VILLAGERS BLOCK Ta Phraya police station to demand the removal of officers who allegedly extorted money from rice traders.

The villagers blocked the road to the police station from Saturday night until Sunday morning with about 100 motorised carts, which are used to carry rice along the Thai-Cambodian border in the province.

Demonstrators chanted: “Out Ta Phraya investigation unit, out.” Some lambasted the six police officers through a megaphone while others ripped down and smashed the station’s sign which read: “Police for the public”.

There was no police reaction until late yesterday morning when Police Maj Gen Phonkarn Punjaphan, the Sa Kaew commander, came to meet with the protestors and received their letter of complaint.

After a 30-minute negotiation, the villagers dispersed when police announced that they could continue with small-scale rice trading.

The villagers are struggling with hardship brought about by the seasonal drought, said Lai Phongsamorn, a Sa Kaew provincial councillor who came to support the protestors.

The last straw for this protest, he said, was that a number of rice traders were still being arrested although they had paid Bt10 per rice bag in extortion money.

Chatchaval Sophaphan

The Nation

Sa Kaew