Govt not doomed by rice policy: Yingluck
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Prime MInister Yingluck Shinawatra on Wednesday strongly defended the government's rice-pledging scheme, following the stern warning by her own economic advisor, Virabongsa Ramangkura.
Together with Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom, she took the podium to emphasise the benefits of the programme to farmers and express confidence that the policy would not ruin the rice market.
She also urged all to ask for farmers' opinions on this.
The government wont' be doomed by this policy, she insisted during the 8-minute session.
Virabongsa, in his interview with Nation Group, said that the government shows stability but it could fall apart because of the graft-ridden policy. He wrote an article in 2011, warning against the perils.
Meanwhile, Boonsong said in "Inside Thailand" TV programme that he did not learn of Virabongsa's warning. "I was not in office yet," he said. He promised to exploit strategies to plug loopholes.
He also insisted that he had no personal connection with any rice miller and vowed to launch criminal and civil lawsuits against all wrongdoers.
