bilaterals.org logo
bilaterals.org logo
  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

Thailand, US argue copyright
12-Jan-2006    
Intellectual property rights protection became the latest stumbling block in the current round of negotiations for a Thai-US Free Trade Agreement today, with Thailand complaining publicly about the Americans' stand.
Minister: FTA a long way off
12-Jan-2006    
A cabinet minister said today that an actual free-trade agreement with the United States is still al long way off, and talks have not so far yielded any definite agreement. Tariff cut plans are still subject to further consultation.
The man's now asking for the impossible
12-Jan-2006    
If a bilateral free trade agreement with the United States is so great for us consumers, why is the telecom industry, which is controlled by our premier's family, excluded from the deal? If Thailand had to join hands with other developing countries to fight for our people's access to affordable life-saving medicines until the World Trade Organisation finally allowed it under the Doha Declaration, why is it that Mr Thaksin is so eager to ink a trade deal with the US that would tie our hands from doing so?
Riding Thailand's political bandwagon
12-Jan-2006     Asia Times
EGAT's privatization and the US trade talks represent the most ambitious efforts of two of Thaksin's core economic platforms: the privatization of state-owned enterprises and the proliferation of bilateral FTAs. So it is no surprise that both issues crystallize the wider debate on the state of democracy and the country's development path.
Thai-US FTA talks: Stumbling block
11-Jan-2006     The Nation
The Thai-US free-trade talks hit a snag yesterday after the head Thai negotiator for intellectual-property rights declared demands by the US for Thailand to tighten up drug patenting as “unacceptable”.
International NGO solidarity statement: US-Thai free trade negotiations
11-Jan-2006    
Thai AIDS activists and their international allies are seeking suspension of scheduled trade talks that threaten to undermine Thailand's lawful ability to produce, import/export, and market low-cost generic versions of life-saving medicines.
Violence forces FTA venue switch
11-Jan-2006    
Demonstrators scuffled with police at a downtown hotel, forcing a brief halt in bargaining on the proposed Free Trade Area (FTA) agreement between Thailand and the United States, and negotiators from the two countries decided to change the venue of their meeting.
Anti-FTA protests end - for now
11-Jan-2006    
Protesters from 11 civil society groups opposing the proposed Free Trade Area (FTA) agreement talks between Thailand and the United States forced negotiators to move out of town Wednesday. Then they called off their three-day protest.
Photos of demonstrations against US-Thai FTA (Chiang Mai, 10 January 2006)
11-Jan-2006     CPTech
Today, around 8000 people were demonstrating in Chiang Mai. A couple of people trying to enter the hotel where the US and Thai negotiating teams were meeting were beaten by the police. 30 people tried to swim across the river to reach the hotel and were beaten too.
Protests force brief halt to trade talks
11-Jan-2006     Bangkok Post
Negotiations on the Thai-US free trade area (FTA) pact were forced to halt briefly yesterday as protesters used any means they could to disrupt the talks.

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.