Claim about farmer suicides over rice scheme needs clarification
Vint Chavala recycles the oft repeated claim that delayed payments under the Pheu Thai government's rice-pledging scheme led to the suicides of 16 farmers. But how accurate is this claim?
In February 2014, the Mental Health Department published the result of their investigation into the suicides of 13 farmers, which was that there appeared to be no connection between these suicides and the delayed payments. This was widely reported in the media, including The Nation.
I do not know if these 13 suicides are among those cited by the writer, but those who make such claims need to be sure of their facts, otherwise they are merely exploiting the tragic plight of the bereaved families to make a political point – and that is reprehensible.
Robin Grant
Bangkok
