Democrats press for G2G rice deal disclosure
Democrat MP Ong-Art Klampaiboon said on Sunday that the government can put in place transparency in the rice-pledging scheme by revealing details of government-to-government rice deals.
"If the government can do this, I believe that the scheme would be more transparent," he said.
Ong-art pressed for the details on the G2G rice deal with China. Commerce Minister Niwatthumrong Boonsongpaisan announced earlier this month that China's state enterprises would place orders for 1.2 million tonnes of white rice from Thailand.
Ong-art said that some rice traders are benefiting from the deals, whereby rice price is quoted below market prices. Once selling the rice, they benefit from price differential, he said.
He also said that some warehouses also use the government stockpiles, to benefit from the rice-pledging scheme.
He also promised further investigation. If finding any irregularities, the Democrat Party will submit a petition to the National Anti-Corruption Commission.
