The cash premium for Thailand’s refined sugar surged to a six-year high this week as near-term supply tightness sent buyers in the Asia Pacific region scrambling for cargoes. The rise started in mid-July when more cargoes were shipped to Taiwan with a subsequent increase in flows to China as Taiwan replaced Myanmar as the destination for illegal sugar shipments. A total of 295,067 mt of Thai white sugar were shipped to Taiwan in the three months to August. This compared with 141,738 mt during the same period to Myanmar. But as demand from Taiwan became consistent, it was the near-term supply tightness that further supported the cash premium.