Political protests delay Thai rubber shipments

BANGKOK, Sept 5 - Thai rubber exporters said on Friday they had to delay some shipments as anti-government protests had disrupted transport in rubber-producing areas.

"Our company had to delay shipment of 500 tonnes of block rubber and smoked rubber sheet for at least one week as the rail system has been paralysed," said a trader at one of Thailand's top rubber exporters.

The rubber was for delivery to China, Japan and South Korea, he said.

Another exporter said: "We need to postpone a shipment of 400 tonnes of rubber latex, but I think that, overall, delayed shipments in the rubber business could amount to several thousand tonnes."

A rail strike since Aug. 29 has paralysed rubber movements in the south, the country's main rubber-growing area, which produces around 90 percent of its annual production of 3 million tonnes.

The leaders of 43 public sector unions representing 200,000 workers have launched strikes to support a three-month street campaign to force Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej from power.

The protests are continuing, as are some of the strikes, although the union action has had little impact outside the rail sector and the ports, where some containers have been blocked.

"Train routes have resumed operation, except southern routes," said an official at the State Railway of Thailand.

Thai exporters usually deliver rubber from factories in the southern region by train, which head to Malaysia, where the cargo is loaded on ships at Penang.

Because some train services have been blocked, exporters are having to unload some rubber from trains and reload it on to trucks to send it to Penang.