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."