Minister Varavuth Launches War on Substandard Products for Safety and Economy

Thansettakij•Economy•1d ago

Reader Briefing

Thailand intensifies efforts to combat substandard products, focusing on public safety and economic competitiveness.

•The Minister of Industry has ordered a rigorous crackdown on substandard products.
•The initiative aims to protect public safety and enhance Thailand's economic competitiveness in the global market.
•Specific focus is placed on products affecting safety and emerging technologies like cybersecurity and environmental standards.
•Technology, including AI, is being employed to detect and eliminate substandard goods.

Overview

•Minister of Industry Varavuth Silpa-archa has ordered the Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) to conduct a serious crackdown on substandard products both online and offline.
•The TISI is being instructed to accelerate the upgrading of Thai industrial standards to cope with new global trade regulations concerning the environment and intensifying cyber threats.
•Substandard products pose direct threats to people's lives, not just economic damage, and are a risk to public safety and national competitiveness.
•The crackdown includes a focus on products like hair dryers, power strips, and power banks, with a specific mention of a tragic incident involving a child in Buriram.
•The TISI will accelerate the promotion of standards supporting the new economy, particularly Cyber Security for the industrial sector and international standards related to global environmental measures.
•The TISI will prioritize bringing products related to safety and the environment under control by 2027, including solar panels, electric vehicle batteries, and EV charging stations.
•AI technology is being used by the TISI to detect substandard products on online platforms, targeting items that affect public safety and property, such as hair dryers, power strips, power banks, and construction steel.
•Legal reforms and a modernization of the licensing system are being implemented, using a risk management approach to enhance the Thai standards system.

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Key Quotes

Varavuth Silpa-archa

"Substandard products do not only cause economic damage but are directly threatening people's lives. The government will not let Thailand be a dumping ground for low-quality goods, and perpetrators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent."

สินค้าที่ไม่ได้มาตรฐาน ไม่ได้สร้างความเสียหายแค่ทางเศรษฐกิจ แต่กำลังคุกคามชีวิตประชาชนโดยตรง รัฐบาลจะไม่ปล่อยให้ประเทศไทยเป็นแหล่งระบายสินค้าคุณภาพต่ำ และผู้กระทำผิดต้องถูกดำเนินคดีอย่างถึงที่สุด

Ekkanit Romyanon

"The global trade war is not just about price but competition in standards, technology, safety, and sustainability. If Thailand does not adapt in time, Thai industry will be disadvantaged on the world stage."

สงครามการค้าโลกไม่ได้แข่งขันกันแค่เรื่องราคา แต่แข่งขันกันที่มาตรฐาน เทคโนโลยี ความปลอดภัย และความยั่งยืน หากไทยปรับตัวไม่ทัน ภาคอุตสาหกรรมไทยจะเสียเปรียบในเวทีโลก

Key Entities

Person

Varavuth Silpa-archa(วราวุธ ศิลปอาชา)ℹ️

Minister of Industry of Thailand who ordered a crackdown on substandard products.

Ekkanit Romyanon(เอกนิติ รมยานนท์)

Secretary-General of the Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) who commented on global trade competition.

Organization

Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI)(สำนักงานมาตรฐานผลิตภัณฑ์อุตสาหกรรม (สมอ.))

Organization tasked with cracking down on substandard products and upgrading industrial standards in Thailand.