The rice shortage in Thailand, accompanied by a sharp rise in the cost of other food, has brought increased demand for foodstuffs from The People's Republic of China. Chinese canned and dried goods are on sale all over Thailand, particularly in Bangkok with its large Chinese population.

The problem is that all these goods are on sale illegally. They are smuggled into Thailand. For almost 20 years all imports from The People's Republic of China have been banned by the Thai Government.

Steps are now being taken to revoke the ban. The government recently announced that trading with China would be resumed. Meanwhile, Chinese products are still subject to confiscation. From time to time some of this seized contraband is put up for auction.

The sales attract large numbers of Bangkok Chinese, if only because the prices are way below those asked in the shops. No estimate has ever been made of the extent of the smuggling, but it must prove profitable. The Chinese goods sell at nearly double the prevailing, legal, prices in Hong Kong and Singapore.