Chiang Rai Declaration on Consumer Protection in Telecommunications (Thailand)

July 30, 2009

Communications services are essential to everyone and should have consumer safeguards including the promotion of public interest that typifies other critical utilities.

In the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint which was adopted in 2007, it was agreed that consumer protection should be people-centered. Despite this agreement, consumer protection in the telecommunications is still far from the people-centered approach.

We, the consumer organizations from member countries of ASEAN as well as Australia and Hong Kong, held the meeting “The next wave of ASEAN consumer protection in telecommunications” and expressed concern about the common problems facing consumers such as accessibility, transparency, affordability, accountability, sustainability and health impacts.

We declare and agree as follows;

1. There must be a basic standard for consumer protection in telecommunications;
2. Telecommunications must be treated as an essential service and a necessary learning tool;

Hereby, we all agree to work on the following initiatives;

1. To hold an annual forum to coincide with ASEAN Telecommunication Regulator Council (ATRC) meeting in order to learn and share our experiences;
2. To set up a working group on the issues of consumer protection in telecommunications and to link into existing consumer networks such as South East Asian Consumer Council (SEACC) and Consumers International (CI).

We strongly urge;

1. the ASEAN regulatory body to support the initiatives agreed upon in this declaration;
2. the telecommunication providers to apply fair practices in dealing with consumers and exercise corporate social responsibilities.