Commerce Ministry to impose control on dual-use items

BANGKOK, Oct 3 (TNA) -- Effective January 1, 2018, exporters of 1,230 products have to seek a permission from concerned officials before they could export the products that can be used in daily life as well as making weapons, said Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn. The new control measures conform with the United Nations Security Council’s resolution requiring member countries to prevent the spread of deadly weapons and to also curb those dual-use items (DUIs) from being used as weapons, said Ms Apiradi. The cabinet has assigned the Ministry’s Foreign Trade Department to coordinate with six other government agencies to impose the strict control on the 1,230 products, she said. The six agencies are the Defence Industry Department, the Department of Industrial Works, the Department of Medical Sciences, the Office of Atoms for Peace, the Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, and the Customs Department. Under the control measures, exporters of DUI control goods including vehicles, electronics, electrical appliances, computers, plastic, moulded rubber, mechanical machines and certain materials must prepare and making study in advance to facilitate government officials before exporting them. Goods that can be manufactured in Thailand and have a potential in enriching uranium including laser equipment also fall under the new control measures. Ms Apiradi said the Foreign Trade Department would develop its information and technology system to cater to the new control measures and to ensure that foreign investors in Thailand would not relocate their production base. (TNA)