The Thai government encouraged everyone to wear a yellow shirt to show loyalty to the king. The results were predictable. CNN reports:
Suppliers say they're running out of shirts, and buyers complain they are being gouged by sellers.
The Commerce Ministry threatened Monday to take legal action against factories and retailers who unfairly raise prices or stockpile the shirts to manipulate the market.
Someone didn't think that plan all the way through.
I suspect those behind the idea knew exactly what the consequences would be. Question is: How much did they pocket as a result?
That thought did cross my mind. However, I still think that it didn't turn out quite like they had hoped. It depends on how any supposed under-the-table arrangement is set up to work. I doubt that this situation lends itself to optimal contracting. Under an optimal contract, I could see potential for the government to want this to happen. But it seems to me that even if the government didn't have the purest intentions, this is a scheme that quickly got away from them. The rather harsh punishments could also be a sign that the firms are not behaving as they were "supposed" to.