News from Thailand – January 26, 2014
Rice farmers from twenty provinces in the Northeast today threaten to block roads en masse to force the government to provide money, which they still have to receive for their surrendered rice.
The farmers will also file a complaint with the Lawyers Council in their own province. They demand financial compensation because they had to borrow money to stay alive. Many farmers have been waiting for money since early October.
Yesterday, a network of farmers in Surin met, and farmers in other provinces started blocking roads. In the Phayuha Khiri district of Nakhon Sawan, more than 1 farmers from five provinces halted traffic on highway XNUMX around noon yesterday. This resulted in a huge traffic jam. They demanded that Minister Varathep Rattanakorn come within three hours or they would close all lanes.
In Ratchaburi, a hundred farmers blocked part of the Phetkasem road in the morning. After negotiations with the governor of Ratchaburi, they left again. But not for long, because if they still haven't seen any money next Sunday, they'll be back.
On another section of the same road in Khao Yoi (Phetchaburi) district, farmers from four provinces blocked all lanes of the road. This resulted in a traffic jam of 10 kilometers. In the afternoon the governor of Phetchaburi appeared. He would arrange with the government that they will be paid by Friday at the latest. If not, they were allowed to occupy the Phetchaburi town hall until they were paid.
– The UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) is 'seriously concerned' about the use of foul language against women to score political points. Women are the target of stereotyping and misogynistic language, according to Roberta Clarke, regional director for Asia and the Pacific. "Comments and images that are sexually offensive and that demean women should not be allowed."
Women's groups have recently taken up arms against the hate speech used by protesters on the podiums of the protest movement, particularly when referring to Prime Minister Yingluck. The audience rewards those comments with laughter and cheers.
– In the mailbox of President Obama are two letters from Thailand. Action leader Suthep has written to the US president in which he explains the noble goals of the protest movement.
Noppadon Pattama, legal adviser to former Prime Minister Thaksin, has also entered the pen. He has written a counter letter parrying Suthep's 'false and malicious' accusations. Noppadon points out to Obama that the Yingluck administration is not the dictatorial regime that Suthep makes it out to be.
– Since the state of emergency was declared in Bangkok, many Japanese tourists have canceled their planned trip to Thailand, said Anek Sricheewachart, president of the Thai-Japan Tourism Association.
– Following complaints from ten foreigners in Hua Hin that they were drugged and robbed by women, a gang of five women aged 24 to 44 has been handcuffed by the police. The women mainly targeted older tourists. They approached them with the offer to massage them. The drink offered contained an anesthetic. When the victims awoke, their belongings were gone.
– Cold stress: This is what Narong Sahametapat, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Health, calls the cause of death of two newborn babies in Sa Kaeo and Chon Buri. The ministry advises parents to dress their offspring warmly, never to let them sleep near a window and not to take them outside, because it is much too cold for these new world citizens. During 'cold stress', the veins contract, causing organs to receive less blood.
– The American tourist who was trampled by elephants in Kaeng Krachan National Park has been identified. It concerns a 24-year-old woman from the state of New York. The woman's body was found by park rangers five days after she left a campground in the park.
Elections and Bangkok Shutdown
– For news about the (primary) elections and Bangkok Shutdown, see Bangkok Breaking News from January 26.
Economic news
– Not only farmers suffer from the lack of payments for the rice they have handed in, small and medium-sized enterprises also feel the consequences, because farmers spend less money.
The Economic and Business Forecasting Center of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce has calculated that late payments are already cutting 0,1 to 0,2 off economic growth. That percentage can even rise to 0,5 to 0,7 percent if they continue for a year.
Since the beginning of October, farmers have surrendered 150 billion baht worth of rice. The Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC), which pre-finances the rice mortgage system, has been able to pay out 50 billion baht; then the money ran out. We are now waiting for the green light from the Council of State whether the government can borrow 130 billion baht, money that was originally intended for infrastructure works.
One bright spot is that 32,6 billion baht has been raised with the sale of bonds, but this money does not go to the farmers. It serves to refinance loans from the BAAC.
Meanwhile, the farmers are gassing. Many have gone into debt with loan sharks to keep their heads above water. In several places in the country, the distraught farmers are blocking roads to reinforce their demands.
– The reopening of terminal 2 (T2) at Don Mueang airport has been delayed. The terminal will not open in April, but probably only three months later. Reason: it takes longer to install the baggage carousel and there are also some other technical and management problems. It is feared that the budget will be exceeded. T2 may open partially in May. (Photo homepage: Artist's impression of T2).
The terminal has been empty since 2006, when Suvarnabhumi opened. In 2011, the building was flooded during the major floods. T1, which had also been flooded, was renovated, but nothing was done about T2. When T2 is added, the capacity of the old airport will increase from 18,5 to 30 million passengers per year.
www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post
I've been in Bangkok for 5 days now and hardly notice anything about the shutdown. Have seen a lot in various places. The only thing was that some taxis had to make a detour. The locals also have few problems. They even act a bit casual about it. Conclusion; feel free to go to Bangkok and avoid the demonstration places, then you will have the time of your life. Sabine
Hello reader
I have to go to don muang airport on wednesday i heard it has problems today ???
do our loyal readers want to keep me informed? thank you in advance..
Kind regards, Peter Yai
It is to be hoped that the farmers in the north are now slowly discovering that the rice guarantee bubble was a fairy tale. Populist slogans without substance.
This also applies to the factory workers who would receive 300 Bht/day. Some Firms simply closed their doors. Employees stand on the street together with the rice farmers.
The real blame is the closedness of the Thais about modern trade structures outside Thailand and the resistance (not wanting) of the Thais to accept them. Because they are not interested in this, many Thais do not understand that we now live in 2014 and not in 1914 anymore.
Even now, after the rice debakel, you see that the Thais are ordering their fields with rice again. So they don't learn a damn thing from it and keep going on and on. Rethinking, thinking further, etc. is not included. Granted the alternatives are also limited.
The rice farmers have my sympathy, But with their action they achieve nothing. You can't pluck feathers from a bald chicken. Thailand (Yingluck) is simply out of money. The cash register is empty.
I think a bigger problem is that the Thai people hardly think about the difference between the interests of the individual (or rather the clan) and the national interest. The Thai government actually does very little for the 'public interest' compared to so-called welfare states. The Thai therefore do not have a high opinion of the government and politicians. Self-interest then prevails. And political parties like to respond to this with populist slogans. It is not for nothing that the king repeatedly emphasizes in his speeches that the Thai should think more about the importance of the country and of all Thai people.
It is extremely easy to highlight all kinds of abuses in the current situation, and to say something with strong words, for example about how people in TH deal with their everyday problems. @Chris shows how farmers can be caught between an interfering government full of promises, and have to get on with their own lives. So just do what you do best and that is growing rice. Even if the proceeds end up in a big heap. You have to assume, also for your family and for the continuity of your company, that, even if it is with a delay, butter will eventually be added to the fish. I have therefore tried to translate @rebell's story in a positive way, see below, because he says: the farmers are so sympathetic to him, although in his opinion they lack a vision for the future because of the inability to 'think about it' and 'think further'. The sympathy is then expressed in the phrase: 'granted that the alternatives are also limited.' Apparently he thinks so, because he himself does not name an alternative after his analysis.
Farmers in the North of TH, among others, will certainly know that the rice mortgage system belonged to a populist type of politics, the outcome of which would be very dramatic and disastrous for them. If they don't know it already, they experienced it firsthand in 2014. A similar example could perhaps be raising the minimum wage to 300 baht per day. This measure also turned out to be a disappointment for many Thai employees. But what if your own government squanders the country's first place in the rice export market? As a farmer from the North, will you get any further if you know how international agreements and trade structures work? Or how coercive and stifling the agricultural policies of the EU and the US actually are? It will certainly interest the farmers. The question, however, is to what extent TH agricultural policy in recent decades has been aimed at helping farmers, for example looking for opportunities for different production methods and growing alternative crops?
For these reasons, the farmers are now also demonstrating. Time and time again they are promised that the government will come up with money. Zero on the bill again and again. Then it is good to show yourself, and if necessary to make a firm fist. It is good, even if there is no money to be made in the short term, that a signal is being sent that they will not be fooled anymore.
@ Soi The government's agricultural policy will have to focus on quality improvement (rice with higher nutritional value, organic rice), reduction of production costs (less use of chemicals), increase of yield per rai (which is half of that in Vietnam ) and product innovation (oil, car wax, face cream, custard and concrete blocks to name a few, which are already made from rice bran).
The rice mortgage system stimulates quantity ('Every grain of rice is bought up') and not quality. Apart from other objections: the poorest farmers do not benefit from it, it offers all kinds of opportunities for corruption and it makes a major drain on the national treasury.
Thanks @Dick, for the addition to what I tried to indicate and meant with the question to what extent the government has helped farmers in recent decades with, for example, quality improvement and product innovations. I also wonder in this connection to what extent farmers have been able to make themselves strong through cooperatives, and whether they receive help with regard to knowledge and skills from a scientific institute (such as farmers in NL from Wageningen University)?
By the way: speaking of Wageningen: I once came across an article that talked about research by Wageningen university people into the condition of forests in the province of Kanchanaburi, and further along the border with Myanmar. But all that aside.
Dear Chris and Soi. The Thai government does provide information and education for alternative products. But for these new products the government gives NO price guarantee. And therein lies the Thai problem. If the Thai farmer does not know in advance what the price is for his harvest, he will not grow it. That is why they stick to rice, man sapalang, sugar cane and rubber. Eukaliptus becomes, among other things. guaranteed by Son kitty (= AA paper factories). The sugar cane price has also fallen. The refineries waited until the full trucks were at the door. Not a nice way. It must be said that sugar cane and rubber are only interesting from a floor area of 50 rai and more.
One of the new products is Sabu Dam. This oil is excellent as a diesel replacement. There are grandiose plantations in India. Mercedes Benz Stuttgart has successfully run a CLK 300 CDI on this oil for 5 years. The Benz was NOT modified in advance - so it was taken out of current production per lot. In Chanburi there is even a press house for the Sabu Dam nuts. Alternative diesel is produced there. He who knows how it works, can also do it at home with salad oil. More expensive than at the pump.
The same applies to our Dutch cow. In Wan Nam Yen there is a milk farm, which can produce more, but does not have enough milk for it. The demand for dairy products in Thailand has increased enormously. But everyone is following his quai, instead of a few cows. And so you can go on.
What the Thai farmer does not know, he does not eat. In my opinion, not wanting to think about it is the biggest problem of the Thai farmer in the agricultural sector. In my Thai family it looks exactly like this. The one 50% does not want to think twice and has a good income thanks to large land. (without rice). The other 50% are in the fruit and don't know what to do with the money they've earned.
I received 5 rai cashew nut trees from the family as a gift. Why ?. Because the Thais are just too lazy to pick them themselves. These nuts bring good money - for sure. Besides, I also eat them myself.
@rebell Interesting response but what is man sapalang, sabu dam and kwai. Please provide an explanation.
มันสำปะหลั – sampalang – cassava
ควาย – kwai – (water) buffalo
สบู่ดำ – Sabu dam = purgeernut (I had to google it and found this translation:
http://www.natinspicygarden.com/ricinus.html )
Hello Dick. Mansapalang is a tuber that looks like a potato. It is also planted in the same way. The rods with large leaves grow up to 1.5 mt. After harvesting, it is dried, peeled and ground. The flour is mainly used to make noodles. Plant to harvest time approx. 9 months.
Sabu Dam is more of a big bush like tree. It grows quite fast and has nuts like fruits that contain up to about 36% oil. After about 3 years they already start to bear fruit. This nut is cold pressed. 80% of this oil and 20% Ethanol makes an excellent diesel fuel. It sounds strange, but you can make these yourself at home.
Kwai = water buffalo.
A little more about Sabu Dam. The Thai government has (had) oa. had a Sabu DSam center in Trat. Farmers were invited there to get to know this product. The center is closed again. The reason; the government gives no guarantee price for the product. Thus, the farmers around Trat have no interest in it,
I have a few of my own photos of mansaplang and Sabu Dam cq. I-Net site addresses. I will send it to you via email.
Thanks to Rob V. He googled fine-