The commerce Ministry’s Internal Trade Department will closely monitor the price of black clothes, while clothing and fabric manufacturers have insisted that the supply will be adequate within a week.
The government has officially announced a national mourning period of 30 days, while government and state-owned-enterprise officials will wear black clothes for a year.
Yesterday a lot of people flocked to markets to buy black or white clothing to take part in the mourning. Some shops reportedly increased the prices of these clothes to between Bt150 (S$5.90) and Bt200, up from the normal average of Bt80-Bt100.
Director-general Nuntawan Sakuntanaga said yesterday that during the period of national sorrow following the death of |His Majesty the King, the department would send official teams to monitor prices of black clothing to prevent unscrupulous traders from overcharging or hoarding.
Anyone conducting such practices could be found in breach of the Price of Goods and Services Act and subject to a Bt140,000 fine and/or a maximum of seven years in jail, she said.
Consumers who believe they have been charged unfair prices can complain to the department’s hotline at 1569.
Nuntawan added that after the department consulted fabric and clothing manufacturers, they confirmed that there would be shortage of black items for only a few days and that they should be able to produce enough to respond to the high demand within a week.
Photo GalleryLarge crowds gather as convoy transports Thai king’s body to Grand Palace
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“The supply of black shirts may be low for a few days, but garment manufacturers have insisted that there will not be a shortage, while they will quote prices as normal.”
She said people should not rush to buy black clothing but should wait until production is ramped up and there are |more good-quality designs to choose from.
To help relieve the costs faced by government officials, the department will coordinate with garment manufacturers on the sale of black clothing at factory cost to the Commerce Ministry in Nonthaburi on Wednesday.
The Commerce Ministry will go ahead with the Bangkok International Gift Fair and Bangkok International House-ware Fair (BIG & BIH) and the “Creative Thailand” event from October 19-23 at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibi-tion Centre (Bitec) in Bang Na district.
Photo GalleryThais in Singapore and Thailand mourn passing of King Bhumibol
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Malee Choklumlerd, director-general of the International Trade Promotion Department, said the fair would be held as scheduled as foreign buyers had already confirmed their participation in the event.
More than 480 companies will set up 13,000 exhibition booths to show off their offerings to both Thai and international buyers. On retail day, sales of more than Bt1.5 billion are expected.
