FT: Glass standards upgraded

According to a new regulation drafted by the Transport Ministry, the standardised safety glass must be accredited by either the Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) or the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE).Windshields, in particular, must be made with laminated safety glass.The new draft regulation will be in force immediately for imported vehicles and in 2003 will apply to locally assembled vehicles.However, the regulation will not apply to vehicles that have been registered before it comes into force.Industry Ministry officials said TISI had set three standards for windscreen safety glass.Some industry analysts argue that the new regulation would confuse producers and cause problems in the automotive industry.

The Cabinet Secretariat Office acknowledged that the regulation might affect auto assemblers in the short term, as producers would still have some stocks of unregistered vehicles ready for domestic sale and export that might not have the safety glass.