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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

Cheap HIV Drugs: Scepticism over Thaksin's pledge
12-Jul-2004    
Critics voiced doubt yesterday over Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's promise to provide equitable access to life-saving drugs for all people with HIV/Aids in Thailand, saying it was a pipe dream while disputes over patented drugs remain unresolved.
US-Thailand FTA opponents plan rally
12-Jul-2004    
A leading senator and civic groups are planning to hold a demonstration today against what they call the government's rush to conclude free-trade negotiations, which they say would have great ramifications on many people in the agricultural sector.
Thailand's free trade tactics under fire
8-Jul-2004     Thailand's free trade tactics under fire
Thailand's free-trade agreement (FTA) tactics are under fire for being opaque and shrouded in secrecy. Critics worry such methods are handing Thailand a poor deal, perhaps working to serve minority vested interests, and may even be undermining the informal social safety net provided by the country's agriculture.
US Trade Negotiators May Bring Up Genetically Modified Organisms Issue
4-Jul-2004    
US trade negotiators are expected to raise the issue of Thai regulations on genetically modified organisms and domestic labour laws during bilateral free-trade talks.
Letter to Bush from FTA Watch (Thailand)
29-Jun-2004    
We, the undersigned, farmers, people living with HIV/AIDS, academics, environmentalists, consumers, labor unionists, pro-democracy and anti-corruption activists and members of many non-governmental organizations that represent those who will be affected by the policies that are likely to come into force as a result of the proposed Free Trade Agreement between your government and the Royal Thai Government.
Critics to ask Bush to halt FTA talks
29-Jun-2004     Critics to ask Bush to halt FTA talks as public not consulted
Opponents of free trade agreements will submit a letter to President George W Bush through the United States embassy today, urging Washington to halt ongoing trade negotiations between the two countries because the Thai process was not transparent without public participation and in violation of the Constitution.
300 Thais protest against FTAs
28-Jun-2004    
Hundreds of Thai activists today demonstrated against free trade agreements (FTAs) the government is negotiating with the US and Australia, saying they would adversely affect millions of Thais.
FTA with US: Thai investors 'set to reap big benefits'
23-May-2004    
The upcoming Thai-US free-trade agreement will benefit Thai investors as further business opportunities open up in a vast market which imports goods and services worth about US$1.5 trillion (Bt60 trillion) annually.
Analysis: The Elephant, the Rabbit, the Cobra and the Gold
20-May-2004    
Every time I visit Bangkok I see it. "Power is nothing without control" reads an advertising billboard for a transnational tyre company near Chulalongkorn University. This February, Pirelli's slogan summed up the US philosophy for its proposed bilateral free trade and investment agreement with Thailand.
Critics Sound Alarm in Free Trade Talks with U.S.
11-May-2004     Critics Sound Alarm in Free Trade Talks with U.S.
The Thai government is facing a growing chorus of outrage over its plans to ink a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States by next year.

Referenced sites

Citizen's Trade Campaign: US-Thailand FTA

A US campaign website on the Thai-US FTA

FTA Watch

A coalition of activists, lawyers, NGOs, social movements and labour groups monitoring the US-Thailand FTA negotiations.