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  1. Negotiations

US-Thailand


The US and Thailand started negotiations on a comprehensive bilateral free trade agreement in June 2004.

Like other recent bilateral free trade agreements with the US, the US-Thailand FTA will cover investment, services, government procurement, intellectual property, as well as agriculture. Many expect it to be modeled on the US-Singapore FTA.

The negotiations have attracted strong opposition and concern among many Thai social movements, farmers to people with HIV/AIDS. A broad civil society coalition, FTA Watch, was formed at the outset to closely monitor the process from a public interest perspective. (Likewise, business interests set up their own US-Thai FTA Coalition.) Under the banner of "sovereignty not for sale!", key issues of popular concern include access to medicine, GMOs in agriculture and patents on life.

The last round of talks took place in Chiang Mai in January 2006 with 10,000 people protesting in the streets and disrupting the meeting. Negotiations have not resumed since.

last update: May 2012

FTA talks, and the right to know
2-Apr-2005     Bangkok Post
The third round of talks towards a bilateral free trade agreement between the US and Thailand opens in Pattaya on Monday, against vocal clamouring for public participation in the process. The Thaksin administration would do better to absorb the decibels from FTA critics by opening rather than closing the door on them.
Thai govt urged to remove medicines from FTA deals
31-Mar-2005     TNA
Non governmental organizations (NGOs) yesterday made an impassioned plea to the government to remove the subject of medicines from negotiations on the proposed Thai-US free trade area (FTA), warning that Thai patients suffering from chronic conditions could be hit with sky-high costs for medication.
Open letter from civil society on the US-Thailand FTA negotiations
29-Mar-2005     FTA Watch
On 4-8 April 2005, negotiations on the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Thai and the US will take place in Pattaya. Following two previous rounds in Hawaii, the US is expected to submit demands on remaining issues, the most important of which is the issue of patents. This is a sign-on statement to call on the Thai government to halt the third round of negotiations in order to conduct a through review of the outstanding points and the negotiating position towards the FTA.
FTA may force debtors to reform
19-Jan-2005    
Banking liberalisation under the Thai-US free trade agreement will affect not only local banks, but also debtors, according to Twatchai Yongkittikul, the secretary-general of the Thai Bankers' Association.
Third round of Thai-US FTA talks postponed until after election
14-Dec-2004    
The third round of free trade talks between the United States and Thailand has been postponed until after the latter's general election in February 2005, local press reported on Monday.
Thailand: Academics call for temporary suspension of FTA talks with US
13-Nov-2004     MCOT
Thai academics called on the government on Friday to temporarily suspend ongoing free trade area (FTA) negotiations with the United States, and suggested it to identify impacts on the country's intellectual property rights and agricultural products.
PM calls for more public participation in FTA deals
10-Nov-2004     MCOT News
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra today reiterated the importance of Thailand forging bilateral economic relations, while pledging to ensure greater public involvement in international trade liberalization deals.
Thai civil groups want IP off trade-talks agenda with US
12-Oct-2004     The Nation
Civil groups yesterday called for intellectual property (IP) to be excluded from the second round of the Thai-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiation because of fears it would give unjustified protection to rich IP developers at the expense of Thais.
'FTA offers more risks than gains'
26-Sep-2004    
The United States has used free-trade agreement (FTA) negotiations to flex its military and economic muscle but developing countries stand to gain little from such deals, a leading Malaysian economist said yesterday.
Preferences, conflicts in the way of free trade pact with EU
24-Sep-2004    
The European Union and Thailand are unlikely to forge a free trade agreement (FTA) because the grouping is currently focusing on its 10 new members, business pundits said yesterday.