The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) plans to seek cooperation from related agencies on supervision of foreign e-commerce platforms through a proper regulatory scheme, says minister Prasert Jantararuangthong.
These platforms are taking advantage of the local infrastructure and the domestic market without providing anything in return to the country, he said on Wednesday.
Mr Prasert, who is also a deputy prime minister in the new cabinet, said the Commerce, Finance and Industry ministries should be involved in reviewing the foreign platforms, as well as the Customs Department.
Consumers have raised concerns about whether the products on some of the platforms are of sufficient quality, he said.
The ministry’s plan forms part of its drive to develop a proper regulatory framework to oversee foreign e-commerce platforms and bolster the local e-commerce ecosystem, said Mr Prasert.
“The framework should cover all dimensions, such as industrial standards, pricing, fees and a taxation system,” he said.
Mr Prasert said promoting small and medium enterprises and local e-commerce platforms are among the ministry’s top priorities.
In related news, he said the ministry and the Office of the Consumer Protection Board are jointly pushing for new regulations for logistics providers and cash on delivery (COD) services. The regulations are scheduled to come into effect on Oct 3.
As part of the new regulations, parcel delivery companies are required to keep the money shoppers paid to them on a COD basis for five days before they can hand the money to merchants.
This provision allows shoppers to ask for their money back in case they want to return the items.
“The new law should promote the country’s e-commerce sector and prevent fraud on e-commerce platforms,” said Mr Prasert.
He also said the ministry would continue its priority tasks, especially the suppression of online scams, online gambling and call centre gangs.
The ministry also wants to maintain its “Cloud First” policy as well as the upskilling of digital manpower.
Since the Anti-Online Crime Centre started operation in November last year, damage from online scams has declined from 100 million baht daily last year to around 30 million daily, the minister said.