Don’t politicise rice crisis: PM

POLITICAL DRAMA continued yesterday over the issue of declining paddy prices, with the prime minister telling politicians not to abuse the farmers’ plight for their own good image while former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra maintained that her purchase of rice directly from farmers had no hidden agenda.
The war of words came as different state agencies were striving to help shore up the price of rice paddy. Also yesterday, the first reported suicide by a farmer in connection with the rice-price crisis pointed to the gravity of the situation.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday said he would not oppose politicians helping farmers by buying their rice.
“Certainly they can do so. But they should not just focus on trying to create a good image for themselves. They should sincerely buy rice from farmers,” Prayut said.
The PM said that at a recent scene, farmers who sold their rice to politicians immediately shut down their roadside booth after the politicians left, showing no interest in selling their rice to passers-by. He appeared to imply that the scene was set up. 
On Thursday, Yingluck and other Pheu Thai Party politicians went to Ubon Ratchathani, where she met a group of 20 farmers who had set up a roadside booth outside a school in Muang district to sell their rice. Yingluck bought an undisclosed amount of rice from them with a plan to sell the rice in Bangkok, according to a member of her team.
The ex-PM also told the northeastern farmers that if her political party came to power again, it would push for higher rice prices.
Yingluck yesterday said her visit to meet with farmers in the Northeast was not politically motivated. She said that she simply wanted to give them moral support at a time of suffering.
In response to a remark by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan that she should have bought rice from more farmers, Yingluck yesterday said she would do so if she were still in power.
“But now I am just an ordinary citizen. So I do as much as I can. I have financial burden involving my household expenditure and my court battles,” she said.
“Everyone should contribute to help farmers. And the government should be open-minded so that all groups of people can take part in helping farmers,” she added.
Prayut yesterday told reporters that his government was dealing with the problem of falling paddy prices to the best of its ability. “We are tackling the problem systematically,” he said.
The PM voiced his support to the new trend of farmers selling their rice directly to consumers. “I would like to thank everyone for helping farmers by buying their rice. It should not be the government alone that tackles the problem; people in society can also take part,” he said.
Government Spokesman Lt-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd yesterday said Yingluck’s move to help farmers by buying rice from them was a positive move. 
He declined to answer whether the move had a hidden agenda. “Politicians must respond to such suspicions in society – whether they do it out of sincerity or just want to create a good image,” he said.
Yingluck announced in her Facebook post yesterday that she would start selling the rice that she had bought from farmers in the Northeast.
“The rice is newly milled and free from fumigation. To help farmers, I would like to invite fellow Bangkok residents to buy Hom Mali fragrant rice at Bt20 a kilogram, at Fashion Island department store on Saturday from 4pm,” she said in her Facebook message.
She said that she had bought the rice directly from farmers during her visit to Ubon Ratchathani and Surin on Thursday.
“Judging from the amount bought, I may not be able to help all the farmers. But I bought it with my sincere heart,” she added.
The ex-PM yesterday went to the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders, where she attended a hearing on a case against her that stems from her government’s rice pledging scheme.
A number of supporters handed her banknotes, ranging in value from Bt20 to Bt1,000, as contributions to help her pay civil damages of Bt35 billion demanded by the post-coup government.
In a related development, Yingluck’s lawyer Norrawit Larlaeng yesterday dismissed media reports that her hair was pulled from behind while talking to the media outside the court. He said one supporter simply wanted Yingluck to be in a photo being taken.
Yingluck was seen grimacing at the time and uttering, “Ouch! I am falling!”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives will start selling packaged rice directly to consumers at different locations in Bangkok from today, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister General Chatchai Sarikalya said.
The rice is bought from farmers mostly in the Northeast.
In Phichit yesterday, a 43-year-old farmer identified as Supakit Panplaek was found dead hanging himself from a tree in his rice field.
His relatives blamed his apparent suicide on the decline of paddy prices, saying the farmer had been stressed over his debts of almost Bt1 million.