DPM:There has been no official report on Thai rice in US

BANGKOK, June 28 (TNA) - Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul says that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet been informed of the United States' reported order on its port operators and importers to confine imported Thai rice for examination for fear of contamination. Surapong told journalists on Friday that his Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet received any official report from Washington regarding the issue, noting if there had been such the problem, the US government would have notified the Thai Ministry of Commerce. Surapong suggested an official verification before such the news report was publicly released, cautioning if rumors were released based on an ill-intentioned act, confidence in Thailand could be affected. The Thai deputy premier's remarks were in response to recent reports that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had ordered the confinement of imported Thai rice to protect consumers due to reports in Thailand that rice under the government's rice pledging schemet was treated excessively with chemicals to cope with flour bugs and fungi. (TNA)