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Activists want Bush to halt FTA
10-Jan-2006
Pro-democracy groups will urge US President George W Bush to halt free-trade agreement talks with Thailand because Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has violated the Constitution by refusing to seek parliamentary approval for the deal, group leaders said yesterday.
Thousands resist pact with US
10-Jan-2006 Bangkok Post
Over 8,000 protesters from an alliance of 11 groups opposing the Thai-US free trade area (FTA) agreement took to the streets of this northern city yesterday to demand what they termed unfair trade negotiations be scrapped.
Panama agriculture minister resigns over US talks
10-Jan-2006 Reuters
Panama’s agriculture minister resigned on Tuesday, alleging that a proposed free trade deal with the United States could expose the country to bird flu, foot and mouth disease and mad cow disease.
OPINION: It could be a matter of life and death
10-Jan-2006 Bangkok Post
Thailand should think carefully about surrendering its sovereign rights under the WTO — and access to cheap medicine — in exchange for an FTA with the United States
USTR mulls FTA talks with Egypt, S Korea, Malaysia, Swiss
9-Jan-2006
The Bush administration is considering free-trade negotiations with Egypt, South Korea, Malaysia, and Switzerland, the US Trade Representative’s top agriculture trade negotiator said Monday.
Time to raise the flag
9-Jan-2006
The Free Trade Agreement with the United States, we were told last year, was a political and bureaucratic triumph, with Trade Minister Mark Vaile and his Canberra mandarins being fearless in their negotiations with our star spangled cousins.
Guatemalan FTA with US said risky
9-Jan-2006
“The Free Trade Agreement imposed by the United States on Central America and Dominican Republic will have negative consequences for our countries,” said Guatemalan jurist Alfonso Bauer Paiz.
Government urged to build financial architecture before opening up FTA with US
9-Jan-2006
The government should build a financial architecture before establishing a free trade area (FTA) between Thailand and the United States, according to leading financiers.
Australia left holding trade’s billion-dollar baby
9-Jan-2006
THE United States-Australia free trade agreement has now been operating for a year. Australian exports to the US appear to be down and American exports to Australia appear to be up. The net result is another billion dollars of deficit in the current account between the two countries. Some people are saying that we have been sold a pup and others are saying that it is too early to tell.
Thai-US FTA: Somkid aide assigned to trade talks
9-Jan-2006
Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Somkid Jatusripitak has tightened his grip over the Thai-US FTA talks by assigning his right-hand man, Uttama Savanayana, to play a key role in the negotiations with the US team in Chiang Mai, a source said yesterday.
Thaksin promises FTA details later
9-Jan-2006
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra reiterated on Monday that the government is ready to reveal the result of negotiations to establish a free trade area (FTA) between Thailand and the United States - in due course.
Korea-US FTA: Cool-headed approach needed to maximize actual benefits
9-Jan-2006 Korea Times
The atmosphere is ripe for starting talks with the United States for a tariff-free trade scheme, which, if realized, may change this country’s overall industrial picture as never before. But an FTA with giant, advanced economies, like America’s, requires a very careful approach.
10,000 protest US-Thai FTA talks
9-Jan-2006 Bangkok Post
Thousands of Thais representing a diverse swath of society ranging from garlic growers to HIV/AIDS activists gathered outside a hotel in Thailand’s northern city of Chiang Mai Monday to protest closed-door talks on a Thai-US free trade agreement (FTA).
FTA protesters’ views
9-Jan-2006 The Nation
Rallies against free-trade talks between Thai and US officials today are set to draw a record number of protesters. Here are the reasons for this given by some planning to attend the protests.
’Time not ripe for Korea, US to start FTA talks’
9-Jan-2006
As Washington pushes Seoul to begin talks for forging a free trade agreement, the Korean government says both countries have not yet agreed on when or even whether negotiations will begin.
PM ’failed to consult the public’
9-Jan-2006 Bangkok Post
The civic sector joined forces against the ongoing Thai-US free trade agreement (FTA) pact by drawing up a petition stating that it does not approve the mandate of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra as being a representative of the Thai people in signing the deal.
Bush plans to advance US-Peru trade pact
8-Jan-2006 St Louis Post Dispatch
President George W. Bush notified Congress on Friday of his plan to sign a trade agreement with Peru, a pact the administration views as a step in advancing commerce within the Western Hemisphere.
PM ignores calls for court to review FTAs
8-Jan-2006
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday ignored a call by the Senate committee on foreign affairs to seek help from the Constitution Court to review free trade agreements (FTAs) on grounds that they have contravened the constitution.
Government warned of possible impeachment if it bypasses parliament in FTA deal
8-Jan-2006
The Free Trade Area agreement that Thailand is negotiating with the US has implications on Thailand’s sovereignty and if the government bypasses the Parliament in the processing of finalising the agreement, it could be impeached, a veteran lawyer warned.
TDRI warns against US IP rights push
8-Jan-2006
A leading academic says there is no reason why Thailand should offer terms of intellectual property rights (IPR) protection beyond what’s available within the US legal framework.