Authority receives complaints from Thai rubber farmers

BANGKOK, August 28 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister and Defence Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has ordered the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to receive complaints from rubber farmers for further discussions. Apart from making the order, Yingluck also promised on Tuesday to fairly take care of all troubled people and asked rubber farmers to end their protest to avoid violence. Yingluck told journalists, after the Cabinet's weekly meeting, that the Cabinet was informed of problems related to rubber and demands from local rubber farmers and she has instructed the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to immediately bring their complaints for discussions on a solution through a scrutiny committee. In response to reports that irrelevant people arrived to block a highway in Nakhon Si Thammarat province in the Thai South after rubber farmers earlier called off their road blockage there, the prime minister cautioned that those people should not get involved to avoid any untoward incident, insisting that government authorities will keep exercising their patience but will have to take legal action should their demonstrations get out of hand. Asked about a reasonable price of natural rubber produce her government could guarantee, the prime minister noted that concerned parties would consider costs, but assuring that the government would enable farmers to survive and generate incomes at a certain extent. According to the prime minister, her administration is flexible but the rubber farmers' demand for the minimum price of raw sheet rubber at 120 baht per kilogram is very tough. The Thai premier encouraged local rubber farmers to have their representatives to hold talks with officials of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to solve their long-standing problems. The Thai government has offered the price of 80 baht per kilogram but it does not satisfy the protesting rubber farmers. (TNA)