BANGKOK (Reuters) - The Thai government has sold (โซลด์) 600,000 (ซิก ฮันเดรส เฮาท์สั้น) metric tons of rice from state stocks to 15 (ฟิบทีน) exporters, a higher than expected quantity after two exporters were allocated grain outside of last week's tender, a Commerce Ministry official said on Wednesday.
The government had offered 400,000 metric tons in the tender. The way the additional volume was allocated raised complaints from some exporters about the transparency of a controversial rice-buying program that has angered Bangkok's middle class and helped fuel months of anti-government protests in the capital.