Students urged to re-think rice petition

Constitution Court spokesman Pimol Thammapitakpong said the NIDA and Thammasat University students must indicate in their petition which Articles of the charter are relevant to their recourse in seeking the court ruling – then they can re-submit the petition.

The group filed the petition accusing the government of violating Article 43 and 81 (1) of the Constitution by interfering in the market with price intervention and disrupting the free market with a monopoly.

Under the government’s rice pledging scheme, farmers are given Bt15,000-Bt20,000 per tonne of rice depending on its quality, which is higher than market prices.

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung criticised the move to stop the rice-pledging scheme, saying the academics do not know more than farmers when it comes to rice.

 

‘Exporters spreading rumours’

“The government gets the credit, farmers get richer, exporters must buy at a higher price. Exporters will lose in this scheme so they try to create public misunderstanding that corruption is rife and Thailand is losing its export market to Vietnam. This government knows the exporters’ game. We are not perturbed,” he said. He denied the scheme was a monopoly. “If the price of rice goes up, the government will not suffer losses. Do not get jealous of the poor farmers,’’ he added.

Chalerm said PM Yingluck Shinawatra was serious about checking corruption and appointed him to chair a committee to probe alleged irregularities in the scheme. “Five police officers are stationed at every rice miller undertaking the rice-pledging scheme,’’ he said.

More than 700 members of the Thai Farmers Association will parade to the Government House today to encourage Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to proceed with the price pledging policy on rice.

The move came after university academics criticised the government’s over-the-market price subsidy policy, saying the government should cancel such pledging measures.

Prasit Boonchuey, president of the association, said yesterday the government should hear from all concerned organisations on whether to move ahead with the scheme.

“The government should call a meeting with all agencies to table the truth as now the problem is bigger than the Kingdom’s budget – and if we ignore this problem the government will face difficulties,” Prasit said.