Thai garment makers are furious at China for manufacturing copies of their iconic elephant pants.

Merchants have requested government intervention after Chinese-made iconic elephant pants flooded the market at significantly lower prices.

Nattawat Puttasiriwat, director of the Thai SME Federation and a clothes vendor at Pratunam Market, said that most of the pants with the famous elephant pattern designs were not being imported from China or neighbouring countries rather than being manufactured in domestic factories.

He said: 'Thai and Chinese businesses hire factories in China now and other countries because they could produce larger quantities faster with lower wages.'

Aside from elephant pants, other popular souvenirs were also now being imported due to similar reasons.

He added: ' The sudden increase in the daily minimum wage in Thailand to 300 Baht is affecting costs, leading some Thai manufacturers to either produce domestically or import from China, Cambodia, or Vietnam.'

While some still manufacture the pants in the country, they are mostly in provinces outside the capital and incur higher costs to transport.

Therefore, 70 per cent of the elephant pants seen in popular markets are manufactured or imported from other countries.

He said: 'It was difficult for the clothing business to become a large industry making money for the country unlike in the past.

'We hope the government takes it seriously in supporting the business and intercepting imports.'

He added that smaller businesses are not only facing trouble competing in cost with other countries, but Thai consumers also have lower purchasing power.

An online seller, Luiheen, said the elephant pants sold for 6 RMB each, which is a stark difference in price compared to 65 Baht for shorts and 75 Baht for pants for locally manufactured items.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said that the issue was 'a matter of trading where people will take opportunity wherever they see it. '

He said: 'The problem should be addressed at the foundational level, such as the knowledge of marketing and whether copyrights are protected, as this is not a new issue in trading or business.

'There are many areas where Thailand has been too slow, such as visa exemptions or improving the Thai passport to seize opportunities to become leaders in tourism.'

Phumtham Wechayachai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce, said on February 5 that he ordered the Department of Intellectual Property to investigate and protect Thailand's intellectual property for the country's benefit.

He added that he already coordinated with the Customs Department to intercept items that violate copyright and to check every border checkpoint to stop these items from being sold in the country.