The military has summoned two key leaders of a rubber farmers association in southern Thailand to a military base.
On 19 November 2017, Sunthorn Rakrong, President of the Association of Rubber Growers in 16 Southern Provinces, told Matichon Online that the military took two key leaders of the Association to a military base in Chumphon Province.
The two, Kasem Boonchana and Wutthinan Jaesai, were preparing to travel to Bangkok to submit a letter to Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the junta leader and Prime Minister, asking the PM to find a solution to the slump in rubber prices.
Sunthorn said the Association already informed the military about the plan and he did not know why the military decided to summon the two.
“Why did the military arrest them? Have they exceeded their authority?” Matichon quoted Sunthorn as saying.
Earlier on 11 November, the military and administration officials arrested four rubber farmers in Phatthalung and Trang. The four are leaders of a group of southern rubber farmers who planned to stage a rally in Bangkok.
The four were detained as they were preparing to submit a similar petition to the PM.
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