Rice farmers add to Thai govt woes

Thai caretaker PM Yingluck Shinawatra is facing a challenge from more than a million rice farmers. Source: AAP

BESIEGED by anti-government protests in Bangkok for the past three months, embattled caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is facing another challenge in the countryside, from more than a million angry rice farmers.

Yingluck's Pheu Thai Party won the last general election in 2011 on a populist platform anchored by a pledge to buy every single grain of rice grown by farmers at above-market, fixed prices.

Two and a half years later, the government is now faced with a debt of about 100 billion baht ($A3.4 billion) to 1.4 million farmers who have yet to be paid for their main rice crop, sold to the government in October.

The main opposition party is boycotting the election, so Yingluck's party is expected to win comfortably even with the rice problems.

"Farmers in Phichit are apathetic about the polls," said Banjong Phichitwilailert, a community leader.

"The candidates haven't been campaigning here because they are afraid that they won't be able to answer our questions."

Thousands of farmers in Phichit, 310 kilometres north of Bangkok, are owed 7 billion baht for their crop, Banjong said.

"About 10,000 farmers were paid this week, but 40,000 are still owed money," he said.

In neighbouring Phitsanulok province, rice farmers' groups have given the government until Friday to assure payment.

"On Friday we will meet with the governor," said Piak Phusrithaet.

"If he doesn't guarantee payments we will either shut down City Hall or march on Bangkok. We have been waiting for our money for four months."

Yingluck's caretaker government is trying to arrange loans from commercial banks to pay the farmers before the elections but observers doubt the full 100 billion baht can be raised quickly.

Farmers are only one group causing a headache for the government over the rice scheme.

Earlier this month, the National Anti-Corruption Commission opened an investigation into Yingluck for failing to halt the scheme.

On January 16, it brought corruption charges against former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyaporn and 14 other officials for their involvement in the program.

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