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Thailand’s bilateral trade pacts face mixed reception
30-Sep-2005 VOA
Thailand has been aggressively negotiating bilateral and regional trade agreements in the face of the uncertainty over whether the WTO will reach a deal on liberalizing global trade. But the agreements fail to live up to expectations of increased trade and investment.
The importance of the FTA to Thailand
30-Sep-2005 American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand
Ambassador Nitya Pibulsonggram, the chief negotiator for the Thailand-US Free Trade Agreement, spoke to AMCHAM members on May 25, 2005 about the importance of the FTA to Thailand.
The price of going to market
29-Sep-2005 Americas Program, International Relations Center (IRC)
Last year was the tenth anniversary of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and nearly all evaluations of the agreement conceded that the period showed negligible or negative results for Mexico. As the developing country partner of the agreement, Mexico’s experience under NAFTA has major implications for other developing nations negotiating FTA’s, particularly with the United States.
Planned protest in St Lucia against EU negotiators
26-Sep-2005 Caribbean Net News
A mass demonstration — “Operation Get Up, Stand Up”, in support of the region’s vital banana industry — has been planned for St Lucia to coincide with an important meeting of top European Union negotiators.
Colombian unions worried about free trade with the US
24-Sep-2005 Prensa Latina
Colombia and Peru say 85 percent of the FTA is already negotiated, but representatives from Andean agricultural unions say the other 15 percent is more important. The US ultimatum states the FTA should be signed at the latest on November 20.
Peruvian farmers say the government allows dishonest FTA
24-Sep-2005 Prensa Latina
Peruvian National Farming Convention (COVENAGRO) chair Luis Zuñiga asserted that his government does not provide protection alternatives to the sector’s workers, faced with an eventual Free Trade Agreement with the United States.
Andean FTA opposed by sugar interests
24-Sep-2005 Brownfield
Speculation is that negotiations for a US-Andean FTA are nearing completion. House Ag Committee ranking member Collin Peterson of Minnesota says Administration officials may be making similar mistakes to those made in CAFTA.
EIU: Andean FTA talks near conclusion
23-Sep-2005 EIU ViewsWire
An Economist Intelligence Unit briefing paper
US presses S. Korea on issues blocking FTA negotiations
21-Sep-2005 Yonhap
The US Trade Representative (USTR), raising doubts about South Korea’s commitment to a bilateral free trade agreement, pressed the Asian trading partner Tuesday to be "unambiguous" in supporting it.
Thai farmers head to the US
20-Sep-2005 Bangkok Post
As senior bureaucrats from Thailand and the US prepare to enter the fifth round of negotiations over the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in Hawaii later this month, two Thai organic farmers have started their own campaign in the US. Phakpum Inpaen and Kanya Onsri from Surin province left Thailand yesterday on a 23-day circuit tour to talk to people in the US about how the FTA deal will threaten their survival.
Made for the USA
16-Sep-2005 Business Today
Nine months into the first experiment in free trade with the United States, few participating manufacturers have reported a jump in production - most haven’t shipped unit one.
US FTA seen as threat to Thai identity
14-Sep-2005 Bangkok Post
The free trade agreement with the United States threatens Thailand’s ecological biodiversity and cultural uniqueness, researchers warned yesterday. Visut Baimai, director of the Biodiversity Research and Training Programme, said he feared the FTA would accelerate deforestation to grow profitable single-crop plantations. This, he said, could undermine both the ecosystem and sustainable economic development.
Govt urged to seek consensus before signing FTA with US
14-Sep-2005 MCOT
The Thai government should seek a consensus from the public before signing a free trade area (FTA) agreement with the United States, according to a leading academic.
Thai specialists in US for FTA technical talks
10-Sep-2005 Bangkok Post
On liberalising services and investment, Thailand insists on adopting a "positive list" approach, where only those sectors explicitly outlined in the agreement would be opened. The US insists on a "negative list", under which all sectors are on the table except those listed as sensitive.
’Death’ of Benguet veggie industry looms
7-Sep-2005
The feared "demise" of the Benguet vegetable industry due to the free trade agreement looms. Growers expressed this fear when vegetables from Benguet were not excluded from the Early Harvest Program (EHP) signed by the Chinese and Philippine governments.
Free trade agreement: impact in Thailand
6-Sep-2005
This booklet by FTA Watch is aimed at disseminating information to international civil society for the purpose of sharing the analyses and experience of the FTA struggle in Thailand.
Mexican farm union demands trade reform
4-Sep-2005 AP
The leader of Mexico’s largest farm union has demanded a review of the North American Free Trade Agreement before final tariff reductions take effect in 2008.
Joint press statement: Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement
3-Sep-2005 MOFA
On 1 September 2005, Mr. Junichiro Koizumi, Prime Minister of Japan and Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand met in Tokyo to jointly announce that agreement in principle has been reached between the Japanese side and the Thai side on all major elements of the Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement, on the basis of a series of negotiations since February 2004.
Thai FTA defers sticking points
2-Sep-2005 Japan Times
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and his visiting Thai counterpart, Thaksin Shinawatra, agreed Thursday on a basic accord to lower mutual trade barriers that left key decisions on high tariffs on Japanese cars and Thai rice unresolved.
Benefits and costs of FTAs
30-Aug-2005 The Star
Negotiations on bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) are going on at a blazing speed worldwide. Not much is known on how these talks are going. But they have a lot of effects on local industries and farms, on medicine prices and on what can be included in future development strategies.