Thailand's caretaker government pressured by rice-pledging-affected farmers

BANGKOK, February 10 (TNA) - Local farmers have escalated their protest against Thailand's caretaker government over its delayed payment under the rice-pledging scheme. The protesting rice growers on Monday morning marched from the Ministry of Commerce on the outskirts of Bangkok to many government agencies to pressure the caretaker government to pay for their long pledged rice. The protesting farmers from several provinces moved to the Ministry of Justice before 9am to submit their demands, including a call for the permanent secretary for justice to demand the rice payment from the government and to come up with a clear answer within seven days, the Justice Ministry to investigate corruption in the government's rice-pledging scheme, examine all warehouses where pledged rice is reportedly stored and verify alleged rice sales of the government. The farmers also demanded Caretaker Prime Minister and Defence Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and concerned ministers to take responsibility for the failed rice-pledging scheme and compensate for losses faced by farmers. The protesting rice growers also demanded that relevant authorities confiscate the caretaker prime minister's assets and concerned ministers and corrupt parties in the rice-pledging scheme to pay the compensation. Thawatchai Thaikheo, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Justice, received the demands and said his ministry has formed a working group to help the farmers. According to the senior official, his ministry will, probably, ask the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to initially spend its fund to pay for the rice growers' cultivation costs, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security to offer financial assistance to farmers and the Ministry of Commerce to work out a debt moratorium for farmers who have not received payment for their pledged rice. The protesting farmers then went to the Constitution Court to inquire about progress in relevant political cases. Soldiers and police have, in the meantime, guarded the Office of the Permanent Secretary for Defence, where the caretaker prime minister and some ministers were working and protesting rice growers also went to submit their demands. Suthep Thaugsuban, secretary-general of the anti-government People's Democratic Reform Committee, led his demonstrators to Ekamai Road in Bangkok to receive donations to, as he claimed, help affected farmers, saying he intends to raise 10 million baht for the purpose. Leaders of rice growers in 20 northeastern provinces are scheduled to meet at the Provincial Hall of Nakhon Ratchasima on Tuesday morning to discuss their movements to demand the caretaker government's payment for their pledged rice. Meanwhile, a meeting between representatives of the caretaker government and affected farmers failed to come up with any agreeed solution to the payment under the rice-pledging scheme, leading to the representatives of the farmers walking out from the meeting, lashing the caretaker government of lacking of capability to handle with the rice-pledging program and vowing to step up their protest to pressure the caretaker administration to resign.(TNA)