Sukhothai tobacco farmers oppose new law

The Public Health Ministry recently announced it would submit the draft law to the Cabinet early this week. The farmers considered that the bill will affect the jobs and livelihoods of Sukhothai tobacco growers who make a living out of tobacco cultivation for more than 50 years. 

"This gathering is the tobacco farmers' civil disobedience act to convey the message to the policy makers that the TCCA bill will severely affect our tobacco farming communities," said Sukreep Boonchum, president of the Burley Tobacco Farmers Association of Sukhothai (BTFA).

"The green balloons represent our tobacco growing life. Our members who joined today's event have also written letters to the Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha to ask him for sympathy and stop the issuing of this unfair draft law. The TCCA bill is not the government’s priority issues; it goes against the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)'s policy to help the farmers. We, Sukhothai growers will send these letters that speak from our heart and of our concerns to the government.”   

Under the bill, one of the many provisions includes limited communication between the farmers and the authorities, the prohibition of farmers' representative from participating in committee boards or working groups as well as measures that will affect the industry’s charitable contributions and community support programmes.  

Sukreep branded the law "biased" and "unfair". 

The association said that Sukhothai is home to 5,000 tobacco farmers' families and can produce 14 million kilogrammes of dried leaves per year.