PHUKET: Tonnes of rice valued at about half a billion baht have disappeared from Thailand's grain stockpiles, an audit of government warehouses has shown.

The disappearance of 2.8m tonnes came to light as auditors checked the former government's accounting and began to pay back rice farmers who could have been forced to carry the burden of the failed Pheu Thai scheme.

On Phuket, local farmers gathered near the Governor's House today to give flowers to soldiers in appreciation of their commander's decision to refund the farmers immediately. Cash was being handed to farmers at banks in the north and northeast.

Major General Peerapon Wiriyakul, from the Army's Region 41, told the farmers that soldiers posted to protect Phuket would not wear weapons on patrol.

He had met with Patong businesspeople and reassured them that it ''won't be long'' before life is back to normal and the 10pm curfew that is damaging nightlife has been lifted.