Ten injured in clashes between police and rubber farmers
Ten injured, eight arrests, a temporary lifting of the blockades in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung and Surat Thani and a new government commission, but concrete results were also not forthcoming yesterday in the conflict between southern rubber farmers and the government.
The injured fell in Bang Saphan (Prachuap Khiri Khan). After a dress rehearsal in the morning, hundreds of farmers moved to block Phetkasem Road in the late afternoon. Clashes broke out between the riot police, who had arrived to prevent the blockade, and the demonstrators, leading to the injuries and arrests.
After 40 minutes the road was clear again, but in the evening the mass swelled to about three thousand demonstrators. Stones and other objects were thrown. The protesters surrounded police and reporters and demanded that the government send a representative.
In Nakhon Si Thammarat (where the protest started last week with a road blockade, followed by a rail blockade) and Phatthalung, farmers decided to take a week's rest to allow the government to come up with a proper proposal for the extremely low rubber price. In Surat Thani, the blockade of a crossroads was lifted and farmers moved to the building of the Surat Thani Cooperatives.
Although the country already has a National Rubber Commission (NRC), the government decided yesterday to set up a new commission headed by Deputy Prime Minister Pracha Promnok. This panel will travel to Nakhon Si Thammarat today for consultation. The NRC has rejected the farmers' proposal for a guaranteed price of 100 baht per kilo of rubber sheet and is sticking to the proposed subsidy of 1.260 baht per rai. The maximum may be increased from 10 to 25 rai.
But the farmers see nothing in the offer, because the subsidy goes to the plantation owners and not to the rubber tappers.
(Source: Bangkok Post, Sept. 6, 2013)
Later today in News from Thailand three comments.