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The scandal is a consequence of the Cabinet's decision of November 2005 to assign the Dairy Farming Promotion Organisation of Thailand as the main agency to purchase milk from suppliers and to provide it to students. In July last year, the Dairy Product Committee, chaired by the permanent secretary to the Agriculture Ministry, set the criteria by which 68 milk suppliers nationwide would be eligible to supply milk to schools under the programme.

However, it turned out that some suppliers provided low-quality, imported powdered milk to schools. Local and regional officials are now implicating each other over the acquisition of the low-quality milk, pointing to a string of irregularities in the process.

Ironically the scandal coincided with recent protests by dairy farmers, who threw away fresh milk in protest at the low price of milk domestically. It's sad to see Thai students drinking low-quality powdered milk while dairy farmers claim they cannot sell fresh milk at reasonable prices.

The milk scandal is another corruption case that should not be allowed to continue, for it not only distorts the market price but also affects the health of Thai youngsters.