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
Articles
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19-Nov-2012 Les Echos Cette nuit en Asie : Obama pousse au libre-échange
Barack Obama entame une tournée asiatique qui doit lui permettre d’aborder la mise en place, dans la zone pacifique, d’un nouveau grand accord de libre-échange. -
8-Dec-2010 Drug patents remain a major FTA battleground
Drug patent restrictions by the United States and the European Union in trade negotiations with emerging countries will harm the Thai pharmaceutical industry and affect local patients, say researchers. -
10-Mar-2010 Bangkok Post Trade pact with the US ’depends on Thailand’
"There is no question that President Obama’s efforts to at least start talking to a few countries in Asia about a free trade agreement are the right step. Whether Thailand is ready to engage with the US in a free trade discussion is really a question for the Thais themselves," says the president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand. -
24-Sep-2009 Xinhua Thai PM says not sure when Thai-US FTA talks to resume
It is not yet clear when talks over the free trade agreement (FTA) between Thailand and the US will resume, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said from the US on Wednesday -
7-Feb-2009 Prensa Latina Tailandia y Estados Unidos reactivarán negociaciones para TLC
Tailandia y Estados Unidos reactivarán las negociaciones para un tratado de libre comercio (TLC), luego de tres años sin abordar el tema, confirmaron hoy medios regionales de comunicación. -
5-Feb-2009 The Nation FTA talks with the US to be revived
Thailand and the United States will resume free-trade agreement talks after a three-year suspension of negotiations, as concerns over slumping economic growth affect the two nations’ overall trading prospects. -
5-Feb-2009 Xinhua Un officiel thaïlandais prévoit la reprise possible des négociations d’ALE américano-thaïlandaises
Les Etats-Unis et la Thaïlande pourraient reprendre les négociations sur l’Accord de libre- échange (ALE) après une suspension de trois ans, alors que des inquiétudes sur la baisse de la croissance économique affectent les perspectives commerciales des deux pays. -
6-Nov-2008 Terra Empresarios tailandeses temen más proteccionismo en EEUU tras victoria Obama
Los empresarios tailandeses temen que la llegada de Barack Obama a la Casa Blanca fomente el proteccionismo en Estados Unidos y suponga el retraso de la firma de tratados de libre comercio (TLC) con otras naciones como Tailandia, como medida para atajar la crisis financiera. -
30-Jul-2008 IPS IPR violations high on Bush visit agenda
Bush’s farewell visit to Thailand next week stirs up discussions of the proposed US-Thailand FTA -
24-Jun-2008 Thompson Financial Thailand, US to resume free trade talks - official
Thailand plans to resume free trade talks with the United States, which were put on hold after a military coup in 2006, a Thai government spokesperson said today. -
29-Apr-2008 Guardian not put off by FTA woes
Guardian Industry, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of float glass and fabricated glass products, is confident of expanding its investment in Thailand despite the failure of talks on a free-trade pact between Thailand and the United States. -
4-Apr-2008 Bid to revive FTA talks with us
The Commerce Ministry yesterday indicated to the United States that it is ready to resume talks on a free-trade agreement (FTA) as concerns mount that Thailand may lose its competitive edge to export rivals. -
17-Mar-2008 Terra Tailandia arranca ronda conversaciones para firmar TLC con EEUU
Tailandia y Estados Unidos reanudan hoy las conversaciones previas a la firma de un Tratado de Libre Comercio (TLC) entre ambos países, interrumpidas durante el año y medio de régimen militar. -
31-Jan-2008 Bangkok Post Thailand: Private sector urges revival of FTA talks
Thai business leaders are urging the new government to press forward with bilateral free trade negotiations with the United States, aiming to receive more preferential treatment than rival countries. -
24-Jul-2007 The Raw Story US still interested in Thai free trade deal
The United States is still interested in a free trade deal with Thailand, the US embassy said Tuesday, adding that a top trade official had been misquoted as saying the deal was off. -
24-Jul-2007 End to US FTA talks won’t affect trade, says commerce chief
The current level of trade between the United States and Thailand will not be negatively affected if Washington ends the free trade area (FTA) negotiations with Thailand as previously reported, according to Permanent Secretary for Commerce Karun Kittisathaporn. -
11-May-2007 US action plan must be opposed, groups tell govt
Thai Aids activists and academics called on the Commerce Ministry yesterday to reject the "action plan" proposed by the United States to remove Thailand from its priority watch list for intellectual property protection. -
11-May-2007 FTA: The unstated reason for the watch list
The US decision to put Thailand on its "priority watch list" this month was prompted by failed talks on a free trade agreement, as well as the patent-busting of US-made pharmaceuticals, a former US trade official said Friday. -
21-Mar-2007 Harold Doan and Associates Thailand bilateral free trade with US alarms tuna industry key players
Despite the positive prospects of the tuna industry, key players are alarmed with the recent move of other countries like Thailand which is seeking bilateral free trade agreement with the US. -
27-Jan-2007 Thai Human Rights Commission criticises FTA with US
In what is believed to be the first ever human rights impact assessment of a US FTA conducted at national level, the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand in a draft report concludes that the FTA that Thailand has been negotiating with the United States will violate the human rights of Thai people and affect the country’s sovereignty.
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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. -
Thai Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (TNP+)
TNP+ has been instrumental in disseminating information about the implications for Thailand in signing a Free Trade Agreement with the USA and is concerned that a Thai-US FTA will strengthen existing patents on medicines, leading to an increase in the price of drugs. -
Thai-US Business Council
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US-Thailand FTA Business Coalition
Links
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