Protesters seek
end to WTO role
Groups believe talks hurt developing
world
Ranjana Wangvipula
http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/10Nov2001_news06.html
500 march in
Bankok against wto
Some 500
farmers and anti-globalisation activists yesterday marched to
the United States embassy in Bangkok to protest against the current
World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks.
The group said the talks would harm farmers, people
with Aids and consumers in the developing world.
``We want the WTO to end its role in world agriculture,''
said Ubol Yuwah, of the Alternative Agriculture Network, one
of six groups participating in the protest march.
He said small farmers in Thailand could not compete
with low-cost products such as soybeans and corn that were allowed
to flow freely into the local market.
This was the result of free trade on agricultural
goods introduced by the WTO since 1995 which forced members to
cut tariffs and reduce subsidies to farmers, according to the
People's Network Against Globalisation.
Yesterday's march coincided with the start of the
WTO's Fourth Ministerial Conference in Doha, Qatar.
The protesters accused the US of dominating the
WTO and directing its policies which were detrimental to Third
World farmers and consumers.
Wiboon
Boonphatararaksa, a farmer from Roi Et, demanded the US end research
to create new strains of jasmine rice to suit US conditions.
He said that if the research
was successful, exports of Thai rice would be cut and farmers
hurt.
Chiranuch Premchaiporn,
of the Thai NGO Coalition on Aids, wanted the US government to
support the right of developing countries to produce cheaper
anti-HIV drugs.
Such a right
was incorporated in the WTO's Trade-Related Intellectual Properties,
she said, and could be invoked if there were urgent and compelling
reasons.
Ms Chiranuch said
around 50 developing countries, including Thailand, wanted the
WTO to grant the right and US support would make it easier to
invoke.
The groups submitted
a letter addressed to US President George W. Bush which was accepted
by Win Dayton, the US ambassador's assistant for economic affairs,
who promised to forward it to Washington DC.
Mr Dayton said he sympathised with the concerns
of the protesting groups.
Comments:
Bangkok Post's estimate
of bodycount inaccura
by Jonathan Werve 8:06am
Sat Nov 10 '01
jonathanwerve@hotmail.com
The Bangkok Post's reporting
of 500 people at the Bangkok US embassy protest underestimated
the number of protestors by about 1200 people. Since most protestors
were from out of town, organizers have a good count of the people
they brought. The Alt Ag Network claimed 1000. The International
Transportation Workers, an informal union, claimed another 500.
An AIDS network claimed between 200-300 people. Based on my own
first hand observations, I'll say that while I don't know how
many people were there (I'd guess 2000), I can say with certainty
that the Post's estimate of 500 is just plain wrong.
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