Leo Watanabe
2025年2月20日
Two bills aiming to reform consumer protection and product liability laws in Thailand have been submitted to the House of Representatives by Ms. Sari Ongsomwang, who serves as the Secretary-General of the Thailand Consumers Council (TCC).
Ms. Sari Ongsomwang is a prominent consumer rights advocate who has been actively involved in various consumer protection initiatives. If the bills are drafted into law, companies and businesses targeting Thai consumers would be subject to large-scale changes with increased liability compliance requirements. The new standards would put Thailand closer to the stringent consumer protection laws in East-Asian jurisdictions such as Japan and South Korea.
The advancement of these bills in the Thai legislative process will depend heavily on gaining support from the major coalition parties. The bill´s sponsor is not affiliated with any political party which means that it will need strong parliamentary sponsorship to move forward.
Consumer Protection Act Bill
The proposed revision of Thailand's Consumer Protection Act represents a significant modernization of the 1979 (B.E. 2522) law which initially set the framework for consumer protection rights in Thailand. The draft bill aims to strengthen e-commerce consumer protections by granting consumers explicit rights for contract termination, product exchanges, and compensation claims for defective products.
The bill would also improve access to justice for consumers by modifying consumer protection litigation procedures and providing compensation mechanisms for organizations filing lawsuits on behalf of consumers.
Lastly, the bill would restructure consumer protection supervision through the expansion of the Consumer Protection Board´s authority and the amendments of legal definitions of crucial terms such as “consumer”, “business operator”, “hazardous goods” and so on.
Product Liability Act Bill
The Product Liability Act Bill aims to address significant gaps in the current Civil and Commercial Code regarding product defects and consumer remedies. The bill would establish more precise criteria to determine product defects while expanding rights for both buyers and sellers. The focus is set for defects that are not immediately apparent at purchase which is currently not covered clearly under the regulatory framework.
Key provisions of the bill include a two-year statute of limitations from defect discovery, extension of consumer rights to hire-purchase agreements, and mandatory clear warranty contracts. The draft bill however excludes used goods (except within the seller´s liability period) and living animals from its scope. Lastly, the bill also aims to align with consumer procedure law by enabling consumers to file cases under the Consumer Procedure Act to strengthen the legal framework for dispute resolution.
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