FOCUS ON ASIA

Greenpeace campaigners in Thailand recently revealed that GM papaya have been grown for at least 12 months on a farm in the province of Khon Kaen in a widening GM contamination scandal. It was grown from papaya seeds purchased from a Thai government research station in June 2003. Testing shows the seeds they are selling have beome contaminated - almost certainly by GM field trials.

To see a map showing the spread of contamination in Thailand: http://weblog.greenpeace.org/ge/archives/Map-contamination.jpg

"The purpose of the ban on field trials imposed in 2001 was to prevent GE contamination. But we now have proof that not only has this ban failed, but the Department of Agriculture itself has committed a crime that threatens an essential food with widespread contamination," said Svangsopakul.

"Last year we warned the Thai public of the environmental and health risks posed by GE papaya and called on the government to stop all planting of the crop anywhere in the country. We also pointed to Hawaii as an example of GE papaya gone wrong.

"When GE papaya was introduced into Hawaii the biotech industry said it was a 'solution' to the papaya ringspot virus problem. But instead it has caused serious environmental and economic problems for farmers. The selling price of GE papaya has fallen to 30-40 percent below production costs, and the price that farmers get for their GE papaya is 600 percent lower than the price for organic papaya." (item 3)

For more of the background on the GM papaya scandal see item 3.

1.Activists prompt GMO probe
2.NGOs threaten to sue over "GMO seeds"
3.GM papaya scandal in Thailand
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1.Activists prompt GMO probe
by Sirinart Sirisunthorn and Dussadee Ngarmlua
The Nation, 4 Aug 2004

The agriculture Department yesterday ordered a halt to the distribution of papaya seeds from its research station in Khon Kaen (Thailand) in an effort to disprove claims by environmentalists that genetically modified papaya seeds slipped through to farmers.

Chakan Saengraksawong, the directorgeneral of the department, said the halt would allow his department to investigate whether farmers possessed genetically modified papaya seeds, as alleged by Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

Last week, Greenpeace raided and destroyed plants on an experimental papaya plantation at the Khon Kaen station. The organisation then accused the station of distributing GMO papaya seeds to farmers. Some nongovernmental organisations threatened to sue over the alleged distribution.

The station is the largest supplier of the popular Khaek Dam Thaphra strain of papaya seeds.

Chakan insisted yesterday that while his station was researching GMO papaya, it had not distributed any GMO seeds.

"So, current distribution has to be stopped to check whether GMO seeds have really slipped out as some have alleged," Chakan said.

He said farmers who suspected their papaya came from GMO seeds could alert his department, which would check and then confirm where the seeds originated.

Turning the tables, Chakan said he suspected Greenpeace Southeast Asia of allowing GMOs out of the research station. "That day, when Greenpeace raided the station, its staff took some papaya fruit with them," he said, adding that the station would continue experimenting with GMO papaya.
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2.NGOs threaten to sue over "GMO seeds"
by Sirinart Sirisunthorn and Yossawadee Hongthong
The Nation, 30 July 2004

A group of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) yesterday threatened to sue a senior government official if relevant agencies fail to stop the distribution of alleged genetically engineered papaya seeds within 15 days.

Their ultimatum followed Tuesday's raid by environmentalists on an agricultural research station in Khon Kaen where genetically modified seeds are alleged to originate.

The station is considered the country's largest supplier of papaya seeds.

"We will lodge complaints with police and the Administrative Court against the Agriculture Department's director-general for dereliction of duty if the government doesn't heed our demands," said Witoon Lianjamroon of Biothai yesterday.

NGOs demanded the Agriculture Ministry immediately stop the distribution of genetically modified papaya seeds and seedlings. They also called on Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to order a neutral fact-finding committee to probe whether some of the seeds and seedlings originating from the Khon Kaen agricultural station were genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

"The committee must complete its investigation in 15 days. We also expect immediate elimination of GMOs outside of research farms if the results indicate such a scenario exists," Witoon said.

He said papaya was a major staple of the country and the consumption of genetically engineered papaya could be harmful to consumers.

The Assembly of the Poor, Green Net Cooperative and many consumer groups supported Witoon's move. Witoon said his alliance would today submit its demands to Thaksin.

Democrat Party deputy leader Khunying Kallaya Soponpanich said the government should not allow people to consume genetically engineered papaya as it remained unclear whether GMOs are safe for consumption.

"People should not be allowed to eat GMOs until they are proven safe," she said.

Meanwhile, the agricultural station's senior official, Wilai Prasartsri, insisted the station had never allowed GMOs outside of its compound, since such an act would be against the law.

"We just distribute non-GMO papaya," she said, adding she welcomed an investigation.

She also condemned Greenpeace Southeast Asia's raid on her research station.

"We have to lodge complaints with police to set a precedent that establishes such actions are not acceptable," Wilai said.
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3.GE papaya scandal in Thailand
Illegal GE seeds found in packages sold by
Tue 27 July 2004
http://www.greenpeace.org/international_en/news/details?item_id=547563

THAILAND/Khon Kaen

[image caption: Greenpeace Thai activists seal off the GE papaya at the Khon Kaen agricultural research station of the Department of Agriculture.]

We warned the Thai government over a year ago not to play with genetically engineered (GE) papaya but they didn't listen. Although trials of the engineered food crop are banned, it seems they couldn't resist having a go themselves. Now they have left the whole country's papaya crop wide open to contamination.

Independent laboratory tests carried out in Hong Kong showed that packages of papaya seeds being sold by the Department of Agriculture's research station in the province of Khon Kaen contained GE seeds. We identified one of the fields at the research station as the source of the GE seeds. It turns out that the experimental field was only segregated from the other papaya by barbed wire and banana trees.

"This is potentially one of the worst cases of genetic contamination of a major food crop in Asia as this station is one of the largest suppliers of papaya seeds in the country," said Varoonvarn Svangsopakul, our GE campaigner in Southeast Asia. "This is the hard evidence we needed to prove that GE contamination has broken in Thailand."

Thai activists sealed off the GE papaya at the agricultural research station of the Department of Agriculture. Dressed in protective suits they removed the GE papaya fruit from the trees then secured them in hazardous material containers.

They also demanded that the government complete this process and immediately destroy all papaya trees, fruit, seedlings, and seeds in the Khon Kaen research station to prevent further contamination.

"The purpose of the ban on field trials imposed in 2001 was to prevent GE contamination. But we now have proof that not only has this ban failed, but the Department of Agriculture itself has committed a crime that threatens an essential food with widespread contamination," said Svangsopakul.

Last year we warned the Thai public of the environmental and health risks posed by GE papaya and called on the government to stop all planting of the crop anywhere in the country. We also pointed to Hawaii as an example of GE papaya gone wrong.

When GE papaya was introduced into Hawaii the biotech industry said it was a 'solution' to the papaya ringspot virus problem. But instead it has caused serious environmental and economic problems for farmers. The selling price of GE papaya has fallen to 30-40 percent below production costs, and the price that farmers get for their GE papaya is 600 percent lower than the price for organic papaya.

The consequences of growing GE papaya in Thailand are feared to be even more serious than Hawaii. Not only is green papaya eaten as a daily staple food, it is also grown everywhere - in farmers' fields, schoolyards and gardens.

"We've been calling for an end to this genetic experiment on the grounds that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are uncontrollable. There can no longer be any doubt that this is true. And the government must take action to stop this experiment now," said Jiragorn Gajaseni, Executive Director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

"The government must act now to impose a total ban on GE field trials, including those in government restricted areas and experimental stations, and must launch an investigation into this environmental crime."