The Battle to Win Thailand’s Election Starts in Bruised Farms
- Global prices have plunged 65 percent in past eight years
- Parties are gearing up for general election due March 24
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Only a headlamp helps Wanna Graikoom navigate the darkness in southern Thailand as she works through the night with her husband and son harvesting rubber sap from more than 1,000 trees.
After 12 hours of work, the three of them typically end up with 300 baht ($9.5) -- less than the minimum wage for one laborer in Thailand, the world’s largest rubber producer and exporter. The roughly one in 10 Thais who depend on the rubber trade are also suffering after global prices fell 65 percent since 2011, the last time the Southeast Asian nation held a credible vote.