Meeting on solutions to declining rubber prices set on Jan 22

BANGKOK, January 12 (TNA) - The Thai government's committee on systematic solutions to a drop in the prices of natural rubber and rubber products will hold a fresh meeting in Bangkok on January 22. It was publicly report on Monday that the January 22 meeting will be chaired by Thai Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Amnuay Patise. Meanwhile, Sunthorn Rakrong, a leader of Thailand's rubber growers' networks, asked Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha, who is also Chief of the army-led National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), to stop the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) from amending a forest plantation law to control rubber wood. Sunthorn filed the demand to oppose the legal amendment, pointing out if the law was amended, in which rubber wood would be then included in a list of wood protected by the forest plantation law, it would compound the hardships of local rubber growers as the current low prices of natural rubber and rubber prices have already troubled them. Sunthorn said local rubber growers have not been required to seek any official approval before felling their rubber trees and transporting their rubber wood so far, which is good. Sunthorn cautioned that the amendment would also allow corrupt authorities to extort money from local rubber growers. The rubber growers' networks leader, thus, urged Prime Minister General Prayut to exercise his power, as the NCPO chief, to scrap the forest plantation act in order to immediately stop the NLA from amending the law. The rubber growers' networks leader threatened if the legal amendment continued, local rubber growers would rally at provincial halls, calling on the prime minister to also discuss the problems directly with rubber growers. (TNA)