Thaksin defends rice programme

News > Politics

Ex-PM rebuffs critics, wants scheme to go on

Published: 25 Sep 2012 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

Deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra says the rice pledging programme should be extended for several more years, rebuffing critics who say the policy has increased government debt and encouraged corruption.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra implemented the price-support policy to boost the incomes of farmers, whose support helped her Pheu Thai Party win elections last year. The government programme buys rice from farmers at above-market rates.

Thaksin said during an interview in Singapore yesterday that the policy reaps economic gains equal to three times the programme's cost.

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samut
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Discussion 42 : 26 Sep 2012 at 09.1642
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Nice englisbob trying to educate people but as we all know some don’t want to learn……
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spiceman
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Discussion 41 : 26 Sep 2012 at 02.2241
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Khun Android #39, virtually, every country in the world is, at one time, is a country full of farmers, then it evolves toward industrialization, because it is the only way to raise standard of living for its people, often measured by income-per-capita. No country can do that remain in farming. The US, Europe, Japan, and even South Korea, and etc, all follow this same economic model, resulting in the same spectacular success. A good case study for is South Korean Economic Miracle. Despite of its war-torn devastating beginning a few decades ago, right after the Korean War, today, the South Korean farmers are now enjoying good income, selling their produce to dynamic and energetic non-farming population, like those work for Samsung, Hundai, and etc. Or do you want to reinvent the wheel?
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englishbob
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Discussion 40 : 25 Sep 2012 at 23.3640
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Disc39 Android - "But always there are a few arrogant and selfish noble elites who look down upon the grassroot people and exploit them by all means they can."

This sentence doesn't make sense. Who is exploiting the grassroots people? According to most sources, the middlemen and millers are syphoning money off from the graft-ridden rice policy. These are not 'noble elites'. Being based in Isaan, the vast majority of them will be Red Shirt supporters and several will be Peua Thai MPs.

You keep imagining loyal, hardworking rice farmers as the backbone of the country. But that's because you live in a fantasy world. Businessmen make Thailand successful - not rice farmers. And the people screwing the rice farmers are your UDD and Peua Thai MPs - not the Dems.

Care to ignore this logic too? Seems to be a habit now.
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android
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Discussion 39 : 25 Sep 2012 at 21.2439
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Feeding everyone nationwide especially the grassroot people to their satisfaction is the most effective measure to manage a large nation of 60 plus million population. But always there are a few arrogant and selfish noble elites who look down upon the grassroot people and exploit them by all means they can.
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anna
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Discussion 38 : 25 Sep 2012 at 18.2638
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Why does this newspaper give its space to print anything about TS? Why people still speak of him as though he's still relevant to the running of the Thai government? Does the country depends on his home away from home consultancy? If he's sincerely wanting to go good for Thailand, he can man up, grows some ..., and returns to his birth country, instead of trying to interfere from afar. As long as people still keep talking about him, and newspaer is giving him a platform for his voice to be heard, Thailand will forever be divided.
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dickemery
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Discussion 37 : 25 Sep 2012 at 18.2237
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how can any farmer benifit if he working for the state, and accepts their prices ?
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englishbob
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Discussion 36 : 25 Sep 2012 at 17.5736
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Disc30 Android - "earn trillion bahts of revenue for the country"
Wrong again... This year, exports from farming are likely to be LESS THAN ONE trillion baht.

And that is ALL farmers, not just the lucky, red-voting rice farmers.
Rubber, tapioca, chicken, prawn, fruit and grains are ALL included in that less than one trillion baht, and none of them get the special treatment that rice farmers get. Why?
(I'll give you a clue. It's to do with votes and corrupt Isaan PT MPs)
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bluebkk
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Discussion 35 : 25 Sep 2012 at 17.5735
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How much is 25% or 30% on 400 billion?? Thank you, I rest my case your Honor.........
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englishbob
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Discussion 34 : 25 Sep 2012 at 17.5234
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Disc30 Android - Are you still writing the same stuff about Thai rice farmers?
I explained the position to you in a previous post.
I sent you details in a PM (which, by the way, you didn't answer).

Thai rice farmers are a drop in the ocean of Thailand's GDP. They are inefficient, uneconomical and expensive. However, they DO provide a large voting bloc, without which, Peua Thai would be lost.
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aussie
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Discussion 33 : 25 Sep 2012 at 17.2833
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Thought he was banned , washed his hands of politics , only an advisor ?
Red`iculous sums it up !
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