CityNews Article Archive:
500 Farmers Protest at Chiang Mai Provincial Office

October 2, 2012

CityNews – On 2nd October at 9 a.m, over 500 rice farmers from Chiang Mai and Lamphun gathered to protest at Chiang Mai Provincial office.

Farmers at the provincial  office

The protest was in opposition of a group of academics who had sent a letter to the Constitutional Court asking to suspend the government’s rice pledging scheme, the President of Chiang Mai Farmer Federation Association, Samarn Tadtien, told the press.

The academics, all from the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA), claimed that the rice pledging policy violates Article 43 and 81 (1) of the Constitution due to the government interfering with market prices.

Similar protests took part in Bangkok and other parts of Thailand.

The government scheme does, however, offer farmers more for the rice than the current market rate, meaning farmers support the scheme.

NIDA, however, are concerned as to whether rice from Thailand could be exported in the future, due to the global rice market because of the low quality and cost.

NIDA have claimed they will not back down until the pledging policy has been changed, the group of farmers have threatened to protest at NIDA in Lamphun if the dispute continues.

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                ? 09.00 ?. ? 2 ? 55 ? ? ? 500 ? ? ? ? ? ?

? ? ? ? 2 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 43 ? 84

 

? 3 ? 1 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

                ? ? 1 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

                ? 11.00 ?.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?