Commerce Min orders survey of goods prices during Songkran

BANGKOK, 9 April 2015 – The Ministry of Commerce has instructed its provincial offices nationwide to make certain there are no products being overpriced during this Songkran long holiday. After chairing a meeting to follow up on the work progress of all provincial commerce offices, Commerce Minister Gen Chatchai Sarikalya revealed that he has instructed the offices to impose strict regulation on sales of products in their respective areas during the Songkran Festival. The order is aimed at preventing vendors from using the traveling season to their advantage by pushing up the prices of goods. From now, the minister said each office will be dispatching its staff to survey product prices in prime tourist locations as well as train stations and bus terminals. Despite the holiday period, the Department of Internal Trade’s hotline 1569 will remain open to consumers’ complaints around the clock. Furthermore, Gen Chatchai also assigned the commerce offices to assess the local output of seasonal fruits, such as longan, longkong and mangosteen, which are expected to saturate the market soon, in order to formulate appropriate preventive measures against price declines.