Consumer advocates called on the chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee on Tuesday to retain a section of the draft charter establishing an independent organisation for consumer protection.
Boonyuen Sirithum, chairwoman of the Confederation of Consumer Organization, petitioned Borwornsak Uwanno to not remove Section 60 of the draft constitution as suggested last month by the cabinet.
The 30-member committee begins a section-by-section deliberation on the draft constitution's 315 sections Thursday.
In the case the Section 60 is removed, the group wants clauses related to consumers' rights to be included in the final document that are no less comprehensive than those found in the 1997 or 2007 versions.
Ms Boonyuen said she and other activists have been pushing for a consumer-protection bill to be passed into law for 18 years. That bill is now comprised by Section 60. It is designed to close loopholes in the Consumer Protection Act of 1979 and prevent state or political interference in issues affecting consumers.
She said the bill almost won Lower House approval during the Yingluck Shinawatra government, but became stuck there following the dissolution of parliament.
Speaking after receiving the group's petition, Mr Borwornsak said he would forward the group's appeal to other CDC members for consideration.
He declined to declare whether the section would be included in the new constitution or not, however, saying the decision rests with the 36 panellists.
As for why the cabinet recommended the section be stripped, the CDC chairman advised the advocates to ask Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam.
Saree Ongsomwang, who chairs an NRC committee on consumer-protection reform, said the National Reform Council previously approved an independent consumer protection bill as part of reform efforts to better safeguard consumer rights and reduce differences. She warned the bill could be delayed if key principles involving the founding of the independent organisation are excluded from the constitution.
"This will be proof whether this government really wants reform to reduce differences and the CDC really wants to give more rights to citizens under the new charter," she said.
Section 60 stipulates that a consumer-protection organisation -- one that acts independently and is not a state agency -- be established and staffed by representatives of consumers to give opinions to governmental agencies on the enactment and enforcement of laws, regulations and measures on consumer protection. It also would propose remedial action for damages suffered by consumers.
The body would also be tasked with promoting knowledge about consumer protection and the government is required to provide financial support for its operation.
Ms Boonyuen said the proposed establishment of an independent body would serve as a one-stop service centre to receive complaints about consumer protection from the public and send them to more than 20 concerned agencies.
In the past, consumer-rights violations were dealt with on a case-by-case basis. But the idea behind the new consumer-protection provision is to push for consumer protection at the policy level.
She said the current law requires the Office of the Consumer Protection Board under the Prime Minister's Office to handle consumer-rights violations between private manufacturers and the pubic only, not including those involved with state agencies.
The independent body for consumer protection would help solve this problem and also serve as mouthpiece for the consumers, Ms Boonyuen added.
