AGRICULTURE
Farmers renew protest in city
SUNTHORN PONGPAO &SONTHANAPORN INCHAN

Over 500 indebted farmers from the provinces head to Bangkok on their e-tan farm trucks for a rally demanding debts be restructured.

Convoys of indebted farmers returned to Bangkok yesterday to protest against what they say were empty promises the cabinet made a week ago to help ease their loan burden.

About 2,000 farmers had gathered last night under the Rama VIII bridge near the Bank of Thailand's head office, the same location they rallied at last Tuesday and Wednesday.

Farmers from the North and Central Plains joined up in Ayutthaya before travelling together to Bangkok, while Chachoengsao police could not stop determined farmers in e-tan farm trucks coming from the East.

The farmers want their debts with banks and loan sharks transferred to the Farmer Rehabilitation Development Fund, which offers low interest rates.

They also want Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to chair the fund.

Charin Duangdara, coordinator of the Indebted Farmers' Network, said the farmers wanted Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kachornprasart to keep his promises.

He had undertaken to replace the fund's secretary-general, but did not know at the time that this would require an Administrative Court order.

Maj-Gen Sanan, who chairs the fund's board, could not make any headway at the board's meeting last Friday and the cabinet meeting on Tuesday only acknowledged the farmers' debt problems, Mr Charin said.

The farmers began their journey on Tuesday night after Maj-Gen Sanan said he could not replace the fund's secretary-general without an Administrative Court order.

About 200 farmers from 16 districts in Ayutthaya had gathered on the Asia Highway since Tuesday, waiting until about 500 other farmers from Ang Thong, Sing Buri, Chai Nat, Nakhon Sawan and Kamphaeng Phet provinces joined them.

The left lane of the highway was taken up yesterday by farmers riding their e-tan and pick-up trucks.

Farmers said they would not return home without clear answers from the government.

With rice prices on the rise, their creditors came knocking on their doors every day demanding debt repayments.

In Chachoengsao, 10 policemen manning the checkpoint in Bang Nam Prieo district did not stop a caravan of 70 farm trucks and pick-ups which drove straight through.

Pol Col Tassanai Prangpibul said police had a duty to ensure safety on the road and could not arrest people simply heading to join a rally.

In Ayutthaya, Wichian Puanglamjiak, vice-chairman of the Thai Rice Farmers' Association, called on the government to get more millers join its paddy buy-up scheme.

He said the scheme's requirements made millers reluctant to take part.

They were required to place a 20% guarantee, keep half of the paddy in their stockpile and install security cameras to prevent theft of the grain.

The province has only one miller, in Bang Sai district, who has joined the scheme and some farmers have to travel 120km to sell their rice, he said.

Phichit governor Preecha Roengchan told farmers to take payment in cash when they go to sell their rice after 600 farmers in five districts said they were cheated by two millers of a total amount of 62 million baht.

Thammanoon Thetkam, director of the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives's Phichit branch, said that over the past three days almost 100 farmers had sold 1,500 tonnes of rice worth 20 million baht.

By Bangkok Post On 19 June 2008

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