THIRD WORLD NETWORK BIOSAFETY INFORMATION SERVICE

19 June 2004

Dear friends and colleagues,

RE: Thai environment minister questions GMOs introduction through trade agreement with US

Thailand’s Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti has questioned government plans to introduce genetically modified agricultural produce. This was in response to the inclusion of trade in GMOs in a free trade agreement to be negotiated between Thailand and the US.

According to a 17 June report in The Nation, a leading English language newspaper in Thailand, the FTA negotiations will begin on 28 June. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has been charged with preparing for the GMO talks. However, Minister Suwit questioned why the US insists that Thailand grow GMO agricultural produce when it did not import Thai agricultural products, while the European Union has announced clearly that it will not buy GMO products. A coalition of Thai NGOs, called “FTA Watch”, is very concerned over the adverse impacts of such an FTA over many sectors of the Thai economy and society. 

There appears to be a growing trend for the US to use bilateral FTAs as a tool to promote biotechnology (especially genetic engineering and its products). A proliferation of such trade agreements is taking place, where the topics covered are wide-ranging, including intellectual property rights and biotechnology. An FTA already signed with Singapore requires the patenting of plants and animals, which is not mandatory under the WTO Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). There are concerns that the US-Singapore FTA will be a template for the rest of the region. Thailand is the second country to negotiate an FTA with the US. The Philippines and Malaysia have signed framework agreements on trade and investment which will pave the way for FTAs, too. Biotechnology is also an expected topic.

The report on the Thai environment minister’s concerns is reproduced below.

With best wishes,

Chee Yoke Ling

Third World Network

121-S Jalan Utama

10450 Penang

Malaysia

Email: twnet@po.jaring.my

Website: www.twnside.org.sg

Suwit questions government plan to bring in GMOs

By Sirinart Sirisunthorn

The Nation, Bangkok

Thursday, June 17, 2004

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti yesterday questioned government plans to introduce genetically modified agricultural produce, saying he saw no market for such products.

On June 28, Thailand will start negotiating a free trade agreement with the US, and one topic to be broached is trade in GMOs (genetically modified organisms). The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has been charged with preparing for the GMO talks.

Suwit questioned why the US insists that Thailand grow GMO agricultural produce when it did not import Thai agricultural products, while the European Union has announced clearly that it will not buy GMO products

“For the country’s interests, we have to question why we should cultivate GMO crops and who we will sell the produce to. The biggest market for our agricultural produce is Europe, which says no to GMO,” he said, adding that he saw the market for GMO produce as extremely narrow.

“We have to think carefully about how much we need GMO produce. GMO research in the US was carried out to tackle an outbreak of corn worms; in Thailand we do not have such a problem,” he said.

Warunwan Sawangsopakul, an official of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, supported Suwit’s comments as a good sign, however she suggested he put his words into action by pushing for a law barring Thailand’s support of GMO products for commercial purposes.

“If we do not intend to support GMOs for trade, we should not invest money or time in GMO experiments. Each experiment costs a lot of money and there are chances it could slip out of the lab to mix with our natural crops,” she said, adding that the government should invest in experiments for organic agriculture instead.