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Published on November 23, 2007

Sangsit Phiriyarangsan, chairman of the NLA committee on finance, banking and monetary institutions, supported the petition, saying the bill allowing lawsuits to be more easily filed against producers or business owners would reduce confidence among local and foreign investors.

He said the conditions in the bill, if promulgated without change, would be exploited by opportunists or dishonest consumers. "Social concerns cannot be taken into consideration alone, the economic factors are also important and need to be considered practically," he added.

The group that organised the petition includes the Thai Bankers' Association, the Federation of Thai Industries and the Thai Chamber of Commerce. Sangsit received the petition and said "harsh conditions" could be altered when the bill is vetted by the NLA's general assembly next week.

Phayungsak Chartsutthiphol, an FTI deputy chairman, said he wanted to see an independent body set up to inspect faulty products that were the subject of lawsuits filed by consumers. He suggested an arbitration body be set up to settle disputes between consumers and producers before cases go to court.

 The Nation