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[Hedda]

"Free land, suspended interest payments or total forgiveness of 77 billion in farmer debt outright."

If you think that's how Thaksin built his populist power base in the North and Northeast, you're right. All of these populist schemes that the coup makers roundly condemned as wasteful and which have been largely dismantled, now form the basis of - not Thaksin's new party - but the Democrat Party's latest campaign in the same rural areas.

"The Democrat Party yesterday launched a major pre-election offensive in the North-east, its weakest area, with pledges to give away farm and, forgive debts and grant special economic privileges. Deputy party leader Jurin Laksanavisit told voters here that the party was considering setting up a land bank to manage vacant property inside forest reserves.

"Parcels that are no longer forests but suitable for farming will be assembled for redistribution to farmers," he said. "Special titles will be issued. This will also cover plots inside forest reserve communities so that people can enjoy legal land ownership."

If the party forms the next government it will write off loans extended to villagers by the state, Jurin said.
He was referring to the Bt77-billion village-fund scheme used by the former Thaksin government to woo rural constituents. "We'll also help northeasterners restructure the other parts of villagers' debt burdens by negotiating with creditors to reschedule principal payments or suspend interest payments.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/10/14...es_30052389.php