CP hits back at TV host's unsafe rice claims

A well-known TV host learns the rice industry takes social media comments very seriously. He now faces a defamation suit for Facebook claims that some local rice is contaminated.

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TV host Suttipong Thamawuti pauses during his press conference to explain his Facebook comments on what he alleged to be unsafe local rice. Photos by Pattanapong Hirunard.

TV host hit with defamation suit over rice chemical claims

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The Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group has filed a defamation case against a popular television show host who posted a message on his Facebook page naming rice mills that allegedly used a chemical to fumigate rice, resulting in contamination.

The Charoen Pokphand Group's complaint is that TV host Suttipong Thamawuti refused to respond when they tried to explain and demonstrate the actual process of storing and packing rice.

Sumeth Laomoraphorn, chief executive officer of International Trading Business at CP Group, said on Thursday that Suttipong Thamawuti, founder of TV Burapha and producer of the Khon-Kon-Khon (Man Discovers Man) programme, had damaged the rice industry's reputation by commenting on the use of chemical fumigation for rice packaged under the Royal Umbrella brand.

After the fumigation issue was made public by Mr Suttipong, the company released a statement explaining the rice production process and contacted him to invite him to see the process for himself.

After receiving no response from Mr Suttipong, Mr Sumeth said the company decided to take action to rectify damage caused to the image of the Thai rice industry.

The complaint was filed at Huay Kwang police station on Wednesday evening.

Mr Sumeth said the incident had not yet affected the company's sales, but warned that there could be an impact if negative information continued to spread. He called on the public to check their facts before sharing such information via social media.

Mr Suttipong argued that he posted about the alleged contamination of some rice brands with good intentions, because he is concerned about the health of consumers.

While he was composing the post on his iPhone, he accidentally hit the send button, despite the post being incomplete. He immediately deleted the post but it had already been shared by many people, he said.

He insisted that his comments had nothing to do with politics or the intention to discredit any brand of rice.

Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Niwatthamrong Bunsongpaisan on Thursday denied rumours regarding toxic chemical residues being found in rice held in the government's rice pledging scheme.

He called on anyone with concrete proof of the claim to present evidence to the authorities so wrongdoers could be prosecuted, should the rumours prove to be true.

"The rumours are merely a ploy to discredit the government. The move did nothing but damage to the country and its rice trading reputation," Mr Niwatthamrong said.