5000 farmers on their way to Suvarnabhumi airport
A convoy of 700 tractors and other agricultural equipment carrying 5.000 rice farmers will descend on Suvarnabhumi Airport's long-stay car park this afternoon. The farmers are now finally demanding payment for the rice they have handed in – some as early as October.
The party leaders of the former governing party Pheu Thai tried to stop the convoy last night, but the farmers will no longer let themselves be swayed.
On Wednesday, the farmers from Uthai Thani, Chai Nat and Nakhon Sawan left. The convoy made slow progress. On Wednesday they spent the night in Sing Buri, yesterday in Bang Pa-in (Ayutthaya, photo above). Along the way, farmers from Ang Thong and Ayutthaya joined them. They are expected at Suvarnabhumi this afternoon.
Airports of Thailand (AoT) has provided the parking lot on the east side of the airport and also provides drinking water. The car park offers space for 1000 vehicles. The airport manager asks the farmers not to involve Suvarnabhumi in the conflict and not to interfere with air traffic.
Kamnan Manus Chamnanketkorn, tambon head of Pradoo Yeun (Uthai Thani), hopes that the voices of the farmers will finally be heard by the government. He emphasizes that the farmers do not intend to occupy the airport (like the Yellow Shirts in 2008), but passengers may have difficulty reaching the airport, as some farmers may block the roads to it.
“We have no intention of harassing passengers, blocking the runway or damaging the country's image. But our problem is too big to bear.' Manus cannot say how long the action will last. They will probably stay there as long as the government cannot tell exactly when they will be paid.
The convoy is led by Chada Thaith, former (coalition party) Chartthaipattana MP for Uthai Thani. Chada says he had to keep his promise to the farmers that he would lead them to Bangkok if they were not paid for the rice they handed in by the end of January.
He, as well as other board members of Chartthaipattana, have been called by Pheu Thai's party leadership asking them to end the rally. "The government will pay the farmers every satang, but the payments may come a little late," he was told. But that announcement made no impression. According to a source, Chada is pissed that his parliamentary seat was snatched during the election by a Pheu Thai candidate.
Ubonsak Bualuangngam, chairman of the central committee of rice farmers in Thailand, insists that the action of the farmers has nothing to do with politics.
The article does not mention what the farmers who have been camping at the Ministry of Commerce in Nonthaburi since Thursday are planning. Earlier they went to Prime Minister Yingluck's temporary office in a Defense building, but the Prime Minister did not show up. However, Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong was pelted with bottles of water and food. Yingluck gave a televised speech on Tuesday defending the mortgage system. Everyone is to blame for the rice fiasco, except the government : that was pretty much the gist of her story.
(Source: Bangkok Post, February 21, 2014)
NB The other English-language newspaper The Nation mentions on its website a number of 'tens of thousands' of farmers and a thousand tractors.
See also previous posts:
Phitsanulok: Farmers collect for starving farmers
Bank run continues; prime minister charged with negligence
Minister pelted with bottles of water and food by angry farmers
Bank run of 30 billion baht; loan hastily withdrawn
Trade union against interbank loan; peasant protest continues
News from Thailand – February 16, 2014
Where is this going. Now it's still the parking lot, but that won't be long now that the judge has not declared the state of emergency legal.
In any case, I don't believe that they will not occupy the airport.
@ Anneke You are wrong. The state of emergency is still in effect. The court has only scrapped a number of measures, such as the ban on gatherings.
Breaking News The farmers on their way to Suvarnabhumi have turned back in Bang Pa-In (Ayutthaya). Prime Minister Yingluck has promised them that they will be paid next week. Rally leader Chada Thait was told this in a personal conversation with the prime minister. Some farmers wanted to drive on because they doubted the government would keep its word this time. But eventually the ranks closed and it was back home. If they do not get paid next week, they will still return to Suvarnabhumi, where they are allowed to park in the long-term parking lot.
Who would dare to bet that they will not receive any money again next week? “Promising a lot and giving little makes a fool live in joy” Too bad, really too bad for these people.
I hope my flight is still on this weekend :((
@ Serena See Breaking News. The farmers have turned around.
Actually, any comment here is superfluous. How do you feel when you sell something and always have to wait for the promised money. In the Netherlands or Belgium, people should not wait to pay taxes either. We'll see what happens to the promises now???
Difficult to understand what you mean, Daniel, with paying taxes in the Netherlands in relation to the Thai farmers finally paying their bill to the government? Explain further, . . please?
Maybe I can help you by saying that it is known that the Thai government is borrowing money everywhere (see Dvd Lugt information here in TL blog). But in Thailand all government mills are turning slower, some not at all. That's right: the farmers are now screwed. But that also happens on the racetrack if you put your foot on the wrong horse. This may all be done under the cover of . .democracy falls, But if someone buys your vote, he clearly has too few arguments. Otherwise you would have given him your vote voluntarily? And right there lies the Thai hare in the sober pepper. I hope that the Thais will now slowly wake up, even though they have little alternative.
I admit that we all know better now and are good at talking. . afterwards. But the Thai should have known. That is the normal way in Thailand; making promises and not keeping them. Just try translating the word: -belofte- (promise) into Thai. And then you ask a Thai person if he/she knows what that word means. Good luck.
It's just bad and angry. These people have worked very hard and invested money, then delivered the harvested rice to the government. And so far most of them have not received a penny, sorry Bath. And are just kept on the line. While for most people the water is on their lips and they are at the end of their financial possibilities. In and in sad. I want them to shut things down. Maybe then they will finally get their hard earned money. I hope they can finally get their money now.
The anger is understandable and so is the sympathy of several bloggers. But shutting things down? Close where and what? The airport maybe?. Then people (tourists-businessmen-weekend travelers) become the victims of something for which they are not to blame. I really don't see that as the fantastic solution. On the contrary
If the government has money and wants to pay (which is why it will), it will do so without closing. The other way around: with a lockdown you are not forcing this government to do anything. We see that now in Bangkok. Because the bubble -Bangkok shutdown- has also done nothing in favor of Thailand.
On the contrary. The prices of the more expensive hotels in Bangkok have been reduced by up to 30%, because people are avoiding Bangkok/Thailand. Many hotel rooms are empty. (Source: Asiarooms)
It is incomprehensible to me that the farmers have no money, but still enough to drive a tractor through half the country? I would like to know what that costs in diesel fuel. All the more so, because a tractor does not run 1 in 20.
In conclusion, I would like to say that the farmers should have received their money a long time ago. So here you also see that the many local leaders, area leaders and provincial governors have no power? Or are they not interested? There is nothing for them to get from those already poor farmers.
One may also wonder how it is possible that so many of those "poor" farmers drive a nice, neat red Kubota tractor. Cost: 400.000 baht.
Indeed, Paul and they also eat what it doesn't cost, so sell the tractor and go back to the rice field with the buffalo, right?.
Even if they drive a Ferrari these people just have to be paid by those business cliques and pickpockets in Bangkok.
Are the farmers really back?
on thursday departure arrival friday 28 02 2014 at 6h in the morning would there be a problem at bangkok airport! to travel further north afterwards my thai wife wishes to visit her children just outside the city after a long flight from belgium hope she will not encounter any problems
@ jean-pierre de grote Since the protests started two months ago, the airports have been left untouched by the protest movement. The farmers planned to settle in the parking lot for long-term parkers. They have now turned around. So nothing to do. They may return, but then you are already in Thailand.
I think it's a bit short-sighted from Martin and Paul.
I assume they didn't buy those tractors the day before yesterday, the diesel costs little here and the whole family has put a lot of effort into making this trip possible.
It remains a sad state. There are already three farmers who have committed suicide because of this issue, so that says enough.
The Thai are a very peaceful people, but if you have nothing to eat, it can take a negative turn.
The fact that you can continue to visit the historic buildings, temples, etc. is already positive and what you come for as a tourist in Thailand.
Today I was able to do my shopping in the middle of the city, it's just a bit quieter and with skytrain, metro everything is fine.
For Jean Pierre; when you arrive take the skytrain and that works fine if you have to catch a plane. Just leave a little early.
Greetings Elly
Personally, I think it's a good idea for the protesters to involve the international airport. Suddenly everyone is on alert. It is a plausible weapon for those people to make themselves heard.
But I myself am starting to doubt whether we will get home on the normal timing.
We are now on Phuket, there are no demonstrations here at all.
We have a flight to Bangkok on Thursday, February 27, we would stay another 4 nights at Ko Sichang, 35 km above Pattaya, and then fly home from Bangkok on March 2.
Would this be feasible? Or should we cough up extra money and book a flight from phuket home?
@ Greet There is no occupation of the airport. Air traffic is not affected in any way by the protests. The farmers would settle in Suvarnabhumi's long-stay car park, that's all.
Just read what has been described here for a long time dear Greet. But maybe the farmers want to go camping at Phuket airport?. Maybe they have a surprise in store? Then you can't start and your problem with Bangkok airports is a thing of the past? The farmers have not yet announced their next step.
I, my wife of 57 and my daughter of 23, would like to travel through Thailand together from BK by public transport for 3 weeks. Would I be able to do this safely? Have there already been some deaths?
Syl
@ Sylvia See the travel advice from BuZa and the embassy: avoid the protest locations in Bangkok. You can continue to travel through Thailand undisturbed if you do not end up in a traffic jam.