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

''These scientists and academics [advising the Thai Government] have links with multinational companies that supply GM seeds. They are in it for the money. BioThai will not agree to the public being shut out from such an important decision."
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Thailand: Larger Battle Ahead for Anti-GMO Activists
Sonny Inbaraj
http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=25299

BANGKOK, Sep 1 (IPS) - While activists welcomed the Thai prime minister's reversal of a recent decision to allow the commercial growing of genetically modified (GM) crops, and hailed it as a people's victory, they warned that a national committee set up by the government to study the issue could run the risk of being hijacked by scientists having links to bio-technology companies.

On Tuesday at a cabinet meeting Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra reversed his decision made on Aug 21 to undo an earlier ban on the planting of GM crops, and opted for a national committee of academics to study the move before he planned any further action.

''Prime Minister Thaksin decided not to consider putting the resolution on the cabinet's agenda due to it being a debatable issue academically with controversy among various groups,'' government spokesman Jakrapob Penkair told reporters.

''More information needs to be gathered before a decision can be made,'' added Jakrapob.

While Thaksin's cabinet was meeting at Government House, over 100 representatives from consumer bodies, organic farm-product exporters and environmental groups gathered outside to protest against the premier's Aug 21 decision.

In 2001, Thailand imposed a ban on field trials of GM crops, and terminated ongoing field trials of GM cotton and corn carried out by the transnational corporation Monsanto. The government also banned all commercial planting of GM crops.

Thaksin's decision to undo the ban, based on the recommendation of the National Biotechnology Committee, incensed environmentalists who had vowed to wage an all-out campaign against the prime minister's re-election campaign, next year, if he went ahead with the cultivation of GM crops in the country.

''The prime minister's decision on Tuesday not to go ahead with cultivation of GM crops is a people's victory,'' Varoonvarn Svangsopakul, a genetic engineering campaigner with Greenpeace, told IPS.

''But this is the first step. There is a second round with regard to the Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) National Committee,'' she pointed out.

''We want independent people on it and not academics and scientists associated with bio-technology companies and multinationals,'' added Varoonvarn. ''Our next fight is to get members of civil society in the committee.''

''We still have to be vigilant,'' stressed the Greenpeace campaigner.

According to Science and Technology Minister Korn Dabbaransi, at the moment only university academics will be in the GMO National Committee in its fact-finding stage.

Korn said the committee would review three options with regard to GM crops: openly promoting it; partially planting them or an outright ban.

Activists said they would only accept the committee if members of civil society and environmentalists were on it.

''We will push the government to accept independent members,'' said Witoon Lianchamroon, the director of BioThai - an environmental group devoted to the preservation of biodiversity in Thailand.

''This is a perfect opportunity for the government to cooperate with people's groups - from the fact-finding stage to the implementation stage,'' he said in an interview.

Withoon wants the government committee to include organic agriculturalists and independent researchers and claims the government-appointed academics have an agenda to promote GM crops.

''These scientists and academics have links with multinational companies that supply GM seeds. They are in it for the money,'' he claimed.

''BioThai will not agree to the public shut out from such an important decision. We want half the members of the GMO committee to be organic food producers, organic farmers, environmentalists and independent researchers,'' stressed the activist.

Bio Thai, Greenpeace and several alternative-agriculture networks have also submitted official letters of complaint to two senate committees - the committee of human security and social development and the committee on foreign affairs - urging an investigation on the ''secret planting'' of GM papaya in a Department of Agriculture field research station in the north-eastern province of Khon Kean.

The issue of GM crops flared out in the open in late July when Greenpeace managed to prove that the research station was planting GM papaya and was the source of contamination of one of the country's most important staple foods.

The environmental group became concerned when it twice tested batches of papaya seeds, from the native species 'Khak Dam Tha Phra', sold by the research station to farmers. Independent laboratory tests showed that packages of papaya seeds sold by the Department of Agriculture's own research station contained genetically modified seeds.

On Wednesday, a group of Greenpeace South-east Asia volunteers led by the their executive director, Jiragorn Gajaseni, met with Agriculture Minister Somsak Thepsuthin to press for the destruction of the GM papaya trees at the Khon Kean research station.

''The longer we leave this GM papaya contamination unmanaged, the more it will spread across the country. There is no proof that it is safe for the environment and human health,'' Jiragorn told reporters.

''The minister of agriculture must act now and come up with a clean-up policy before this experimental papaya spreads all over Thailand and turn the Thai people into guinea pigs,'' he added.

GM papaya has been genetically engineered to be resistant to the ringspot virus. It is made by cutting a gene from the ringspot virus and forcing it into the cell of a papaya.

This is done by randomly shooting the gene millions of times with a gene gun with the hope that it gets into the plant cell. As part of this process, another virus and bacteria resistant to antibiotics are added. In terms of human health risks, the build-up of antibiotic resistance is also a concern.

''On Tuesday the cabinet decided that it will not consider the GMO policy proposed by the National Biotechnology Committee. Today, we ask the minister of agriculture to listen to facts and deal with the GM papaya contamination caused by this field trial immediately,'' said Jiragorn. (END/2004)