Thai farmers angry at government for covering up bird flu crisis

Thai farmers angry at government for covering up bird flu crisis

Tipayawan Kwankhauw, Agence France-Press, Suphan Buri, Thailand

Angry and emotional as they watched their chickens buried alive in giant pits, Thai farmers accused the government of destroying their livelihoods by covering up the bird flu crisis.

Small farmers in this province west of Bangkok have been worst-hit by the outbreak of the deadly avian influenza which was confirmed as being present in the kingdom on Friday after weeks of government denials.

"Why didn't the government tell us the facts earlier or at least issue orders for us to take preventive measures?" asked 26- year-old Sirima Manapornsamrat, whose 3,000 egg-laying hens were culled on Saturday.

"My chickens did not look sick at all. They were laying this morning as usual," she told AFP tearfully from her smallholding, which lies near the first Thai farm to test positive for the H5N1 virus that has hit six Asian nations.

The farmers claimed they lost out as the government sought to protect Thailand's major exporters -- the backbone of a 1.2 billion dollar industry -- by insisting the disease ravaging chickens was merely fowl cholera.

"By denying the facts the government was helping out the major operators, but in the end it's us small farmers who are suffering," Sirima said.

Despite their distress, the young farmer and her elderly mother helped as some of the 650 troops ordered into the province to carry out the cull tossed struggling chickens into bags and then into deep pits sprinkled with lime.

The soldiers and teams of government workers were ordered to dispose of 1.6 million chickens on Sunday alone, adding to the toll from the disease which had seen 9.1 million birds killed or culled in Thailand as of Saturday, according to updated figures released by the agriculture ministry.

At another nearby farm, Monthip Laithip, 33, fumed as her 15,000 layer hens were buried.

"What's really shocking to us is that the government did not disclose the facts until Friday. They told us in November that the chicken disease around here could not be transmitted. They revealed the truth too slowly," she said.

Monthip estimated the cull had cost her 2.0 million baht (US$50,000), despite government compensation of 40 baht for each bird.

"The real cost for each chicken is double that," she said.

Deputy Agriculture Minister Newin Chidchob, who is overseeing the clean-up, said government workers faced difficulties including a lack of volunteers, who quit in fright after the announcement the disease was the dreaded bird flu.

"We are lacking enough bags to put the chickens in and also burial space, so we are having to use public spaces such as temple grounds to bury the chickens," he told reporters.

Newin appealed for farmers to understand that the distressing chicken cull was vital to contain the epidemic.

"My officials are carrying out their duties under very stressful conditions... Farmers are crying endlessly because they're worrying about their debts and when they might recover from this," he said.

Suphan Buri provincial livestock official Mongkol Mukda told AFP he feared contracting the virus while taking part in the grisly operation, and that he was most upset about being confronted by devastated farmers' children.

"Young school children are weeping and asking me how they will have any money to go to school after I've buried their chickens," he said.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who attempted to boost confidence in the industry by publicly eating chicken with his ministers last week, told farmers he understood their plight and the need for adequate compensation.

"The poor have few assets, and for some farmers chickens are their only assets, so I fully understand that when officials are trying to kill their chickens they first want to try to negotiate for better compensation," he said.

"I will absolutely not abandon any of you."