Chinese safety incidents boost Thai border trade

 Damrong Kamornmapbut, a trader, told Nation News Agency that the Burmese buyers' confidence in Chinese products has markedly dropped following the bad reports on quality. Meanwhile, several consumer products factories in Burma also suffered from natural disasters.

 He noted that Chinese items have enjoyed popularity due to the cheap prices, but quality problems particularly the electrical appliance segment have lured some back to Thai products.

 Phongthep Buasap, a customs officer in Rayong, said that the border trade has improved by 30 per cent from the pre-Chinese incident reports.

 Through the Ranong border, Thailand sold products worth Bt830.5 million to Burma in August, against the imports of Bt247 million. Products enjoying the increasing orders were vegetable oil, drinks and pharmaceutical products.

Recently, chemical-tainted infant formula milk killed at least four children and sickened 53,000 in China. It raised concerns over the safety of such products in China and the countries where products are available.

Chiang Mai Public Health officer Manorom Sinthoparchakul urged consumers in the North to avoid Chinese confectioneries for some time, on fear that China may not have destroyed all tainted milk and the milk may have been mixed with crackers, cereals and candies.

 He noted that so far, Thailand has spotted no smuggling of Chinese milk from China, but the Food and Drug Administration has not yet extended the inspection to cover confectioneries.

 He said Chinese confectionaries particularly cream-assorted crackers, cereals and candies have become popular among consumers in the northern part.

 About 22 companies have used melamine, normally used in making plastics, to boost protein readings in their products but it could cause hepathitis  particularly among kids.

 "Health officials in Chiang Mai are gathering information and would submit it to the Public Health Ministry, to urge them to send a warning to the public," he said. They also cooperate with border officials to impose stricter controls on such imports. Volunteers are also told to campaign for the ban of risky products until the issue is solved.

 China has blamed tainted products for four deaths, and said late Sunday that 12,892 children remained hospitalised with kidney problems, 104 of them in serious condition.