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OCMC Mobile Clinic to Address Business Competition Issues in North & South

OCMC Mobile Clinic to Address Business Competition Issues in North & South

MGR Online•Politics•2d ago

Reader Briefing

The Office of the Trade Competition Commission (OCMC) has launched a Mobile Competition Clinic to offer legal advice and resolve business competition issues for SMEs in Thailand's Northern and Southern regions.

  • •The OCMC is conducting a Mobile Competition Clinic initiative to address business competition problems.
  • •The initiative targets SMEs in the Northern and Southern regions, with recent activities in Nan, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Lamphun, and Krabi.
  • •Common issues identified include unfair credit terms, high commission fees (GP), opaque digital platform practices, and pricing restrictions in the tourism sector.

Overview

  • •The Office of the Trade Competition Commission (OCMC) is organizing Mobile Competition Clinic activities, visiting business operators in the upper northern and southern regions.
  • •The purpose of the Mobile Competition Clinic is to provide knowledge of trade competition law and offer advice on competition issues to entrepreneurs and related agencies.
  • •The Mobile Competition Clinic is described as a service that goes into provincial areas to listen to and advise on business problems, similar to a doctor visiting patients.
  • •OCMC and its office have previously organized Mobile Competition Clinic activities in the upper northern region in Nan, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, and Lamphun provinces.
  • •Most recently, activities were held in the southern region at Krabi Province.
  • •The OCMC plans to organize Mobile Competition Clinic activities in the Eastern and Northeastern regions in the future.
  • •Police Lieutenant General Pittaya Sirirak highlighted that businesses in the upper northern region face issues such as unfair credit terms, high GP fees, and unfair digital platform practices.
  • •In Krabi Province, issues identified include online travel agent (OTA) price parity clauses and double charging of fees by Modern Trade.

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Key Quotes

Rattanamon Pholpradit
"The Mobile Competition Clinic is like a doctor who visits different provinces to examine or listen to patients' problems and provide advice for solutions. If complaints are found, they enter the legal process immediately."
Mobile Competition Clinic เปรียบเสมือนหมอที่ลงพื้นที่ไปตรวจหรือรับฟังปัญหาของคนไข้ตามต่างจังหวัด และให้คำแนะนำในการแก้ไขปัญหา ซึ่งในกรณีที่พบเรื่องร้องเรียนก็เข้าสู่กระบวนการตามกฎหมายทันที
Thongchai Chavalitpithat
"The driving force of the Mobile Competition Clinic project has received excellent cooperation from many related government and private agencies."
การขับเคลื่อนโครงการ Mobile Competition Clinic ได้รับความร่วมมือเป็นอย่างดีจากหลายหน่วยงานที่เกี่ยวข้องทั้งภาครัฐและเอกชน
Police Lieutenant General Pittaya Sirirak
"From visiting areas for the Mobile Competition Clinic event, it was found that businesses in the upper northern region... experience similar problems regarding unfair trade practices between SMEs and Modern Trade."
จากการลงพื้นที่จัดกิจกรรม Mobile Competition Clinic พบว่า ผู้ประกอบธุรกิจในพื้นที่ภาคเหนือตอนบน ... ประสบปัญหาที่คล้ายคลึงกันเกี่ยวกับพฤติกรรมทางการค้าที่ไม่เป็นธรรมระหว่าง SME และ Modern Trade

Key Entities

Organization

Office of the Trade Competition Commission (OCMC)(สำนักงาน กขค.)
The organization responsible for launching and conducting the Mobile Competition Clinic initiative.
Trade Competition Commission (TCC)(กขค.)
The commission that oversees the Mobile Competition Clinic initiative and develops trade competition policies.
SMEℹ️
Small and Medium Enterprises that are targeted beneficiaries of the Mobile Competition Clinic, facing unfair practices.
Modern Trade
Large retail businesses that are identified as engaging in unfair trade practices against SMEs.
Digital Platforms(แพลตฟอร์มดิจิทัล)
Online platforms that are identified as having issues related to unfair competition practices, such as algorithmic bias and logistics.
Online Travel Agent (OTA) Platforms(แพลตฟอร์มตัวแทนการท่องเที่ยวออนไลน์ (OTA))
Digital platforms in the tourism sector that are facing issues with price parity clauses and unfair fees.

Person

Assoc. Prof. Sutham Yoo-in-tham(รศ.สุธรรม อยู่ในธรรม)
Acting President of the Trade Competition Commission who revealed details about the Mobile Competition Clinic.
Mr. Thongchai Chavalitpithat(นายทองชัย ชวลิตพิเชฐ)
A commissioner of the Trade Competition Commission who commented on the cooperation received for the Mobile Competition Clinic project.
Police Lieutenant General Pittaya Sirirak(พลตำรวจโทพิทยา ศิริรักษ์)
A commissioner of the Trade Competition Commission who summarized the problems identified during the Mobile Competition Clinic in the northern and southern regions.

Place

Upper Northern Region(ภาคเหนือตอนบน)
A geographical area in Thailand where the Mobile Competition Clinic has been active.
Southern Region(ภาคใต้)
A geographical area in Thailand where the Mobile Competition Clinic has been active.
Nan Province(จังหวัดน่าน)ℹ️
A province in the upper northern region where the Mobile Competition Clinic has held activities.
Chiang Rai(เชียงราย)ℹ️
A province in the upper northern region where the Mobile Competition Clinic has held activities.
Chiang Mai(เชียงใหม่)ℹ️
A province in the upper northern region where the Mobile Competition Clinic has held activities.
Lamphun(ลำพูน)ℹ️
A province in the upper northern region where the Mobile Competition Clinic has held activities.
Krabi Province(จังหวัดกระบี่)ℹ️
A province in the southern region where the Mobile Competition Clinic has held activities.

Law

Trade Competition Law(กฎหมายการแข่งขันทางการค้า)
The legal framework that the Mobile Competition Clinic aims to educate businesses about and enforce.