Yingluck ‘Confused’ by Signals on Rice Subsidy

By Teeranai Charuvastra
Staff Reporter



Former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra speaks to reporters Friday in her home organic garden in Bangkok.

BANGKOK — Former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said she’s been left befuddled by the military government’s announcement that her controversial subsidy for rice farmers benefited the nation but was still potentially fraudulent.

Announcement of the findings Thursday by the Prime Minister’s Office was the latest development in the ongoing legal case against Yingluck, who led the former civilian government and was indicted in February 2015 on corruption charges related to the rice policy.

“I’m still confused,” Yingluck said at a news conference Friday reporters at her residence in Bangkok.

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1455288279

-- Khaosod English 2016-01-13

confused? indeed as am I 'beneficial to the nation'? at last the truth comes out and it's obvious to all that she did what she thought was right (but it turned out badly as do many decisions by governments around the world)

but then 'potentially fraudulent'? everything is 'potentially fraudulent' but I'm pretty sure she will be found innocent of fraud claims and some TVF posters will look pretty dumb

good news for her anyway

Edited February 13, 201610 yr by LannaGuy

Yingluck being confused by something is hardly a surprise or newsworthy.

YK confused, befuddled ?

Very hard to believe !

Yingluck being confused by something is hardly a surprise or newsworthy.

I'm sure you jokingly missed the point on purpose

anything to do with the meeting in Singapore?

What she really means is ..

My brother was pulling the strings and I got them twisted as I forgot to cover our tracks because we all thought he would soon be back and in the front seat drivers position of political power.

Now the account is being rendered I am in the mire due to his rank cowardice and his selling of me among others too down the river...

Edited February 13, 201610 yr by shunter

She should send some mushroom spores to the leader. They will thrive.

Yingluck being confused by something is hardly a surprise or newsworthy.

I'm sure you jokingly missed the point on purpose

To be honest, yes.

However I should also say that I do do not see how the debacle of a rice scheme benefited the country.

It was from start to finish an unmitigated disaster.

Guess yingluck isn't the only one who is easily confused.

For all that is said and done she is one good looking woman

Yingluck being confused by something is hardly a surprise or newsworthy.

I'm sure you jokingly missed the point on purpose

To be honest, yes.

However I should also say that I do do not see how the debacle of a rice scheme benefited the country.

It was from start to finish an unmitigated disaster.

Guess yingluck isn't the only one who is easily confused.

well... we all can agree it was a disaster and mismanaged but her point is a very valid one here as is her intentional 'I'm confused' comment which I know you 'get' and the irony will not be lost on anyone who has followed the witch hunt with all the accusations etc. and now? 'benefitted the nation' 'no lost rice' and, apparently, no fraud by Yingluck

and so she is entitled to look a little smug in her 'organic garden' don't ya think?

Edited February 13, 201610 yr by LannaGuy

confused? indeed as am I 'beneficial to the nation'? at last the truth comes out and it's obvious to all that she did what she thought was right (but it turned out badly as do many decisions by governments around the world)

but then 'potentially fraudulent'? everything is 'potentially fraudulent' but I'm pretty sure she will be found innocent of fraud claims and some TVF posters will look pretty dumb

good news for her anyway

There is no way this was 'beneficial to the nation' - it was a cynical ploy by Thaksin to woo the rural voters and to drum up more of his ruinous populism. Setting up a scam like this, where there was reported corruption from top to bottom, paying 100% over the world market value for rice is not 'beneficial to the nation'. This was politics, pure and simple, bad politics at that. The Thai Finance Ministry stated the scheme lost $15.8 billion - now how is that a benefit? When deputy auditor-general Ms Prapee Angkinanda blew the whistle on the rampant corruption, she was attacked by the Yingluck government.

confused? indeed as am I 'beneficial to the nation'? at last the truth comes out and it's obvious to all that she did what she thought was right (but it turned out badly as do many decisions by governments around the world)

but then 'potentially fraudulent'? everything is 'potentially fraudulent' but I'm pretty sure she will be found innocent of fraud claims and some TVF posters will look pretty dumb

good news for her anyway

There is no way this was 'beneficial to the nation' - it was a cynical ploy by Thaksin to woo the rural voters and to drum up more of his ruinous populism. Setting up a scam like this, where there was reported corruption from top to bottom, paying 100% over the world market value for rice is not 'beneficial to the nation'. This was politics, pure and simple, bad politics at that. The Thai Finance Ministry stated the scheme lost $15.8 billion - now how is that a benefit? When deputy auditor-general Ms Prapee Angkinanda blew the whistle on the rampant corruption, she was attacked by the Yingluck government.

ahhh Thaksin

Same as politicians worldwide, Cannot trust.

Her garden is everything else but "organic"; it's called hydroponic and is a completely different thing. By the size of the racks she is growing stuff for sales as no household (even a big one) could manage to consume that much greenies. Another PR-attempt of looking good?

What she really means is ..

My brother was pulling the strings and I got them twisted as I forgot to cover our tracks because we all thought he would soon be back and in the front seat drivers position of political power.

Now the account is being rendered I am in the mire due to his rank cowardice and his selling of me among others too down the river...

The story in the OP is about the junta now seeming to back pedal furiously from their former claims, not about the bogeyman in Dubai.

Still, we're all used to the "But, but, but...Thaksin!" being inserted in each and every post from you junta supporters so not exactly a surprise, but utterly booooring!

confused? indeed as am I 'beneficial to the nation'? at last the truth comes out and it's obvious to all that she did what she thought was right (but it turned out badly as do many decisions by governments around the world)

but then 'potentially fraudulent'? everything is 'potentially fraudulent' but I'm pretty sure she will be found innocent of fraud claims and some TVF posters will look pretty dumb

good news for her anyway

There is no way this was 'beneficial to the nation' - it was a cynical ploy by Thaksin to woo the rural voters and to drum up more of his ruinous populism. Setting up a scam like this, where there was reported corruption from top to bottom, paying 100% over the world market value for rice is not 'beneficial to the nation'. This was politics, pure and simple, bad politics at that. The Thai Finance Ministry stated the scheme lost $15.8 billion - now how is that a benefit? When deputy auditor-general Ms Prapee Angkinanda blew the whistle on the rampant corruption, she was attacked by the Yingluck government.

@Bobo, As far as I am aware only New Zealand of the agricultural nations does not have farm subsidies.

1) Please show me how it is ever possible for any country to make money out of farm subsidies.

However they do other beneficial things such as prevent the depopulation of the rural areas and reduce the over population of Bangkok. These factors should not be taken so lightly.

easy to understand:

the current government, after all the threats and posturing really doesn't want to set a legal precedent, where a former PM is held personally accountable for mismanaging state funds and negligence..., hence the slow "letting off the hook" thing going on.

PUPPERTY, at its finest,

"... she’s been left befuddled..."

They must have explained it to her in English.

Edited February 13, 201610 yr by jaltsc

Yingluck being confused by something is hardly a surprise or newsworthy.

I'm sure you jokingly missed the point on purpose

To be honest, yes.

However I should also say that I do do not see how the debacle of a rice scheme benefited the country.

It was from start to finish an unmitigated disaster.

Guess yingluck isn't the only one who is easily confused.

I think if it had been conducted in the spirit that was meant it would have benefited the country however when money is smelt by the officials they come crawling out from behind the woodwork. What was stupid was the tax return for first time car owners,it should have been obvious that they were stealing future car sales for one bumper year, this was tried in Germany, ''cars for clunkers'' with the inevitable collapse of car sales when the scheme finished, one would have thought that the car manufacturers would have warned her off.

easy to understand:

the current government, after all the threats and posturing really doesn't want to set a legal precedent, where a former PM is held personally accountable for mismanaging state funds and negligence..., hence the slow "letting off the hook" thing going on.

ah i get it... nothing to do with justifying the Army take over? Junta spin? witch hunts? all along they don't want to set a 'precedent'? what a cunning plan

confused? indeed as am I 'beneficial to the nation'? at last the truth comes out and it's obvious to all that she did what she thought was right (but it turned out badly as do many decisions by governments around the world)

but then 'potentially fraudulent'? everything is 'potentially fraudulent' but I'm pretty sure she will be found innocent of fraud claims and some TVF posters will look pretty dumb

good news for her anyway

Lanna guy indeed

I never found wolves hunting their prey to be hard to understand.

confused? indeed as am I 'beneficial to the nation'? at last the truth comes out and it's obvious to all that she did what she thought was right (but it turned out badly as do many decisions by governments around the world)

but then 'potentially fraudulent'? everything is 'potentially fraudulent' but I'm pretty sure she will be found innocent of fraud claims and some TVF posters will look pretty dumb

good news for her anyway

There is no way this was 'beneficial to the nation' - it was a cynical ploy by Thaksin to woo the rural voters and to drum up more of his ruinous populism. Setting up a scam like this, where there was reported corruption from top to bottom, paying 100% over the world market value for rice is not 'beneficial to the nation'. This was politics, pure and simple, bad politics at that. The Thai Finance Ministry stated the scheme lost $15.8 billion - now how is that a benefit? When deputy auditor-general Ms Prapee Angkinanda blew the whistle on the rampant corruption, she was attacked by the Yingluck government.

@Bobo, As far as I am aware only New Zealand of the agricultural nations does not have farm subsidies.

1) Please show me how it is ever possible for any country to make money out of farm subsidies.

However they do other beneficial things such as prevent the depopulation of the rural areas and reduce the over population of Bangkok. These factors should not be taken so lightly.

But this was not a subsidy. Had it been, the government of the day would have had to show how much money it was going to cost and where the money was going to come from. They never did that. They said the scheme was going to be self-financing and so avoided having to account for it.

From pretty much day one it was obvious the scheme was not going to finance itself, and that instead it was going to cost a massive amount of money and quite possibly achieve nothing - at least not for those people it was supposed to be helping. And this is precisely what the government was told month after month, week after week, by anyone who could be heard, and every time the government simply responded with, "no, you are wrong, be patient, we know what we are doing". Well they didn't did they. They have to be held accountable for that.

Cue now the, "ah yes but all governments around the world are incompetent and useless, and waste money, so why be so hard on poor little Yingluck" argument.

Her garden is everything else but "organic"; it's called hydroponic and is a completely different thing. By the size of the racks she is growing stuff for sales as no household (even a big one) could manage to consume that much greenies. Another PR-attempt of looking good?

Perhaps she is sending 10 salads as a compensation to each farmer who ended up losing everything thanks to the rice scheme ?

I am surprised that Yingluck's lawyers are letting her speak to the public regarding this case. Yingluck is not the shiniest coin in the fountain. She would be more comfortable answering questions on designer handbags, watches or best cities around the world for shopping.

Maybe if she bothered to attend Rice Committee meetings (She was chairman) she would have been better informed. Now understand why she went to school in Kentucky

I am surprised that Yingluck's lawyers are letting her speak to the public regarding this case. Yingluck is not the shiniest coin in the fountain. She would be more comfortable answering questions on designer handbags, watches or best cities around the world for shopping.

typical stereotyping and obfuscation about 'handbags' and such like the misogyny on TVF is quite astounding sometimes

now back to the facts? bad scheme but well intentioned? any fraud??? no? ok then... let's get back to 'handbags' and 'watches' or 'cities around the world' shall we?