The south of Thailand threatens to become virtually inaccessible from Tuesday because all main roads will be blocked. While their colleagues elsewhere in the country have called off planned blockades, rubber farmers in the South are expanding their protest.
The blockade of highway 41 in Cha-uat, which has lasted eight days, is being expanded with roadblocks in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Ranong, Chumphon and Surat Thani.
Provincial Council (PAO) of Nakhon Si Thammarat supports the protest. The province has promised to supply the protesters with supplies and provide legal support if necessary. The vice president of the PAO denies that the protest is politically motivated. "It is wrong for the government to accuse politicians of that."
The Prime Minister's Secretariat has asked the Crime Suppression Division to prosecute six Democratic MPs. It accuses them of terrorism and undermining national security for addressing the protesters. Those speeches would have incentivized the demonstrators to fight with the police [on the first day of the blockade]. Cha-uat police reportedly applied for arrest warrants against 15 protest leaders, including two Democratic lawmakers.
Witthaya Kaewparadai, one of the six, says: "The problems are not caused by Democratic MPs, but by the government that has neglected the rubber farmers' problems for two years."
Farmers in the North and Northeast have called off their planned rallies as the government has accepted some of their demands, such as a subsidy and suspension of the export rubber tax. The farmers will wait two weeks to see if the government will also meet the other demands, including aid to farmers who are not legal owners of their plantations.
The Board of the Rubber Replanting Aid decided yesterday to suspend the levy on rubber exports for four months. Exporters normally pay 2 baht per kilo of exported rubber as a contribution to the Rubber Replanting Aid Fund.
Agriculture Minister Yukol Limlaemthong says the government will use rubber from its stockpile of 200.000 tons in road construction and repair. The rubber is mixed with asphalt.
Photos: Minister Chadchart Sittipunt (Transport) shows a road surface in which rubber has been processed.
(Source: Bangkok Post, August 31, 2013)
We are still in Hua Hin and intend to travel to Krabi next Monday. Depending on the weather, we would like to stay there for a week. But the question is will we still get back to the north by road? It is known whether the farmers only want to block the main road in the south direction or also in the north from Krabi. Has this been announced?
@ Twan The newspaper mentions the following blockades: Pathomporn intersection in Muang (Chumphon), Co-op intersection in Phunphin (Surat Thani), a location in Bang Saphan (Prachuap Khiri Khan) and other 'undisclosed' locations.
If something is going to be blocked in the south, it's probably the main road no. 4. But there are other roads (not high ways) that run from south to north. That takes longer, but is also much nicer. It could become critical in the area near Klong Wan-Huai Yang-Seang Arun and Thap Sakaeo. So I assume they're going to have a hard time there too? There, Thailand is only a few Km wide between Myamar and the Sea. So you have less options there. If you have a Navi, you can choose an alternative route. There are plenty of them, namely between the pineapple fields and coconut palm forests. TIP. Check out GOOGLE EARTH in advance. There you can see how to do it. Have fun.