Myanmar's first consumer protection law

Burma enacted its first Consumer Protection Law last week.  The law is intended to address product safety. The law mandates criminal penalties for those who distribute unsafe products.

 

A Committee for Consumer Protection will operate a disputes and sanctions system. Under the new law consumers may complain to the Committee if they are not satisfied with a product. There is a counterbalanced right that consumers may not publicize concerns about a product e.g. on social media, without solid evidence.

 

The NGO Consumer Protection Association has identified many poor quality imported products with Chinese products often a concern. The Ministry of Health's FDA has struggled to monitor product safety in the past.  Better law enforcement has been repeatedly cited as being equally important as new laws.