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

[facthailand]

RIP Mr. Dramaqueen.

Congratulations! You've just won the waste-of-space award for your callous, inhuman, sadistic comment! That's saying a lot considering this is ThaiVisa...

[onelasttime]

This is such a sad sad story but highlights a larger structural problem in Thailand. Back in the 40's / 50's Thailand and Korea were similar in many ways. Korea chose to go down the road of quality industrialisation and infrastructure whilst Thailand chose to go down the road of OTOP and agriculture. Now we see the consequences of these decisions and, more worryingly not much of a change in direction. The way agriculture is structured here leaves it wide open for corruption and monopolisation. The questions I ask are ... who owns or controls the bulk of Thai farm poutput AND farm needs..e.g. fertiliser / chemicals etc? For example why is it that if a Thai farmer wants to start up a chicken farm he can only get his stock from one supplier? The smaller farmer is behind the eight ball every where he turns, he is encouraged to get into debt and, until a few weeks ago the ridiculously strong baht was working against him.

Like I said.. such a sad, sad story.