BANGKOK, 26 June 2013 Deputy leader of the Opposition Bhumjaithai party Boonjong Wongtrairat has urged the prime minister to travel upcountry to listen to the real problems of the farmers affected by the rice pledging scheme.
Mr Boonjong, a former deputy minister of interior, said the government needed to find assistance measures for the farmers after the pledge price was cut from 15,000 to 12,000 baht a ton. In addition, the prime minister should show her honesty in the matter by meeting with the farmers instead of having her representatives receive complaint letters.
The ex-deputy minister also claimed that Deputy Commerce Minister Nuttawut Saikua was not sincere in tackling corruption in the rice pledging scheme, given he had announced the date the government was going to inspect rice warehouses nationwide. The announcement alerted the mill owners who were involved in corruption acts.
