A Bangkok MP has called the director-general of the Department of Internal Trade a liar for claiming his agency had already distributed ample supplies of protective facemasks to stores.

Sira Jenjaka of the Phalang Pracharath Party said on Friday (March 13) he’d earlier that day visited several pharmacies near Siriraj Hospital and been told supplies had been short for months and there’d been no improvement lately.

And yet the department chief, Wichai Pochanakit, was claiming there was no shortage of facemasks and they were readily available to the public for Bt2.5 apiece, Sira said.

He said Wichai should consider resigning after lying and causing problems for citizens and he planned to seek his prosecution for reporting false information.

Sira vowed to file a complaint with Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit and ask him to deal with Wichai, who he said was hurting the government’s image.

He added that, if the masks were indeed selling for Bt2.5 each as Wichai claimed, he would buy them all and give them away for free.