AUTHORITIES have vowed to immediately suspend any advertisements that are believed to promote unauthorised cosmetics or food supplements or exaggerate their benefits.

Advertisers who fail to comply with the suspension order face a hefty fine of up to Bt100,000 a day.

“We plan to suspend suspicious ads, pending a full review, so as to minimise any adverse impacts on consumers,” National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) secretary-general Takorn Tantasith said yesterday.

He was speaking after emerging from a meeting with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) secretary-general Wanchai Sattayawuthipong and Public Health Ministry deputy permanent secretary Tares Krassanairawiwong.

Representatives of key agencies came together for serious discussions following the revelation that many cosmetics products and food supplements in the market are unauthorised.

It was only recently the public found out that Magic Skin, a well-known brand that hired many celebrities to endorse its products, had sold substandard products.

It was also reported lately that several people had died after allegedly taking Lyn’s weight-loss products, which allegedly contained some dangerous substances. Lyn is also a widely known brand in Thailand.

“We used to take between 45 and 60 days to review an ad on TV, radio and social media,” Takorn said, “But from now on, we will streamline work steps and act faster.”

At yesterday’s meeting, the FDA decided to station its ad-review officials at the NBTC headquarters so that they could quickly alert the NBTC of potentially harmful ads.

The NBTC secretary-general will then suspend those ads until the results of a full review come out.

Violators of the suspension are punishable by a Bt100,000 a day fine and a maximum fine of Bt5 million.

Tares said the efficient control of ads would improve consumer protection.

Wanchai has estimated that there are between 10,000 and 20,000 cosmetic plants in the country.

“Most of them are in Bangkok’s neighbouring provinces, namely Samut Prakan, Nakhon Pathom and Pathum Thani,” he said.

He said the Public Health Ministry’s regulation on standards for cosmetics manufacturing places would take effect next month.

“We plan to inspect all registered places based on the standard within three months,” Wanchai said.

He urged consumers to remain alert and do their best to protect themselves from misleading ads.

“Food supplements are not medicines. Don’t think they can cure a disease,” he said.“Also keep in mind that cosmetics cannot change the structure of the human body.”

Wanchai urged consumers to alert the FDA via Hotline 1566, 1556@fda.moph.go.th, and Oryor Smart App if they come across any advertisement of illegal health |products.

In a related development, deputy national police commissioner Pol General Wirachai Songmetta led a team to the New Don Muang Market to search shops amid reports that some unlicensed cosmetics and food supplements were available there. The operation, however, faced some resistance.

Pol Lt-Colonel Santhana Prayoonrat, a former deputy superintendent at the Special Branch Police Division, led more than 100 vendors in complaining to police that police had search warrants for five shops only and hence should not extend their operations to affect all other shops in the same market.

“Not all shops sell cosmetics,” he said. Santhana, who is an adviser to the operator of the New Don Muang Market, said the operator did not allow police to use its space for police operations.

“We will file a complaint of encroachment if police continue to occupy space in the market,” he said, as he handed a petition for justice to police.

Police used three trucks to carry away products, which will be used as evidence.

The PACC would probe the Operational Centre for the Destitute and Beggars over the spending of Bt1.7 million, and the Department of Social Development and Welfare’s (DSDW) Welfare Protection and Quality of Life Promotion Division over the spending of Bt656,850, he said. It would also probe two housing cooperative coordination centres in Prachuap Khiri Khan and Phetchaburi provinces.

The agency would also probe five centres for protection of the destitute over additional fund irregularities totalling Bt2.31 million, he said. They are: Preuyai centre in Si Sa Ket province – Bt700,000; Nonthaburi centre –Bt480,000; Sam Mahapon centre in Chiang Mai – Bt400,000; Thap Kwang centre in Sara Buri – Bt380,000 and Prachuap Khiri Khan centre – Bt350,000.

Nine self-help settlement centres will be probed over the spending of Bt69.8 million: Prasart centre (Bt11 million) and silk-worm rearing centre (Bt5.53 million) in Surin province; Rattaphum and Thepa centres (each Bt10.53 million) in Songkhla province; Betong centre (Bt10.27 million) in Yala province; Phang Nga (Bt7.85 million); Pattani’s Khok Pho centre (Bt6.2 million), Ubon Ratchathani’s Lam Dom Yai centre (Bt5.5 million) and Lampang’s Kiew Lom centre (Bt2.35 million).

Ten hill-tribe development centres will be scrutinised over spending of Bt29.1 million: They are in Phayao (Bt12.98 million), Phrae (Bt5.95 million), Khamphaeng Phetch (Bt3.38 million), Phetchabun (Bt3.2 million), Ratchaburi (Bt950,000), Phitsanulok (Bt740,000), Kanchanaburi (Bt688,000), Lamphun (Bt450,000), Uthai Thani (Bt450,000) and Phetchaburi (Bt350,000).

On Monday the PACC concluded its investigation, which began in February, into 67 provincial protection centres for the destitute and found allowance misappropriation.It officially made accusations against 156 officials at 35 centres run by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS).

In the wake of the scandal, MSDHS permanent secretary Puttipat Lertchaowasit and deputy permanent secretary Narong Kongkham were transferred and then the Cabinet last month ordered that they be dismissed from service unless the investigation cleared their name in the end.

DSDW chief Napa Setthakorn said on Wednesday that clear evidence against the former director of Khon Kaen Protection Centre for the Destitute and its former social-welfare chief had been uncovered and they would be fired for their role in the alleged embezzlement of state funds for the destitute.

AMID CLOSE monitoring by security officers, land rights protesters continued to make their case in Bangkok but failed to reach agreements with all related official agencies to solve their problems.

People’s Movement for a Just Society (P-Move) coordinator Witawas Thepsong disclosed yesterday that so far the land rights networks, who participated in the peaceful demonstration on land rights issues under the banner of P-Move, have reached agreements with the Interior and Transport ministries to solve the people’s problems.

The Interior Ministry has promised to rush the mitigation process on land rights issues for people affected by the Mae Sot Special Economic Zone and sea gypsy communities, communal land deeds, and public utilities for government housing projects.

The Transport Ministry, meanwhile, has pledged to resolve land issues involving the State Railway of Thailand and local communities.

However, Witawas said that the negotiations with the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry, and Office of the Prime Minister were not yet complete. He said P-Move would continue its protests in Bangkok until it is offered satisfactory mitigation measures.

He stated that even though P-Move protesters in Bangkok have not faced any blocks or intimidation – as they had complied with all legal requirements for public gathering – they were under the close watch of police.

Direk Khong-ngen, a leading member of the Farmers Union of the Northern Region, stated that the members of his network in Chiang Mai and Lamphun provinces were still blocked by military officers from joining P-Move’s protest in Bangkok as the authorities are worried the group might have a hidden political agenda.

“Our members are at home today, as we are not allowed to travel to Bangkok.However, the military officers still keep monitoring our activities closely,” Direk informed.

“The people feel insecure and threatened because of the recent military intervention and the arrest of P-Move leading members yesterday. We insist on our right to peacefully protest in order to let the government solve our problems and we will not give up on our effort to participate in the P-Move protest in Bangkok.”

He said that suppressing people to prevent them from raising their voices was not a good way to maintain social order. Instead, he suggested that the government listen to

the people’s problems and work with them to solve these issues. This will make the people happy and society would be peaceful, and the government will also gain a lot approval, which will be very important for them for the upcoming election.

Direk was one of the land rights activists from Chiang Mai stopped by the military and police officers during their journey to Bangkok on Tuesday night. They were all summoned to 33 Military Circle on Wednesday for interrogation and forced to sign an undertaking to the Army that they would not participate in the public gathering.

Meanwhile, P-Move released its third statement yesterday condemning the authorities for the intimidation of the people’s movement and the blocking of members of P-Move and Farmers Union of Northern Region from joining protests in Bangkok.

The statement highlighted that these actions were not only keeping the people away from getting involved on public matters, but also setting back the country’s democratisation process because openness to public participation is the heart of democracy.

The group also emphasised in its statement that the use of absolute power by the National Council for Peace and Order to silence the people’s voices was a direct threat to citizens in democratic system and urged the authorities to stop harassing the public movement.

Photos of the square metal-grate contrivances circulating on social media drew criticism.

Citizens are concerned about hygiene, given the potential for spills of rancid, germ-ridden wastewater, and possible inconvenience to pedestrians.

But Aswin insisted in a Facebook post that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) pilot project involved a garbage-collection system that has been a success in Japan, France and elsewhere and costs very little.

In the project – dubbed “Ting Pen Tee, Kep Pen Wela” (Dispose garbage at the right place, to be collected as per time schedule) – people must drop their tied-up garbage bags in the cages within a specific time period for collection.

Should the garbage not be collected within the appointed time, citizens can call a designated phone number to report it.

Aswin pointed out that the cages are made of reused materials and thus low in cost.

They can be configured in different shapes to suit the character of any given neighbourhood.

He called them a solution to littering and animals rummaging through trash and, because the garbage is collected according to a strict schedule, it wouldn’t pile up.

Aswin said the city would also, among other measures, encourage people to separate different kinds of waste and to stop dumping trash in canals and rivers.

If the public disapproved of any aspect of “Ting Pen Tee”, he added, adjustments could be made.

The Thai capital, which celebrated its 236th anniversary on April 21, has encountered many problems amid rapid urban development – especially the issue of garbage management.

According to the BMA Environment Office, Bangkok City generated 1,920,294.96 tonnes of garbage from October 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018 – or a daily average of 10,551 tonnes. Among its 50 districts, Chatuchak churned out the largest amount of rubbish, at 76,881.90 tonnes over the six-month period, followed by Bang Kapi at 60,942.61 tonnes and Bang Khun Thien at 60,570.05 tonnes.

The city’s goal of reducing garbage by 7 per cent a year will be difficult to achieve, admitted BMA Environment Office deputy director Chatree Wattanakhajorn. Most people are not yet cooperating with the BMA on reducing their waste, he said, while the city’s population also continued to increase.

Several government schemes are also driving waste higher, he said, including Bangkok being declared the world’s tourist city and the street-food promotion scheme. The city’s international reputation has attracted more visitors, who in turn contribute to the rise in trash, he said.

Photos of the square metal-grate contrivances circulating on social media drew criticism. Citizens are concerned about hygiene, given the potential for spills of rancid, germ-ridden wastewater, and possible inconvenience to pedestrians.

But Aswin insisted in a Facebook post that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration pilot project involved a garbage-collection system that has been a success in Japan, France and elsewhere and costs very little.

In the project – dubbed “Ting Pen Tee, Kep Pen Wela” (Dispose garbage at the right place, to be collected as per time schedule) – people must drop their tied-up garbage bags in the cages within a specific time period for collection.

Should the garbage not be collected within the appointed time, citizens can call a designated phone number to report it.

Aswin pointed out that the cages are made of reused materials and thus low in cost.They can be configured in different shapes to suit the character of any given neighbourhood.

He called them a solution to littering and animals rummaging through trash and, because the garbage is collected according to a strict schedule, it wouldn’t pile up.

Aswin said the city would also, among other measures, encourage people to separate different kinds of waste and to stop dumping trash in canals and rivers.

If the public disapproved of any aspect of “Tin Pen Tee”, he added, adjustments could be made.