FOCUS ON ASIA
http://www.gmwatch.org/asia.asp

As the evidence of GM contamination mounts in Thailand (and Hawaii - see item 1), there is an impressively well-informed debate on GMOs going on in the country. See, for instance items 3 and 4 below for some remarkably acute comments from Thai scientists and citizens. Contrast the contents of these articles with the kind of superficial coverage in the US press.

EXCERPTS: MP Khunying Dr Kallaya Sophonpanich, who is also a nuclear physicist, said the safety of GM food is a central concern for many people. She said there has not yet been enough risk assessment done on the safety of human consumption. It is unknown whether GM food leaves any harmful residues in the human body. Will our children be at risk if they eat GM crops? These are the kind of questions that Thai people need answered from the officials involved, she said.

She suggested that the government should provide the information and let the public make their own decisions on whether or not to go for GMOs.

Khunying Kallaya said that nuclear energy was predictable in comparison to genetic engineering in the environment: "There is no way for you to know how far the GM crops will cross-pollinate, as you cannot control bees, birds or wind." (item 3)

This year's Ramon Magsaysay Award winner, Prayong Ronnarong, who was honoured for his leadership role in building self-reliance in local communities, said Thai people should have full information on the GMO issue. He warned against taking a course which is opposed to nature's way:

"According to my experience, doing things against nature always ends up in failure. Some countries might need GMOs, but in Thailand we are so rich in natural resources. Please don't try to win in a game against nature." (item 4)

1.GMO taints isle's papaya crop
2.GM papayas found on 8 more farms
3.Are GMOs safe? Scientists' Perspective
4.Do we rewally need GMOs
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1.GMO taints isle's papaya crop
By Julie Grass
Ka Leo News Co-Editor
September 20, 2004
http://www.kaleo.org/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/09/20/414e64c985a83

Most would probably just assume the food they buy at the grocery store is clean, not contaminated and safe to consume.

But this assumption may no longer be a safe one. A recent laboratory testing has found widespread contamination from the world's first commercially planted genetically engineered tree.

Papaya contamination has been detected on O'ahu, the Big Island and Kaua'i, along with contamination in non-genetically engineered seeds sold commercially by the University of Hawai'i.

The university, which created and released the genetically modified organisms, announced their findings earlier this month along with farmers, health professionals, concerned citizens and GMO-Free Hawaii, a grassroots coalition concerned with GMO's impact on the environment.

"It's an outrage that UH is selling contaminated papaya seeds to our local farmers and growers," said Toi Lahti, organic farmer and papaya grower from Big Island, where GMO papayas were commercially released in 1998.

Seed samples were sent to one of the world's leading scientific laboratories for genetic testing, Genetic ID, where samples from the Big Island and O'ahu were confirmed to be infected. Of the 20,000 papaya seeds tested from the Big Island, 50 percent were contaminated. Eighty percent of the seeds came from organic farms or from backyard gardens.

Solo Waimanalo, a non-genetically engineered seed, also tested positive for GMO contamination. The seeds were purchased from UH.

"These test indicate that UH's non-GMO seed stock is contaminated, and so there can be no doubt that the university must take immediate action to protect farmers, consumers and the environment," said Mark Query of GMO-Free Hawaii. "It is clear that coexistence of traditional and GMO crops is impossible."

As of Friday the university had not yet presented a plan for cleaning up contamination.

Seed DNA was examined for the presence of the cauliflower mosaic virus promoter, also known as the 35S promoter. The 35S promoter is a sequence engineered into the transgenic papaya, giving proof of GMO contamination.

"UH should redirect its substantial resources to focus on researching and promoting workable, non-GMO solutions to agricultural problems," said Hector Valenzuela, vegetable crops extension specialist at UH- Manoa.

GMO-Free Hawaii wants to move Hawaiian agriculture away from genetic engineering and towards locally-based, sustainable agriculture. They gave members from each of the major Hawaiian Islands.

The seeds are genetically engineered to be resistant to the ringspot virus.

Valenzuela also said data concerning long-term effects on human health and environmental impact is lacking.

According to Lorrin Pang, M.D., M.P.H., a public health specialist, said GMO mutations are spreading beyond intentions. She said risks to human health include increased antibiotic resistance and unexpected allergenic reactions.

"If a health problem arises that is attributable to GMO foods, it will be impossible to recall such a live, dangerous mutation once it has been released into the environment," she said.

Genetically engineered papayas tend to be weaker, making them more vulnerable to diseases including blackspot fungus. This susceptibility causes farmers to spray toxic chemicals such as fungicides and pesticides on their trees as often as every 10 days.

GMO papayas also tend to have a shorter shelf-life than those not engineered, making it harder to ship these fruits and sell them at grocery stores.

When GMO papayas were first released, 40 percent of the Hawaiian papaya market came from Japan, according to Melanie Bondera, member of the Hawaii Genetic Engineering Action Network. Now much of their market has been lost because Japan does not accept GMO foods.

"People in Japan, Europe, Thailand, Jamaica and Venezuela won't touch these fruits," Bondera said. Canada has just recently reopened their market.

The United States is not required to label genetically engineered food in its grocery stores. This is a main method of contamination because if contaminated seeds are put with non-contaminated seeds, more contamination is spread. Only organic foods are guaranteed to be free of genetic engineering. Some grocers will put 'GMO Free' labels on their fruits but are not required.

The university is now genetically engineering taro, pineapple, banana, sugarcane and other commodity crops.

"Let us be very careful before releasing GMOs into the environment; we only have one," Pang said.
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2.MODIFIED CROPS: GM papayas found on 8 more farms
Saowalak Pumyaem, Sumalee Phopayak
The Nation, Sep 21, 2004
http://nationmultimedia.com/page.news.php3?clid=3&id=121190&usrsess=1

Plants to be tested to determine if they came from ministry research centre

Genetically modified (GM) papayas have been found on eight more farms in Khon Kaen's Muang District, Agriculture Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said yesterday.

Somsak said that samples had now been collected from 1,164 of the 2,600 farms growing papayas in Khon Kaen. He said the ministry would finish collecting samples from the remaining farms by September 22.

The ministry will take a week to determine if the papayas were seedlings from the ministry's research centre in Tha Phra. If they were, a probe would be conducted to find out how the seedlings were smuggled from the centre, Somsak said.

"If the investigations find that farmers bought the GMO seedlings without knowing, they will not face punishment," Somsak said.

Associate Professor Supat Attatham of Kasetsart University’s Agriculture faculty deflected criticism from environmentalists over the university research centre's lack of safety measures to prevent removal of GM seedlings. He said the university's centre grew only two rai of papayas and 100 trees per year.

Supat said that while the university's centre has no security guards like at the Tha Phra centre, it was unlikely anyone could enter the experimental lab deep inside the compound. He also ruled out the possibility of contamination by pollens, saying the papayas were at least 0.5 kilometres from other seedlings.

Agriculture Department directorgeneral Chakan Saengraksawong said the department would give compensation to farmers whose papayas were found to be contaminated, while farmers whose papayas are free of contamination would get certificates of assurance.

Kasetsart University academic Dr Wichai Kositrat downplayed the danger from GM contaminated plants, arguing that experiments on genetically modified organisms (GMO) and biotechnology must continue despite growing opposition from environmentalists.

"China has developed its biotechnology to be second only to the United States. It must produce enough food to feed its population," he said.

Wichai said the Philippines was also going ahead with GMO experiments in the face of heavy opposition. "I wish the country’s development was based on science that can be proven and not on ignorance," he said.

In Ubon Ratchathani, plant traders were reported to be selling "suspicious" papayas at cheap prices.

NGO worker Wilawan Uawongkul said that she and other staffers had collected three samples from a farmer who said he bought papaya seedlings for Bt2 each that bore fruit after four months, a relatively rapid yield.

She said test results to be released in a week would show if the papayas are GMO contaminated. Wilawan said she also heard about cheap papaya seedlings being sold to students for Bt5 each in Det Udom district. "Some parents destroyed the seedlings because they heard about GMO papayas from television news," she said.
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3.Are GMOs safe?
Perspective
Bangkok Post, 19 Sep 2004
http://www.biothai.org/cgi-bin/content/news/show.pl?0346

'The use of GMOs is a double-edged sword," said Dr Visut Baimai, a fellow of the Academy of Science, Thailand Royal Institute, expressing his concerns over biosecurity and safety. "If we don't have enough knowledge on the issues, it will rather affect our food security," he said, adding that Thailand is rich in biological diversity and this should be the basis for the country's agricultural development."

"The vital work of biosecurity requires a comprehensive approach to planning and management, in order to afford protection to humans, animals, plants and the environment from biological threats," he said.

The threats include bioterrorism and agroterrorism, biopiracy, the invasion of alien species and genetically modified organisms (GMOs), he said, adding that the issue requires the cooperation of people from all sectors.

MP Khunying Dr Kallaya Sophonpanich, who is also a nuclear physicist, said the safety of GM food is a central concern for many people. She said there has not yet been enough risk assessment done on the safety of human consumption. It is unknown whether GM food leaves any harmful residues in the human body. Will our children be at risk if they eat GM crops? These are the kind of questions that Thai people need answered from the officials involved, she said.

She suggested that the government should provide the information and let the public make their own decisions on whether or not to go for GMOs.

Khunying Kallaya said that nuclear energy was predictable in comparison to genetic engineering in the environment: "There is no way for you to know how far the GM crops will cross-pollinate, as you cannot control bees, birds or wind."

Dr Kaew Kangsadan-ampai of Mahidol University said that he is not against GMOs per se, but thinks that using GM products in the food supply without safety assessments is a mistake. "There are many different steps to certify and to prove safety for human consumption," he said.

He raised as an example a soybean modified with a nutritious protein from the Brazil nut which causes allergies in some people. "For those who have allergies to the nuts, there is a potential for harm as they might not know that the soybean was genetically modified with the gene from the Brazil nut," said Dr Kaew.

Dr Kaew also cited a study done at the Center of Ethics and Toxics in Gualala, California and at Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, which found GM soy to have lower phytoestrogen levels than normal soy. Two varieties of GM soy were compared to their conventional counterparts grown in similar conditions. In 12 of 21 analyses, the GM soy demonstrated a 12 to 14 percent reduction in genistein and daidzein, the two major soy isoflavones of benefit to menopausal women.

Dr Janet Cotter from Exeter University, UK, said in a conference organised recently at Chiang Mai University that, "It is difficult to predict how the GM papaya will the affect the ecosystem," adding that the adverse consequences of pollen from modified plants escaping into the environment and mixing with other plants are unknown as they cannot be seen in laboratory testing immediately.

She added that some unexpected substances could be very difficult to detect. Thus the long-term effects to humans are still unknown and need further study.

She raised as an example papaya grown in Hawaii which has been genetically engineered to be resistant to the ringspot virus. The transgene is made by cutting a gene from the ringspot virus and forcing it into the cell of a papaya with a gene gun. As part of this process, another virus and bacteria which are resistant to antibiotics are added to the papaya cell. Dr Cotter said that there is a possibility that in the process the virus could be changed to a form in which it is able to infect new hosts and be carried by different organisms, such as insects.

In terms of human health risks, the build-up of antibiotic resistance in humans as a result of consumption of GM food which carries bacterial genes for antibiotic ressitance is also a health concern, and there is a question as to whether GM foods can cause allergetic symptoms.

It is generally thought that American people are happy with their GM technology. However, many consumer organisations, such as the Organic Trade Association (OTA), have called on the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to take immediate steps to control the contamination of the GM crops as more and more studies reveal that the contamination is a reality. The OTA has urged the USDA to place a ban on the outdoor growing of all GM corn, soy, wheat and rice, and all crops genetically engineered to contain the Bt toxin which acts as a natural pesticide.

Another example is that the citizens of California's Mendocino County recently passed ballot initiative "H," which made it the first county in the US to prohibit the propagation, cultivation, raising or growing of plants that have been produced through biotechnology. Organic and non-GMO conventional farmers in Mendocino say the new law will help protect their crops and seed stock from potential contamination from neighbouring GM fields.
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4.DO WE REALLY NEED GMOS?
Perspective
Bangkok Post, 1 Jan 1970

Despite a strong push for the biotechnology by segments of the government, the public remains suspicious and unconvinced, writes SUPARA JANCHITFAH

Mrs Lert Chanchawan of Na Or village in Loei harvesting her corn with a concern that farmers know little about GMOs.

Sunee, a company worker, normally drinks soybean milk since she learned that soybeans are a prime source of phytoestrogens (plant estrogen), which provide health benefits for women, such as protection against breast cancer.

"But now I am worrying about whether I should continue drinking soybean milk or not. I have just learned that there is no real control of GM soybean imported into Thailand," said Sunee. She is also wondering if various allergies such as skin rashes, which doctors cannot explain the cause of, could be caused by drinking milk made from GM soybean.

According to Dr Kaew Kangsadan-ampai of the Nutrition Institute of Mahidol University (see sidebar), there are some studies which indicate that GM soybean has less nutritional value. Phytoestrogens in soybean are converted into a form which the human body can use when they come in contact with a bacteria that resides in the digestive tract.

Cheun Sritarang wonders about his papayas after learning about GMOs.

"Many reports say that GM soybean has less phytoestrogen," said Dr Kaew, adding that no study has yet proven the safety of GM soybean or other GMOs.

Seksan, the owner of an electronics shop in Bangkok, said he loves to eat papaya salad but now he has stopped because of the recent news about an agricultural research project in Khon Kaen province in which GMO papayas are said to be growing.

"I've seen many reports on television and in the newspapers. I think I had better stop eating somtam, as I might get more than I need, and develop resistance to antibiotics," he said.

Sunee and Seksan are hardly alone in their suspicions of GMOs (genetically modified organisms), despite the fact that there is no clear evidence to indicate that eating GM products is harmful to humans. The doubts and phobia surrounding GMOs are widespread in Thailand and around the world. People want to know what exactly is a GMO and how it might affect long term health (see box with diagramme). The concern reached new levels in Thailand recently with the announcement by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on August 20 that he had approved the testing, planting and commercialisation of GM crops in Thailand, along with the news of the papaya experiments. Following a general outcry from the public, the decision was reversed on August 31.

Chen Sritarang, a farmer of Ponkai village in Loei province wonders if anything is wrong with his papaya trees. "Have they been contaminated?" he asked.

His neighbour, Sombat Sriharnchai, who said he learned about GMO papayas through a news programme, feels that farmers would be the victims of reckless experiments by the government. "We farmers never know what the government officials are doing and they have never asked if we want it or not," said Sombat.

The news that the government had allowed the open field trials of the GM crops upset many people, not only farmers. Vallop Pitchpongsa, an organic produce exporter, said that he opposes any move to allow open field trials of GM crops because it would affect his business.

"Some importers require us to prove that our products are totally free from GMOs, without any contamination. This will be trouble for our business and increase costs for verification and labelling," he said.

Vallop said some individual companies have already been asked to prove that their products have not been contaminated. He wondered why the government wants to "jump onto a train that's leading Thailand to nowhere."

"The GMO products are only welcome in a small number of (international) markets, not like conventional or organic products. It's dangerous to decide to allow the open field trial, it will only lead us to unknown places," said Vallop.

He says there are better agricultural methods for Thai people to choose from, such as organic and natural farming. "I think that we won't be left out if we do not develop GMOs," he added.

THE DEBATE GOES ON...

According to the 1964 Plant and Quarantine Act, the cultivation of transgenic crops must be fully controlled by the state. In addition, a cabinet resolution was passed on April 3, 2001 which prohibits open field trials. Many officials involved in promotion of GMOs have defended the position that there has been no spread of GMOs outside of closely monitored experimental fields. But finally last week Agriculture Minister Somsak Thepsuthin admitted that GM papaya grown in Khon Khaen has contaminated local plantations.

Moreover GM crops have already entered the food chain in Thailand. For example, Green Peace's research unit found that many food products sold in Thailand are being contaminated with GM substances. According to United States Department of Agriculture records, the US and Argentina exported a combined total of 1,476,119 tonnes of soybean oilseed and 1,199,910 tonnes of soybean meal to Thailand in 2003. Both countries are heavily invested in GMO technology. Thai people may consume GM substances directly or indirectly, as they are often used as ingredients in animal feed.

In the flurry of public debate over the past few weeks, some officials and proponents of GMOs said those who are against them are the sort who would believe that the earth is flat. Thai society has been inundated with the idea that we will be left out if we do not develop our own GMO crops.

The companies and state officials that promote the biotechnology often say that GMOs will bring major benefits to farmers in Thailand. They say that they will be more resistant to pests and even that GMOs can be grown in saline or poor soil and resist drought.

Agriculture Minister Somsak has defended GMOs on many television programmes and in Parliament, where he said that Thailand can be a great power in agriculture if it experiments with GMOs and other countries do not. On the other hand, he said, if other countries do it and Thailand does not, we will be at a disadvantage.

Dr Sakarindr Bhumiratana, the director of the National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, who has also recently appeared on many forums, defended experimentation in Thailand in his testimony by saying that there are many countries which have already been engaging in GMO research. He downplayed fears of "gene jumping", a phenomenon in which genes introduced into GM crops turn up in the genomes of other plants growing nearby. He said the controversial papaya field trial was conducted in a safe way. Minister Somsak agreed, saying that the fields are well fenced and there are security guards to protect the fields. This was, of course, before the announcement last week that contamination had occurred.

On a televised debate in which Dr Sakarindr participated, Democrat party MP Khunying Dr Kallaya Sophonpanich questioned whether barbed wire fences at Tha Phra's Horticultural Research station in Khon Kaen would protect them from GMO papaya pollen drifting to nearby fields.

Dr Sakarindr did not answer the question, but instead described the widespread popularity of GM crops around the world. He said that altogether about 400 million rai are under cultivation, with the United States leading the way, followed by China. This is somewhat incongruous with announcements by China on many occasions that the country would be going in the direction of organic farming.

Khunying Kallaya pointed out that GM crops are not necessarily hardier than natural crops. Just because a crop is modified to have resistance to one disease, it is still vulnerable to many others. She gave the example of GMO papayas grown in Hawaii which have resistance to ringspot but not back-spot disease. But more importantly, she said, the GMO contamination of Hawaii's agricultural products has led to their decline in the international marketplace, such as in Japan.

Dr Sakarindr again asserted that fears of contamination are groundless, although he did admit that GMOs could conceivably contain very small amounts of toxic substances which are not present in natural varieties. But he said that there are methods to screen for these "It is a rare chance that there would be any negative impacts. The risks do not compare to the huge benefits from the technology," he said.

When interviewed later, however, Daycha Siripatra of Khao Kawn Foundation questioned whether the Thai people and the government have enough information to decide on whether GM crops are a promise of miracle or disaster. He is concerned that a few international corporations could monopolise our food supply. He then asked the government to reveal the details of the contract that Thailand made with the Cornell Research Foundation, Inc, which holds the patent on the GMO papaya seeds.

He was referring to testimony from Mr Wicha Titiprasert, a representative from the Department of Agriculture, before the Senate Committee on Social Development and Human Security. Mr Wicha said that Thai papaya growers would not have to pay patent royalty fees unless the papayas were grown for export. After being pressed for more information in a parliamentary debate, Minister Somsak came out to say that Thailand would have to pay a 10 percent royalty fee to Cornell for sales under $250,000, 20 percent for sales between $250,000 and $500,000, 30 percent from $500,000-$1,000,000 and 35 percent above $1 million.

FOCUS ON THE FUNDAMENTALS

Mr Wicha testified before the Senate that Thailand, in order to help feed the world, needs GM crops. He raised the example of Bangladesh, which is a poor country where many people still go hungry.

His view is not shared by Mr Daycha, who argued that although Thailand actually has a surplus of food, people still go hungry.

"They go hungry because they cannot afford to buy food. Many people don't have access to the means of food production, such as land and capital. These means of production have been monopolised and captured by some groups of people, such as landowners and corporations," he said.

He also cast doubt on the benefits of GM crops which contain a natural pesticide, citing reports that in some cases farmers have been forced to use more pesticides due to resistance in the insects which builds up over time (see sidebar).

Witoon Lianchomroon of BioThai said that GMOs sometimes increase the investment for farmers. He gave the example of Warangal village in Andhra Pradesh, India, where farmers are complaining about having to pay more for the seeds of so-called pest resistant cotton, and then having to pay more for pesticides as well.

Witoon wonders if ending hunger is the real motivation for corporations which market GM crops. He said that biotech food research was usually done to respond to the needs of food processors and retailers in developed countries. For example, one kind of tomato was modified with a gene from a fish so that it would have a longer shelf life.

Witoon said the main purpose of the corporations marketing GM crops is to profit from their patents. The companies' sales agreements with farmers prevent them from saving their seeds at harvest time for the next planting. They are forced to buy new seeds. The transgenic seeds are much more expensive as well. For example, Srisomrong cotton seeds cost only around 15 baht a kilo, while GM cotton seeds cost around 600 baht a kilo.

Possibly on the horizon is the highly controversial "terminator technology". This would absolutely prevent farmers from saving seeds, because the seeds purchased from the companies would produce plants with sterile seeds. Dr Sakarindr commented that no biotech corporations have yet marketed terminator seeds, although the technology has been available for several years.

"You can save your seeds but you still have to pay for the patent. We have seen that a corporation filed charges against more than 120 farmers in the US who planted seeds from harvested GM crops without paying the royalty," said Witoon.

"In many countries, such as in India, small scale farmers are losing the ancient tradition of seed saving," he added.

Mr Daycha said there are parallels with the so-called green revolution and the global spread of GMO technology.

"The GMO revolution came with a similar line as the green revolution. That is, it would increase food production in response to the increasing population. But the majority of people in the world still go hungry," said Mr Daycha.

In his opinion, the Thai government should be focussing on the more fundamental issues of land ownership and distribution of food, rather than on GM crops with unproven benefits. He said GM crops certainly would not address the chief problem faced by small time farmers in Thailand _ unequal access to resources. On the contrary, the promotion of GM crops in the country means that small time farmers would end up paying more to buy seeds and pesticides.

He believes the Thai government has done too little to help small farmers practice sustainable methods such as integrated and organic farming, and should invest more on research on how to make use of Thailand's rich bio-diversity.

"We should start with what we have rather than depend on uncontrollable technology," said Mr Daycha.

This year's Ramon Magsaysay Award winner, Prayong Ronnarong, who was honoured for his leadership role in building self-reliance in local communities, said Thai people should have full information on the GMO issue. He warned against taking a course which is opposed to nature's way:

"According to my experience, doing things against nature always ends up in failure. Some countries might need GMOs, but in Thailand we are so rich in natural resources. Please don't try to win in a game against nature."