Good morning,

The government is considering increasing the wages for state employees and increasing the minimum wage. The continuing high prices of oil and food mean that many more people are vulnerable to poverty. When people can no longer afford to have their children stay in school, they bring them out and put them to work and that has a seriously negative impact on their ability to get better jobs in the future. The poor remain poor. The same thing happens when people are sick and cannot afford medicine. At least some farmers are benefiting from the increased cost of rice, although inflation will eventually work its way through the whole economy. Already the higher cost of inputs is causing concern. The Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives is anticipating a 50% increase in the number of loans this year as farmers seek to speculate to accumulate.

The government is planning to work with the government of India to promote additional growth of rice to meet the worldwide shortage. Attention is being focused on the need to improve the farming sector overall.

The Bangkok Post has an interesting article on Pramoedya Ananta Toer, who died two years ago. The article is based on a talk by noted expert Benedict Anderson. Pramoedya has come the closest (although not very close) of any Southeast Asian winning the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Back tomorrow.

0-0 requested and received. Now a home win – a draw might be enough but that puts a lot of pressure to win at Derby.