottomed at 20. Now in a nearby Tambol, 40 families have had the vehicles repossessed by the finance companies.

[Robespiere]

If the farmer thought this through, instead of impulsively taking his own life, he would realize that his family will be in even worse financial straits than before and will now have to add the expense of his funeral. I consider what he did a selfish act with no thought for what would happen to his family. In most everyone's life, there are ups and downs. Suicide, unless you are clinically depressed or have other long-term mental problems, is selfish. Now, he has given up any chance of an improvement in his or his family's life.

So if Yingluck was blamed by the PDRC and their TV supporters for rice farmer suicides when she was PM, who are we now to blame for rubber farmer suicides?

It is sad that you can't draw a distinction between the two situations. The current government never made any commitments or withheld promised payments to the rubber farmers. No rubber farmer had any reason to expect government help. It was Yingluck Thaksin and the PTP government who led the rice farmers 'down the garden path' by making so many promises they didn't keep. The rice farmers were betrayed and the rubber farmers were not. Too bad your propaganda addled brain can't see the difference.

BTW, I am not one of those who blamed Ms Yingluck for rice farmers' suicides so you probably need to address your question to them.

It is sad that you can't accept the obvious double standards applied by anti-democrats in condemning Ms. Yingluck and praising Gen. Prayuth.

[rametindallas]

If the farmer thought this through, instead of impulsively taking his own life, he would realize that his family will be in even worse financial straits than before and will now have to add the expense of his funeral. I consider what he did a selfish act with no thought for what would happen to his family. In most everyone's life, there are ups and downs. Suicide, unless you are clinically depressed or have other long-term mental problems, is selfish. Now, he has given up any chance of an improvement in his or his family's life.

So if Yingluck was blamed by the PDRC and their TV supporters for rice farmer suicides when she was PM, who are we now to blame for rubber farmer suicides?

It is sad that you can't draw a distinction between the two situations. The current government never made any commitments or withheld promised payments to the rubber farmers. No rubber farmer had any reason to expect government help. It was Yingluck Thaksin and the PTP government who led the rice farmers 'down the garden path' by making so many promises they didn't keep. The rice farmers were betrayed and the rubber farmers were not. Too bad your propaganda addled brain can't see the difference.

BTW, I am not one of those who blamed Ms Yingluck for rice farmers' suicides so you probably need to address your question to them.

It is sad that you can't accept the obvious double standards applied by anti-democrats in condemning Ms. Yingluck and praising Gen. Prayuth.

It's probably too late for you, but you really should get with the times and stop drinking the Thaksin Kool-Ade. He is a bitter old man and he has lost. Ms Yingluck was a political pawn of her self-exiled, fugitive felon, narcissistic brother and General Prayuth has shown nothing but competence and loyalty to the people of Thailand. He has done more for cleaning up Thailand than the self-serving Thaksin and all his self-serving puppet government incarnations ever did. It must suck to be you; propaganda addled creature that you are. I think of the single-minded Gollum, from Lord of the Rings, when you write you blinded tripe. I hope you get a life of your own one day and stop being a Thaksin stooge. You and you 'precious' Thaksin are pitiable.

[Wat dee]

Robin Williams was known to suffer from clinical depression for which there is no cure. We have absolutely no idea about the mental state of the farmer in question. He is only selfish if he did not have mental illness, including clinical depression. When people commit suicide to escape their inner demons, I am happy for them that their endless suffering is over. I know it is hard for the ones they leave behind, but I don't want anyone to have to suffer the constant anguish that often accompanies mental illness. When people commit suicide because life is not 'going their way', I believe them to be thinking only of themselves. I have no pity for those who can't/won't endure the vicissitudes of life. We all have our ups and downs. Sane people, who are not selfish, will persevere and understand that things will most likely get better than the lows in their life. Again, it would be wrong to judge this farmer. There are a lot of 'ifs' about his mental state. There were no 'ifs' with Robin Williams. It was well known that he had been suffering for years. No comparison between the two from the information we have.

Poor Thai is selfish bstrd.

BTW, if you are under the misapprehension that I categorically stated the farmer was selfish, you have a deficit in your reading comprehension.

Sane people don't take gasoline showers and play with matches!

No need for Freud!

Maybe you're too young to remember that in Vietnam, in 1963, several, very sane, Buddhist monks poured gasoline over themselves and lit a match. It was to protest the treatment of Buddhists by the Catholic dominated government of Diem. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwQTsCiguHc

A Brief History of Self-Immolation

http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2043123,00.html

None of these people are insane! As far as I know, the farmer was protesting lack of government support for rubber prices. In any case, his family is worse off without him.

Not really sure if anyone with religious beliefs is sane.

[Deacon Bell]

RIP Mr. Dramaqueen.

[rametindallas]

Robin Williams was known to suffer from clinical depression for which there is no cure. We have absolutely no idea about the mental state of the farmer in question. He is only selfish if he did not have mental illness, including clinical depression. When people commit suicide to escape their inner demons, I am happy for them that their endless suffering is over. I know it is hard for the ones they leave behind, but I don't want anyone to have to suffer the constant anguish that often accompanies mental illness. When people commit suicide because life is not 'going their way', I believe them to be thinking only of themselves. I have no pity for those who can't/won't endure the vicissitudes of life. We all have our ups and downs. Sane people, who are not selfish, will persevere and understand that things will most likely get better than the lows in their life. Again, it would be wrong to judge this farmer. There are a lot of 'ifs' about his mental state. There were no 'ifs' with Robin Williams. It was well known that he had been suffering for years. No comparison between the two from the information we have.

Poor Thai is selfish bstrd.

BTW, if you are under the misapprehension that I categorically stated the farmer was selfish, you have a deficit in your reading comprehension.

Sane people don't take gasoline showers and play with matches!

No need for Freud!

Maybe you're too young to remember that in Vietnam, in 1963, several, very sane, Buddhist monks poured gasoline over themselves and lit a match. It was to protest the treatment of Buddhists by the Catholic dominated government of Diem. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwQTsCiguHc

A Brief History of Self-Immolation

http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2043123,00.html

None of these people are insane! As far as I know, the farmer was protesting lack of government support for rubber prices. In any case, his family is worse off without him.

Not really sure if anyone with religious beliefs is sane.

Up to you if you want to insult a billion people who have religious beliefs by saying they're not sane. Maybe you feel superior to them because you believe that they are not sane and you are.

[Wat dee]

A Brief History of Self-Immolation

http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2043123,00.html

None of these people are insane! As far as I know, the farmer was protesting lack of government support for rubber prices. In any case, his family is worse off without him.

Not really sure if anyone with religious beliefs is sane.

Up to you if you want to insult a billion people who have religious beliefs by saying they're not sane. Maybe you feel superior to them because you believe that they are not sane and you are.

Who's saying I'm sane? U sure like to twist what u say. Don't put words into my mouth.

[Thai at Heart]

Robin Williams was known to suffer from clinical depression for which there is no cure. We have absolutely no idea about the mental state of the farmer in question. He is only selfish if he did not have mental illness, including clinical depression. When people commit suicide to escape their inner demons, I am happy for them that their endless suffering is over. I know it is hard for the ones they leave behind, but I don't want anyone to have to suffer the constant anguish that often accompanies mental illness. When people commit suicide because life is not 'going their way', I believe them to be thinking only of themselves. I have no pity for those who can't/won't endure the vicissitudes of life. We all have our ups and downs. Sane people, who are not selfish, will persevere and understand that things will most likely get better than the lows in their life. Again, it would be wrong to judge this farmer. There are a lot of 'ifs' about his mental state. There were no 'ifs' with Robin Williams. It was well known that he had been suffering for years. No comparison between the two from the information we have.

Poor Thai is selfish bstrd.

BTW, if you are under the misapprehension that I categorically stated the farmer was selfish, you have a deficit in your reading comprehension.

Sane people don't take gasoline showers and play with matches!

No need for Freud!

Maybe you're too young to remember that in Vietnam, in 1963, several, very sane, Buddhist monks poured gasoline over themselves and lit a match. It was to protest the treatment of Buddhists by the Catholic dominated government of Diem.

A Brief History of Self-Immolation

http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2043123,00.html

None of these people are insane! As far as I know, the farmer was protesting lack of government support for rubber prices. In any case, his family is worse off without him.

Not really sure if anyone with religious beliefs is sane.

Up to you if you want to insult a billion people who have religious beliefs by saying they're not sane. Maybe you feel superior to them because you believe that they are not sane and you are.

Well call it what u like, but having faith in stories with absolutely no historic proof or providence does have a definition.

Whether its insanity who knows, but faith is a curious psychological state.

[halloween]

Not really sure if anyone with religious beliefs is sane.

Up to you if you want to insult a billion people who have religious beliefs by saying they're not sane. Maybe you feel superior to them because you believe that they are not sane and you are.

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins explains how the teaching of religion to children, with their genetic inclination to believe their elders, leads to acceptance that would be far less likely if attempted in their teens. I can still recall slabs of religious myth as easily as my multiplication tables, even though I know that those myths are far less accurate and far less useful.

[rametindallas]

Not really sure if anyone with religious beliefs is sane.

Up to you if you want to insult a billion people who have religious beliefs by saying they're not sane. Maybe you feel superior to them because you believe that they are not sane and you are.

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins explains how the teaching of religion to children, with their genetic inclination to believe their elders, leads to acceptance that would be far less likely if attempted in their teens. I can still recall slabs of religious myth as easily as my multiplication tables, even though I know that those myths are far less accurate and far less useful.

That's nice.

[Bob12345]

mixed farming,that way your family

will always have something to eat, and you can sell the

surplus,be it fruit,fish,veg,rice,chickens and eggs,this way

you are not left to the whims of world markets and prices,

mono crops are not the way to go for small farmers.

regards worgeordie

Self-sufficiency works well in a closed environment where you try to stay at the same level instead of trying to maximize your potential.

Unfortunately it becomes harder when you cannot produce everything yourself: like a car to bring your crops to the market.

Specialization is more risky but can result in much higher profits. Instead of getting a mediocre return on 20 items you can also specialize in one crop, get a good return there, and exchange the surplus with other farmers who specialized in other crops. See this on a bigger scale and you have a world economy.

If all countries would follow the strategy of diversion then the rich world would lose a large part of its people due to hunger within years.

[Gonsalviz]

I feel very sorry for the death of this man, either it was from stress or drug abuse, or both.

The problem is, that because the price of rubber has gone down, worldwide, it wouldn't be the proper way for the government to subsidise the price.

Then we will see, all the rest of the farmers, or industries asking and demanding for subsidies.

It will not work and will bring the Thai economy down.

The government should advice and help the farmers to learn how to diversify.

Plant different crops, do not put all your eggs in one basket.

Pretty difficult to do when you can barely afford to buy the trees, fertilize them for 6 years and expect a decent return for 25-30 years and have nearly none. Nothing is available for these people.

[Thaimaishoe]

Not really sure if anyone with religious beliefs is sane.

Up to you if you want to insult a billion people who have religious beliefs by saying they're not sane. Maybe you feel superior to them because you believe that they are not sane and you are.

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins explains how the teaching of religion to children, with their genetic inclination to believe their elders, leads to acceptance that would be far less likely if attempted in their teens. I can still recall slabs of religious myth as easily as my multiplication tables, even though I know that those myths are far less accurate and far less useful.

That's nice.

Did you just have your afternoon Vallium shot or something??!

Or is your real name Milquetoast? Why did you waste the electricity posting?

[rametindallas]

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins explains how the teaching of religion to children, with their genetic inclination to believe their elders, leads to acceptance that would be far less likely if attempted in their teens. I can still recall slabs of religious myth as easily as my multiplication tables, even though I know that those myths are far less accurate and far less useful.

That's nice.

Did you just have your afternoon Vallium shot or something??!

Or is your real name Milquetoast? Why did you waste the electricity posting?

If you are responding to me, then you should know that I won't waste my time trying to convince halloween of anything, so that was my final word to him. You, on the other hand, don't have to be a milquetoast and don't seem to be medicated so you can respond to him yourself. Why did you waste electricity posting?

BTW, the topic that halloween is baiting me to is 'off topic' to the OP.