Up the price of rubber, demand farmers
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Rubber growers in the southern province of Songkhla were set to travel to the capital on Tuesday morning to join forces with rubber growers nationwide who are calling on the government to help shore up rubber prices to Bt120 per kilogram.
At a rally yesterday off an Asia Route section, an angry motorist opened fire on gatherers who blocked the route causing heavy traffic congestion. The shooting wounded four people including a policeman. The shooter reportedly drove a black Toyota Vios sedan with Kor Kai-Khor Khai 9694 registered in Songkhla.
Growers gathered in Songkhla before leaving for the premier’s residence in Bangkok with latexladen pickup trucks as part of their caravan. They plan to pour the latex in front of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s home if the problem of the falling rubber price is not addressed.
Crowd-control police have been dispatched to maintain order at the intersection where the protesters are meeting.
Meanwhile, Yingluck said talks are proceeding with the rubber growers to solve the price problem.
Chayant Sangkhapaitoon, coordinator of the network of rubber growers in the southern region on Monday said para rubber prices fell from Bt100 per kilo to just Bt80, where they remain.
Rubber growers from the northeast, the north, the central region and the east will join the protest at the premier’s home, as the demand was made to the government almost three months ago and there has as yet been no response, he added.
The growers have threatened to prolong their protest unless the price reaches Bt120/kg.
Sitthiporn Jariyapong, chairman of the Surat Thani Farmers Council, said he disagreed with the plan to pour latex in front of the house of the prime minister.
However, rubber farmers from Surat Thani will also join the protest. He said the farmers would gather at the Surat Thani Cooperative at noon Wednesday before heading to the prime minister’s residence.
Sitthiporn said the world rubber market price is now Bt140 to Bt150 per kg but Thai middlemen had forced the Thai prices down to only Bt80 to Bt90 and were selling the rubber to Malaysia so as to benefit from high margins.
In Satun, the rubber farmers, led by Satun Rubber Farmers Cooperative chairman Chamnarn Mektrong, gathered at an intersection in Kuan Kalong district at 11.30pm.
About 100 of them travelled in some 60 vehicles to Hat Yai to join the rubber farmers there before heading to Bangkok.
