Thread: Rice farmers to protest against government

Originally Posted by hillbilly

Originally Posted by Necron99

Ratch, "in your area"....
What about outside "your area"?

Don't you think that if there was not a problem of epic proportions here the Govt. could easily trundle out reports, accounts and audits to show that?

Both sides of the argument are correct. The Bamboo Grapevine says that certain people knew this scheme was about to collapse and used their power to be first in line to collect.

Sounds right to me. There's a reason why Thais believe in ghosts.


As for these farmers who are struggling so much, they certainly have better tractors than those up in Esarn. Mostly the same color, too. And I guess the fuel price must have dropped quite a bit. They are a comin' indeed.

Thai government sells 600,000 metric tons rice after special allocation
Apornrath Phoonphongphiphat
(Editing by Alan Raybould and Muralikumar Anantharaman)
February 19, 2014

BANGKOK(Reuters) - The Thai government has sold 600,000 metric tons of rice from state stocks to 15 exporters, a higher than expected quantity after two exporters were allocated grain outside of last week's tender, a Commerce Ministry official said on Wednesday.

The government had offered 400,000 metric tons in the tender. The way the additional volume was allocated raised complaints from some exporters about the transparency of a controversial rice-buying program that has angered Bangkok's middle class and helped fuel months of anti-government protests in the capital.

"There were two leading exporters who had overseas orders and needed rice to be delivered immediately so we agreed to award an additional 200,000 metric tons to help support them," Surasak Riengkul, director-general of the Commerce Ministry's Foreign Trade Department, told Reuters.

Surasak and other officials at the ministry declined to give the names of exporters involved or details about prices, saying only that they were in line with the market.

The government has amassed huge stockpiles because of a buying program that offered farmers a price way above the market, making the grain uncompetitive on world markets.

The scheme has run into funding problems, compounded by political unrest that has left a caretaker government with few options to raise money.

It is trying to accelerate sales from the stockpiles to help pay farmers, some of whom have been waiting for up to four months and are protesting in Bangkok.

The scheme has also been bedeviled by allegations of corruption and mismanagement, which the latest tender will have done nothing to dispel.

"It's not really a fair tender if you can take up to 200,000 metric tons just because you tell the government you have orders and you really need rice to be delivered," said a Thai trader who asked not to be named.

Traders and industry officials said the rice was believed to have been sold at 10,000-11,000 baht ($310-$340) per tonne.

That is some way below the market price of around 13,500 baht.

"No one is going to buy from the government at market prices. They can't compete in the world market if they buy from the government at market prices and then need to offer at even higher prices due to their costs and logistics," said Charoen Laothamatas, head of the Thai Rice Exporters Association.

The price suggested by traders is also far lower than what the government has been paying farmers under its rice-buying scheme, which has fuelled anti-government protests because of its cost to the taxpayer and alleged corruption.

Under the scheme, the government pays farmers up to 15,000 baht a tonne for paddy, which would equate to around 24,000 baht ($740) per tonne for exportable rice after taking into account milling and storage costs.

Thai 5 percent broken white rice was offered for export on Wednesday at $400-$420 a tonne, slightly higher than the same grade from Vietnam at $380-$395.

The government has said it would open a tender to sell another 500,000 metric tons of rice this week.

Despite what was described as healthy demand for the recent tender, traders said they expect fewer exporters to bid this time as global demand is not that strong and supply is plentiful.

($1 = 32.4550 Thai baht)

news.yahoo.com

Yingluck Shinawatra's statement on the NACC's charges over the Rice Pledging Scheme
20 Feb 2014

Respected fellow Thai citizens and dear rice farmers,

I wish to begin by reaffirming that over the past two years since being appointed Prime Minister, I have been committed to serve the people of Thailand with honesty, integrity and every determined effort, as I have always been conscious of the mandate entrusted to me by the Thai people. I shall therefore not let them down; in particular the responsibility to protect the interests of the Thai people and uphold our democratic system with His Majesty the King as the Head of State.

Since the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has resolved to investigate into the matter upon petition by the Democrat Party, and in the case that the NACC has persistently expressed reason to suspect corruption involved with the Rice Pledging Scheme since 28 January 2014, thereby causing damage to the government; and with the subsequent announcement on 31 January 2014 informing me of this investigation, with the entire NACC making up the investigating committee and the delegating of Professor Vicha Mahakhun and Mr.Prasart Pongsiwapai as the responsible committee members for this investigation through an official note which also confirmed that I shall be accorded full rights, treated fairly and transparently in the judicial process by NACC,

I initially believed the NACC, as in consideration of the current position I hold as Prime Minister, that I will be accorded fair and just treatment and that sufficient witness and evidence will be considered throughout the procedures in the reporting of allegations, even though the law specifies that the NACC proceeds promptly, but without rush, in accommodating justice for the accused.

Fellow Citizens

My work as Prime Minister and also as Chairperson of the National Rice Policy Committee is done at the policy level. While at the operational level, the implementation of the Rice Pledging Scheme requires the establishment of a framework, steps, and procedures by government agencies and officials in accordance with the policy direction given.

The government system of work has its own standards and regulations; therefore my work at the policy level does not have the authority to directly operate, order, or overrule the work of government officials in anyway. The implementation of projects involved with a policy must be in accordance with a Cabinet Resolution and must be based on Government Policy as announced to the House of Representatives, stipulated in Articles 171 and 178 of the Constitution of Thailand. I have always been aware that government work and private sector work must be based on such principles and with clear delegation of duties so that there is accountability in all related issues and accountability in each procedure.

Therefore, as there will be an announcement over the investigations into myself and although I have not been involved at the operational level, but nevertheless as I am being accused, I am compelled to exercise my rights within judicial procedures and therefore ask to examine the evidence and witnesses, in accordance with my rights in the judicial procedure as guaranteed by the Constitution of Thailand, so that I can correctly explain such accusations that I have not been involved in any wrongdoing to the NACC.

I have also submitted two official petition notes to the NACC since 11 February 2014, asking them to kindly consider reassigning any other NACC member to undertake the task of investigation, instead of Professor Vicha Mahakhun.

However, since that day, I have not been informed by the NACC that my two above-mentioned petitions for justice would be considered or not. Instead, on 18 February 2014, the NACC, through a press briefing by the NACC member that I wished to be substituted, announced that I have been called on 27 February 2014, at 14.00 hrs. to be notified of the charges. If one considers the duration since the NACC assigned its member to investigate the case on 28 January 2014 until the recent announcement on 18 February 2014, it is only just 21 days. This short duration that the NACC used to investigate a political case has never happened before.

Another observation is that a cabinet member in the last government has been charged with corruption on many counts, including corruption charges on their rice insurance scheme. Surprisingly, there has been no judicial development regarding that particular case, whereas it takes only 21 days to investigate and bring charges against me.

My fellow Thai citizens,

I wish to assure you that as I have served my duty with righteousness and contrary to the charges brought against me by the NACC, I have done nothing wrong. On the charges that I did not stop this Rice Pledging Scheme Policy and allowed the scheme to continue, I wish to prove once again that the Scheme will definitely be beneficial to the farmers as it has raised the living standards of our fellow farmers. And though I may be charged in this criminal case and may have to give up my position in accordance to the wishes of those who want to topple my government, I will still lend my full cooperation and give necessary information to the NACC. It is also my fervent hope that the NACC will listen to all accounts of the witnesses before delivering their verdict. The judicial process, under the rule of law, would provide the best opportunity for the accused to prove oneself.

More importantly, if there were indeed true justice without any hidden agenda, the NACC would not have hurriedly investigated and delivered a verdict in such a manner that has allowed society to deem it as beneficial only to those who want to topple the government. And in comparison to previous cases that I have mentioned earlier, for example the rice scheme of the previous government, which is still under investigation since 2013 and other long impending cases such as the bail out of financial institutions from the 1997 economic crisis.

The NACC should prove to the public that it has used its power righteously, in accordance with the principles of the rule of law as stated under the constitution.

Lastly, I urge our dear farmers and the people of Thailand not to be disheartened by this ongoing dilemma. We shall solve this problem and overcome all other obstacles together. I am ready to listen and cooperate with every party to bring about the truth, the effectiveness and productivity of the Rice Pledging Scheme and whether it would really benefit the farmers. Should there be any need to amend the Scheme to be more effective, I am more than welcome as this would truly benefit every single Thai citizen.

Thank you very much

The statement is posted on the Yingluck Shinawatra Facebook page.

bangkokpost.com

Administrative Court accepts farmer's petition against Commerce Ministry
February 20, 2014

The Central Administrative Court Thursday accepted for judicial review a petition filed by a farmer against the Commerce Ministry.

Lamyai Srithong on January 30 filed her petition with the court, asking for damages from the ministry for its failure to pay money for the rice she sold under the government's pricepledging scheme.

She had obtained a receipt of deposit for the rice pledged with the scheme but later the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) refused to cash her receipt of deposit.

In the petition, codefendants are the Finance Ministry, the Budget Bureau, the National Economic and Social Development Board, and the BAAC.

The court gave the defendants 30 days to submit their statements and their lists of witnesses and documents.

nationmultimedia.com

^^ Translation: I am guilty, please forgive me !!!

Angry farmers call off protest at Bangkok airport
Feb 21

BANGKOK (AP) -- Angry farmers driving hundreds of tractors have called off a threatened protest at Thailand's main airport after the embattled government agreed to make long-delayed payments on last year's rice crops by next week.

The farmers vowed Friday to stage the protest next week if the promise is broken. It's unclear how the debt-ridden government will secure money for the farmers. Nationwide, they're owed about $3 billion as part of a botched rice subsidy scheme.

The farmers' protest is one of many headaches for Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who appears increasingly powerless against a wider anti-government movement pressing for her resignation.

A protest at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport has deep resonance in Thailand, with anti-government demonstrators shutting down the facility for over a week in 2008, stranding hundreds of thousands of travelers.

hosted.ap.org

Hotel Forced To Pay PCAD Monk 120,000 Baht
20 February 2014



The anti-government Buddhist monk activist has coerced a hotel into paying him a "compensation" money of 120,000 baht after the hotel cancelled his reservation.

Buddha Issara, a core leader of the People′s Committee for Absolute Democracy With the King As Head of State (PCAD), has previously vowed to besiege properties and businesses which he believed are allied to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The monk led the protesters out of their campsite on Chaeng Wattana Road at around 11.00 today before stopping for a brief rally in front of Shinawatra Tower 3 on Viphavadee Road, where a number of companies co-owned by the Shinawatra family have headquarters.

The convoy later left the building at around 11.45 without clear destination, causing some demonstrators to lose their ways among Bangkok traffic. Some marchers decided to head for other PCAD campsites instead.

But the main group of PCAD demonstrators eventually stopped at SC Park Hotel, another business subsidiary of the Shinawatra family. A brief fistfight ensued when a hotel employee took pictures of the protesters. He was instantly mobbed by PCAD guards and instructed to delete his photos, claiming that only registered journalists are allowed to photograph the protests.

At the hotel, Buddha Issara and his close aides attempted to enter the lobby to occupy the building, but the hotel managers stopped the group at the entrance, prompting Buddha Issara to inform the managers that he had reserved 10 rooms in the hotel for his stay.

The monk presented a receipt of the reservation in which he paid 4,200 baht for booking fee, and told the managers that the PCAD has also reserved the conference room of the hotel for a lecture event on rice-pledging scheme.

When the managers refused to allow Buddha Issara to enter the hotel, he offered to book the entire hotels, an offer the managers once again refused.

The monk later gave up the attempt to enter the hotel and instructed his guards to block entrances to the building instead. Fearing clashes, many guests checked out and left the venue, and the hotel management closed down the hotel entirely at 13.15.

SC Park managers also offered to return the booking fees to Buddha Issara. However, the monk refused, insisting that the hotel pay a compensation for wasting his time and cancelling his booking. He also threatened to file lawsuit against the hotel.

The managers eventually paid 120,000 baht to Buddha Issara in cash as compensation. After counting the money by his hands, Buddha Issara declared that the protesters′ mission has been accomplished and ordered the demonstrators to leave the hotel.

PCAD marchers left the hotel at around 13.45.

khaosod.co.th

It looks like the wacky races, with penelope pitstop and dick dastardly.

Thai govt to sell bonds to pay rice farmers - finmin
(Reporting by Pracha Hariraksapitak; Writing by Orathai Sriring; Editing by Alan Raybould)

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's government plans to sell bonds to retail investors to pay rice farmers who have been waiting months for payment for crops sold to the state, the finance minister said on Friday.

However, Kittirat Na Ranong told reporters it would take 7-8 weeks for the sale to start.

"The government plans to sell bonds to pay for the rice-buying scheme ... and this should not bring any legal problem," he told reporters.

He added that there were many retail investors wanting to buy the bonds and said he had never asked state enterprises to take up government bonds. He gave no further detail.

Sources at the Finance Ministry said the government was planning to sell savings bonds worth 100 billion baht ($3.1 billion), which would be issued in the name of the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives, the state bank that runs the rice-buying scheme.

The bonds would be backed by the ministry, and would have a maturity of either six months or one year with a coupon of around 2.75 to 3.0 percent.

($1 = 32.5850 Thai baht)

uk.news.yahoo.com

Foreign Trade Department denies dumping rice in world market
February 21, 2014

The Foreign Trade Department Friday urgently clarified that Thai government has never neither dumped rice prices in the world market after there was a report that the country might be at risk of breaching the World Trade Organisation's rule on rice dumping.

The United States and some others nations have sounded warning noises at the World Trade Organisation because of Thailand's lack of transparency on sales and stocks.

Director general Surasak Riangkrul denied a report on the Thai government's dumping rice in the global market. Though it ever sold rice to Indonesia under the Government to Government deal basis, the selling price was not below the market price as alleged.

nationmultimedia.com

Originally Posted by S Landreth

The Great Wall of Thailand.

How much of that stuff is still sell-able?

Originally Posted by Necron99

How much of that stuff is still sell-able?

now .... or in 30 years

Originally Posted by Butterfly

how are they going to plant when they have no money to buy the seeds,

Originally Posted by Butterfly

which proves again that the majority of those farmers aren't too smart,

chiangraitimes.com

Well, I find country folk all over the world to be fairly resilient individuals. And people gotta eat.

Ummmmm, see if you can spot the error....

Originally Posted by S Landreth

First the good news. The farmers will be paid next week.

The farmers decided to return home after their leader, dormer Chart Thai Pattana Party MP Chada Thaiset, was assured by the government that they would get their payments for their rice next week.

Originally Posted by Mid

Thai govt to sell bonds to pay rice farmers - finmin
(Reporting by Pracha Hariraksapitak; Writing by Orathai Sriring; Editing by Alan Raybould)

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's government plans to sell bonds to retail investors to pay rice farmers who have been waiting months for payment for crops sold to the state, the finance minister said on Friday.

However, Kittirat Na Ranong told reporters it would take 7-8 weeks for the sale to start.

Who is feeding who crap?

I highlighted the relevant bits.....just in case someone here doesn't grasp the concept of time.

Originally Posted by Necron99

Originally Posted by S Landreth

The Great Wall of Thailand.

How much of that stuff is still sell-able?

Sad thing is, if the security numpties would have been briefed on how to take care of the stack you wouldn't have those rotting break outs going on.

Unfortunately no one has the brain to brief and the guards sit doing fook all.

What an utter waste.

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

Ummmmm, see if you can spot the error....

Originally Posted by S Landreth

First the good news. The farmers will be paid next week.

The farmers decided to return home after their leader, dormer Chart Thai Pattana Party MP Chada Thaiset, was assured by the government that they would get their payments for their rice next week.

Originally Posted by Mid

Thai govt to sell bonds to pay rice farmers - finmin
(Reporting by Pracha Hariraksapitak; Writing by Orathai Sriring; Editing by Alan Raybould)

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's government plans to sell bonds to retail investors to pay rice farmers who have been waiting months for payment for crops sold to the state, the finance minister said on Friday.

However, Kittirat Na Ranong told reporters it would take 7-8 weeks for the sale to start.

Who is feeding who crap?

I highlighted the relevant bits.....just in case someone here doesn't grasp the concept of time.

What's your point? Two different media outlets, one of which is renowned as a propaganda mouthpiece, report differently on the same story. The reputable media group Reuters gives names, the poor substitute for toilet paper Nation just mentions anonymous sources. Oh Good Lord, different reports on the same story, the world is ending, such a thing has never happened before!!!!! Get a grip on reality, for God's sake.

Originally Posted by DrB0b

for God's sake.

may he sup on 30 year old rice

Originally Posted by baldrick

Originally Posted by DrB0b

for God's sake.

may he sup on 30 year old rice

I did tonight

What's the deal with all this old rice nonsense anyway? We're talking about recent harvests. I doubt there's any Thai rice left in a warehouse in the country. It's all Lao and Khmer 5th rate crap as the good Thai stuff has already been sold out the back door.

Originally Posted by S Landreth

The sudden change of mind by several thousands of farmers travelling in their E-tan and E-tek farm trucks came after their leader, Chada Thaiseth, a former MP for Uthai Thani province of the Chart Thai Pattana party met the caretaker transport minister Chadchat Sittipunt on the Asian highway where farmers rested and stayed overnight before proceeding to Bangkok and the airport.

how gullible are those farmers ? no wonder they need to get paid to show up at the voting booth, they are dumb as a rock