Farmers protest at ministry

Two groups of 500 farmers staged a rowdy protest at the Agriculture Ministry yesterday in an attempt to pressure the government to speed up solving their problems.

This was the second day of action by the farmers following a failed attempt to force their way into the Government House compound earlier in the week.

"If we just stage a sit-in protest outside Government House, we will receive only a cool response from the government. We are forced to get tough," said Aueychai Watha, leader of the Assembly of Northeastern Farmers.

Another group was led by the Assembly of Northeastern Small-scale Farmers.

About 30 riot policemen lined up along the front of the ministry blocking the farmers from entering when their representatives were admitted to talk with a committee of ministers.

Some protesters threw plastic bags packed with urine across the narrow street separating them from the line of policemen into the ministry compound after complaining that officials failed to respond to their plea for mobile restrooms.

The ministers include Agriculture Minister Pongpol Adireksarn and his deputies, Newin Chidchob and Wirat Rattanaset, Deputy Finance Minister Pichet Phanvichartkul, Deputy Industry Minister Anurak Jureemat and Alongkorn Polbutr, secretary to Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai.

The farmers and ministers agreed to set up a number of joint committees to solve the problems including forest and land disputes, the impact of dam projects, and debts and rights to farm land. The farmers have aired their grievances with four governments for the last five years.

Every change of government, committees set up by the former administration would be disbanded and new ones reappointed, leaving the problems unresolved, Mr Aueychai said.

The agriculture ministers seemed to take active interest in tackling the complaints as they ordered responsible officials to gather information and report to the ministry within 15 days.

In contrast, Democrat Party ministers viewed the protesters with suspicion, fearing different motives and support by the opposition, especially the New Aspiration Party.

"The Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives has to lend money to farmers across the country. If it provides a five-year debt moratorium for the protesting farmers, it will affect other good borrowers," said the Democrats' Mr Pichet, who appeared to be unhappy with the farmers around him.

But Mr Aueychai argued that the government was not fair in spending trillions of baht to rescue ailing financial firms while farmers' debts totalling only 180 billion baht were ignored.

The protesters dispersed after Mr Pongpol pledged to solve their problems quickly. However, they remain camped outside Government House. Some of their representatives, in the meantime, will return to their home provinces to gather information to back up their claims to be discussed at the next round of negotiations over the next two weeks.