[Statement] Statement of Solidarity from AOP to the coconut farmers in the Philippines

Statement of Solidarity For over half a century the small people, small farmers are not only overlooked. But the state supported neoliberal capitalist model of development does also exhaust their vitality to nurture a handful of capitalists, be it national or transnational. The small people, small farmers are facing the economic and political violence and…

Human Rights Online Philippines

November 25, 2011

2–3 minutes

Agriculture, Asia, Coconut, Farmer, Filipino people, Philippine, PHP, Thailand

Statement of Solidarity

For over half a century the small people, small farmers are not only overlooked. But the state supported neoliberal capitalist model of development does also exhaust their vitality to nurture a handful of capitalists, be it national or transnational. The small people, small farmers are facing the economic and political violence and injustice, and are powerless to protect themselves. This vicious pattern is continuously found every corner of the globe. Thailand is like this, so is the Philippines.

We, Assembly of the Poor, are a movement of the poor people. We are small farmers, traditional fishermen, indigenous people and urban poor from all over Thailand who are made poor by the state development policies in favor of the rich and the powerful. We hear with much regret that our brothers and sisters, the coconut farmers in the Philippines, have struggled in the issue of the unjust coconut levy for 30 years. The coconut levy that the government collects from the coconut farmers, though it is clearly public fund, is used to invest in a large private company. It is used for the benefit of the rich and the powerful, not for the benefit of the poor, the small farmers. From our first hand experience, we know how much anguish it is when being treated with the economic and political violence and injustice.

To demand justice, we are informed that our brothers and sisters in the struggle now embark on a long march “LAKAD MAGNINIYOG! BAWIIN ANG COCO LEVY!”, starting from today. This mass action aims to intensity the pressure to the state for the justice in the issue of coconut levy and for the completion of the agrarian reform in coconut lands.

We, Assembly of the Poor, express our solidarity with our brothers and sisters, the coconut farmers in the Philippines and the walkers in the long march. Though we cannot join you in person, we stand united in spirit with you to denounce the economic and political violence and injustice against the poor and the powerless, of all forms.

With Solidarity
Assembly of the Poor
24 November 2011