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Oh! but the shenanigans are everlasting....
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Yingluck rice-loss bill cut to B286bn
Govt evaluation panel hikes tab for six others
Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra will be fined 286.6 billion baht in compensation for losses incurred by her government's rice-pledging scheme following the latest evaluation by a government panel.
Jirachai Moonthongroy, deputy permanent secretary at the Prime Minister's Office, who headed a committee looking into administrative offences involving the rice programme, reported the findings to Prime Minister's Office Minister ML Panadda Diskul Monday.
ML Panadda said the panel also reported that former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom and five former key ministry officials are liable to pay 18.7 billion baht in compensation for bogus government-to-government (G2G) rice deals.
He noted the Yingluck administration received 13.3 million tonnes of paddy under the pledging programme, adding that less than one million tonnes was exported and 13 million tonnes were kept in warehouses.
ML Panadda insisted the government is probing the case honestly and transparently without prejudice.
"The figures came from a thorough deliberation process from all parties participating in the meetings," the minister said, adding state agencies must be held accountable for what they have done.
"The use of power has to be carried out with care. Civil servants need to learn they cannot do everything they want."
The 286.6-billion-baht damage evaluation is much lower than the more than 500 billion baht previously evaluated by a panel of the Finance Ministry.
Mr Jirachai said the latest figure will be forwarded to a committee on civil liability, chaired by the comptroller-general, to consider whether to seek compensation for the sum from Ms Yingluck.
Under the process, if the panel agrees, it will have to request that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha issue an administrative order to demand compensation from Ms Yingluck, said a government source.
The findings will also be reported to the national rice policy and management committee, chaired by the prime minister, tomorrow, Mr Jirachai added.
Mr Jirachai said the panel, chaired by the comptroller-general, has agreed to push up the liability for Mr Boonsong and other former ministerial officials to 20 billion baht instead of the 18 billion baht proposed by his committee.
Meanwhile, the Commerce Ministry says it will write to Mr Boonsong and the five ex-ministerial officials demanding they reimburse the losses incurred by the G2G rice deals.
Duangporn Rodphaya, director-general of the Foreign Trade Department, said the administrative order letters will be signed by Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn and sent to the offenders, who will have 30 days to pay.
If they fail to pay, another notification letter would be sent to them within 15 days, she said.
If they still ignore it, another letter indicating enforcement measures will be issued and a working panel will be formed to discuss with representatives from the legal execution department, the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) and prosecutors whether to seize their assets, Ms Duangporn added.
The six offenders however can petition the Administrative Court, asking it to revoke the administrative order once they receive it, she said.
This will also depend on what the alleged offenders petition against, such as the revocation of the order or the amount of money they are required to pay.
If the court dismisses the petition, the enforcement in line with the administration order can proceed, Ms Duangporn added.
"Now it is a matter of the legal process. The department sent the administrative order to the commerce minister to sign last Friday. The letters indicated clearly the amount the six have to compensate. They will be sent after they are signed," said Ms Duangporn.
Ms Yingluck is accused of dereliction of duty for failing to stop her government's loss-ridden rice scheme despite being warned of the potential damage. Her case in the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office-Holders is still ongoing.
Mr Jirachai testified in court on May 13 that Ms Yingluck's rice scheme led to 510.6 billion baht in losses. By May 22, 2014, the project's cost stood at 653 billion baht, plus the 24 billion baht in management expenses and 30 billion baht in interest payments.
The scheme had made 189 billion baht in revenue.
As for the loss of 510.6 billion baht, the committee subtracted farmers' benefits and interest payments and found Ms Yingluck was still liable for 286.6 billion baht in losses, he told the court.
bill cut to B286bn: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/poli...-cut-to-b286bnKeep your friends close and your enemies closerComment
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Errrrr! Why isn't she in jail already, gettiing boned three hole style by a pack of ladyboys...
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i don't understand genetics, how can ying luck look so fookable and yet her brother square face is so fookin ugly.
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Roses or popcorn
Yingluck pleads for moral support when she appears in court on Friday
http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/yin...-court-friday/
https://th-th.facebook.com/hashtag/%...85780084799777Keep your friends close and your enemies closerComment
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Bend them over and they pretty much all look the same.Originally posted by peterplonker View Posti don't understand genetics, how can ying luck look so fookable and yet her brother square face is so fookin ugly.
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Prayut: Yingluck's rice damage growing from B287bn
The damage from the rice-pledging scheme that former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra is responsible for will be higher than the recently estimated 286.6 billion baht as a lot of the stored grain remains unsold, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Wednesday.
The national rice policy and management committee acknowledged a report on the rice scheme's losses on Wednesday. Officials reported the damage figure to the Prime Minister's Office on Monday
"The figure was produced too quickly. It was based on a survey in 2014. The remaining stockpiled rice will deteriorate further," Gen Prayut said after the committee meeting.
Apart from the 286.6-billion-baht in damages for which Ms Yingluck is being held responsible as she had failed to stop the scheme, almost 20 billion baht was recorded as being the cost of fake government-to-government rice export deals that her former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom set up for pledged rice, the prime minister said.
Gen Prayut stressed that the damage being done to the remaining rice stockpiles was growing as there were ongoing costs to consider and grain decaying. Officials have predicted lower consumption of rice next year and mounting stocks in many countries, he said.
Commerce permanent secretary Chutima Bunyapraphasara said on Wednesday that actual damage would be greater to the 9.1 million tonnes of government rice stockpiles that remained.
Ms Yingluck has been accused of dereliction of duty for failing to stop her government's loss-ridden rice scheme despite being warned of the potential damage.
Her government was in power from August 2011 to May 2014. Under the rice-pledging programme, a key plank in the Pheu Thai Party election platform, the government bought all rice from farmers at 40-50% above prevailing market rates.
The aim of the programme, devised by Ms Yingluck's brother Thaksin Shinawatra, was to control supply and push up export prices. However, the world market was already experiencing an oversupply at the time and the scheme backfired badly on Thailand. As well, authorities allege there was widespread corruption in the reporting of rice transactions.
The government consequently built up huge stockpiles that led to storage problems and rice deterioration. Sales are still taking place but at substantial losses.
The Yingluck administration is also accused of arranging fake government-to-government rice sales that resulted in further damage.
growing: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/gene...ng-from-b287bnKeep your friends close and your enemies closerComment
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PM says 280 billion baht in loss from the rice scheme is not the final figure
The 280 billion baht in damage caused by the rice pledging scheme of the Yingluck administration is not the final figure which is bound to increase in the future when reassessment is to be made, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha said on Wednesday.
He clarified that the 280 billion baht figure was an assessment of the damage made two years ago and there are still leftover rice which were bought under the scheme and yet to be sold. The leftover rice stored in warehouses across the country is bound to sustain more damages the longer period they are kept in stockpiles and are not sold, he said.
As far as damage from the rice pledging scheme is concerned, the prime minister said that the matter was referred to the court which will hold the first hearing of the case on Friday. He assured that the judicial process would be transparent and fair to all parties concerned.
The prime minister asked the media not to focus too much on the damage figure, saying that it will be adjusted up if the leftover rice are not sold.
He said the government had wanted to offload the leftover rice estimated at about nine million tonnes but the price was too low and. Hence, they were not sold. He added that the government could not engage in price intervention because this would impact on rice price.
He insisted that someone had to be held accountable for the massive loss caused by the rice pledging scheme.
http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/pm-...-final-figure/Keep your friends close and your enemies closerComment
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Red shirts rally at Supreme Court to support Yingluck
More than 100 red-shirt supporters gathered in front of the Supreme Court in Chaeng Wattana since 7 am Friday to provide moral support to former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
Yingluck is due to be present at the court Friday for her first testimony on criminal charge against her regarding rice-pledging scandal.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/brea...-30292201.htmlKeep your friends close and your enemies closerComment
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Keep your friends close and your enemies closerComment
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Fans mob Yingluck as she arrives at court
Hundreds of fans swarmed around former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra as she arrived at the Supreme Court in Bangkok on Friday to give evidence at her negligence-in-office trial.
Ms Yingluck is charged in the court's criminal division for holders of political positions with failing to stop corruption in the financially ruinous rice pledging scheme introduced and administered by her government, which saddled the state with huge stockpiles of unsold, deteriorating rice worth hundreds of billions of baht.
Several hundred people were outside the court to greet her. Many handed her red roses.
She repeated her plea of innocence of the negligence charge to the crowd, saying the losses occurred after she was removed from office by the court.
Ms Yingluck also repeated her intention to vote "No" to both questions on the ballot atthis Sunday's referendum on the military government's draft constitution.
"I want to invite all Thais to go and vote," she said.
"I don't want a small turnout otherwise the result won't be what we want if we want to see democracy have a future."
Ms Yingluck's Pheu Thai party has expressed fears of a low turnout on Sunday -- with many among their rural support base unsure of how the new charter affects them.
A low turnout would probably favour the military, which says the document will bring long-term stability, rein-in avaricious politicians and prevent any one party from becoming too dominant.
Opponents say it will lead to a straightjacketed democracy, weak coalition governments controlled by an appointed senate and enable courts and other agencies to hamper policy making.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/poli...rives-at-courtKeep your friends close and your enemies closerComment
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Assembly told losses from rice pledging scheme total about 745 billion baht
http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/ass...-billion-baht/
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Just how many stabs at a figure do they want ?
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Yingluck: Rice scheme helped farmers, economy
Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra told the Supreme Court on Friday that her loss-ridden rice-pledging programme really helped debt-ridden farmers and the national economy.
She made the comment as she took the stand on the first day of defence witness testimony in her trial before the Criminal Division for Political Office Holders. Testimony by defence witnesses is scheduled to continue until Feb 3 next year.
Ms Yingluck is accused of dereliction of duty for failing to stop the programme that ran from 2012-14 despite being warned repeatedly of the potential damage, estimated in the end to have exceeded 500 billion baht.
Her government was in power from August 2011 to May 2014. Under the rice-pledging programme, a key plank in the Pheu Thai Party election platform, the government bought all rice from farmers at prices 40-50% above prevailing market rates.
Ms Yingluck told the court that pledging prices set at 15,000 to 20,000 baht per tonnes were not too high because they were aimed at enabling rice growers to earn equivalent to 300 baht per day -- the same as the daily minimum wage for labourers -- and resolving their chronic indebtedness, she said.
"We found that the rice policy was able to increase people's income and the price of rice for farmers," she said.
She described the rice-pledging programme as a non-profit scheme formulated to support the overall economy. Surveys showed that rice growers had more assets and fewer debts and banks reported fewer non-performing loans as a result, the former prime minister said.
She denied that the scheme programme affected market mechanisms, saying that 58% of rice growers joined in its first year, and 50% did so in the following year. Traders could continue to buy rice from other farmers as usual, she said.
"It did not distort the market. We saw that the benefits of the scheme outweighed the monetary losses."
Ms Yingluck said she was unable to stop the programme because her government had announced it in parliament and thus had an obligation to carry it out.
The aim of the programme, devised by Ms Yingluck's brother Thaksin Shinawatra, was to control rice supply in hopes of pushing up export prices. However, the world market was experiencing an oversupply at the time and the scheme backfired on Thailand. As well, authorities allege there was widespread corruption in the reporting of rice transactions, while fake government-to-government rice sales resulted in further damage.
Ms Yingluck told the court that her government steadily improved criteria for implementing the programme in order to reduce corruption and investigated allegations that arose.
As for concerns that the state lost further money as huge stockpiles of rice deteriorated, she said the pledged rice was insured and warehouse owners were contracted to take responsibility for the damage.
It was reported that her administration received 13.3 million tonnes of paddy under the pledging programme and less than 1 million tonnes was exported.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/gene...armers-economyKeep your friends close and your enemies closerComment
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