Largest-ever lot of pirated goods destroyed in Thailand

BANGKOK, March 9 (TNA) - Thailand has destroyed 300 tons of pirated goods, worth over 1.7 billion baht, the largest-ever lot of its kind, as part of a national move to seriously crack down on intellectual property rights infringement. The over 3.6 million counterfeit items seized from across the country, including clothes, watches, mobile phones, CDs and cosmetics, were destroyed on Friday at the 11th Infantry Regiment in Bangkok's Bang Khen area. The event, co-organized by eight public and private agencies, was presided over by Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, covering the pirated goods from 2,368 finalized cases. General Prawit, who oversees national security, said that the destruction of seized pirated goods, representing the last step in the crackdown on intellectual property infringement, is aimed to ensure that such the fake products must not return to the market and must not be exported to other countries. According to the deputy premier, given the serious action taken against counterfeit goods, it is expected that the United States should withdraw Thailand from its Priority Watch List (PWL) on intellectual property rights protection eventually. (TNA)