THE YINGLUCK Shinawatra government’s rice-pledging scheme went against the main objective of a state subsidy programme that had been implemented for three decades by offering to “buy every grain of rice,” the Supreme Court was told yesterday.

Nipon Poapongsakorn, former president of Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), said in his testimony before the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders that the scheme’s original goal was to help poor small-time rice farmers.

He said that past governments often offered to buy rice from farmers at a price lower than the market’s, but the Yingluck government bought rice at above-market prices from all groups of people in the industry.

According to Nipon, the subsidy set aside for the rice-pledging scheme during the Yingluck government’s tenure was higher than the amount allowed by the World Trade Organisation.

He spoke during the first hearing of prosecution witnesses in a case against Yingluck, who is accused of criminal negligence and dereliction of duty for failing to prevent irregularities in her government’s rice scheme. The case was filed by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).

In response to a query from a defence lawyer, Nipon said he was unaware that a research study about the rice-pledging scheme, which the NACC had assigned to the TDRI, would be used as evidence in this case.

He insisted the TDRI was an institute that focused on research and was not an enemy of any government. “The TDRI research studies aim at developing the country and the life quality of farmers,” he told the court.

Noppadon Tippayawan, the political and security news editor of TV Channel 7, gave testimony for the defence yesterday. The witness told the court that he had heard Yingluck, while serving as prime minister, tell the media that a rice-purchase deal had been reached by her government with the Chinese government. He said that in the interview, the then commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom had corrected Yingluck by saying the deal was a sale contract, not a memorandum of understanding as stated by the PM.

Noppadon also produced a video clip of the interview between reporters and Yingluck, during which Boonsong was also present.

Yingluck also attended the court hearing yesterday. She was greeted by more than 100 supporters as she entered the court. Some supporters offered her flowers and shouted, “Fight! Fight PM!”

“The prime minister of the people. You must fight!” some of them said. Others shouted, “We love Yingluck!”

She told the media that she was confident about her case and that her legal team would do their best. Yingluck, who denies wrongdoing, faces up to a decade in jail if found guilty. “I have prepared myself. I am confident that today we will do our utmost,” she told reporters outside the court.

A number of Pheu Thai Party figures, including her former Cabinet members and leaders of the red-shirt movement, were also present at the court yesterday to offer Yingluck moral support.

A company of police officers were dispatched to the court to keep law and order.

Pheu Thai deputy spokesman Chawalit Wichayasut said that a group of 12 rice farmers from Sing Buri were among Yingluck’s supporters at the court.

Chawalit said the farmers felt grateful to Yingluck for helping them buy rice at a high price. He said the farmers told him they were now in trouble after the rice-pledging scheme was cancelled.

The trial in the Yingluck case is scheduled to last until late this year.