Thousands of farmers protested Thursday outside Thailand's agriculture ministry demanding the government help ease their debt burden, officials said.
Police said around 7,000 farmers gathered from across the country and began their protest during the night.
The protesters blocked one lane of traffic as they chanted and waved banners calling for debt relief. Police said the protest had so far been peaceful.
The farmers submitted a letter to the ministry asking for a debt moratorium and financial aid to help them buy fertilizer, a ministry official said.
"They will have a meeting with ministry's permanent secretary Banphot Hongthong this afternoon. They plan to carry on their protest until tomorrow," the official said.
The farmers say they face losing their land as they struggle to pay off loans, which they obtained using their land as collateral.
After the military coup last September, the government trimmed farm aid programs offered by ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Thaksin, a self-made billionaire, had won over Thailand's rural majority by offering a slate of programs that boosted incomes for poor villagers.
Bangkok's urban elite derided the schemes as populist measures that amounted to vote-buying. That resentment helped fuel anti-Thaksin protests last year that eventually led to the coup.
Thailand is the world's biggest exporter of rice, but farmers have been pinched by the soaring value of the Thai baht and the scaled-down aid schemes.
A strong baht makes Thai products more expensive overseas, and lowers the value of repatriated earnings. As a result, farm incomes are tighter, making it difficult for some farmers to repay debts.
The farmers' protest adds to the army-backed government's challenges as it moves toward an August 19 referendum on a new constitution, which the junta says will clear the way to restore democracy.
Pro-democracy protesters, mainly Thaksin supporters, have been staging nightly protests against the junta since early June.
Source : Inquirer
Thousands of farmers gather to call for debt relief
Thousands of farmers gather to call for debt relief
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