BANGKOK, March 12 – Angry rice farmers rallying at Thailand’s Commerce Ministry today burnt effigies of key ministers and poured 10 tonnes of unmilled rice on the pavement to curse the caretaker government for its inability to address and fix the country’s rice purchase problems.
Farmers from several provinces joined the mass rally at the ministry led by Rawee Rungruang, leader of the Thai Farmers Network.
Representatives from Buri Ram created scarecrow effigies of caretaker Deputy Prime Minister/Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong and caretaker Deputy Prime Minister/Commerce Minister Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan.
Anti-government protesters of the People’s Democratic Reform Commitee (PDRC) joined the farmers to give them moral support. The PDRC protesters asked civil servants at the ministry to stop working.
Electrical power to the ministry workplaces was cut while rice bidding for the 7th Agricultural Futures Exchange of Thailand (AFET) was taking place, forcing postponement of the bidding to March 26.
Meanwhile, the Commerce Ministry is awaiting Finance Ministry approval of a central budget of Bt20 billion to pay farmers for overdue rice payments under the pledging scheme.
Mr Niwatthamrong said the Foreign Trade Department had earlier submitted a letter to the Budget Bureau asking it to allocate a Bt20 billion budget to pay for farmers. Once all related parties approve such a budget, the money will be transferred to the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Co-operatives (BAAC) for payment to farmers.
The BAAC is currently preparing payments for farmers for their receipts of the 2013/2014 crop under a Bt500-million budget.
