1,000 Thais march on US embassy to protest WTO ahead of Cancun

BANGKOK, Sept 9 (AFP) - More than 1,000 Thai farmers and activists took to the streets of Bangkok Tuesday railing against the World Trade Organisation and new agriculture deals proposed by the United States and Europe to be debated in Cancun, Mexico, this week.

Shouting "WTO, get out, USA get out!" and holding banners reading "Derail the WTO", the protestors peacefully marched to the European Union office and the US embassy where they presented an open letter to diplomats calling for a halt to a new round of trade liberalisation talks.

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"Negotiations on free trade in services are being strongly promoted by the US government and the EU, whereas the group of developing countries on the other hand, which are barely able to compete, have no interest in liberalising even further," the letter said.

"The policies adopted by the two powers serve to benefit transnational food industry and distribution companies based in their countries, regardless of how many others throughout the world ... lose out," said the letter signed by various Thai agriculture networks, and peasant and labour federations.

Police estimated 1,200 people at the rally, while organizers said 2,000 people attended.

Protestors put effigies of Uncle Sam and EU leaders on stakes in front of the US embassy gate, where 30 police and security officers, some in riot gear, stood guard.

"WTO is the corporation of the rich, exploiting for their benefit," one banner read, while another simply said "World Terrorism Organization".

Protesting Thai farmers expressed concern WTO negotiations could further destabilise plummeting agriculture prices, while free trade pacts particularly with China could send a tidal wave of cheap goods into Thailand.

"During the rice off-season I grow garlic but after Thailand and China signed recent free trade deals on food, cheap Chinese garlic has flooded the market here and I can not sell mine at the price I used to," said Manop Suriyasak, a 48-year-old farmer from Mae Sai district in northern Thailand.

State enterprise union chairman Somsak Kosaisook, one of the demonstration's leaders, said he and supporters opposed efforts by Washington to bully developing nations into submission.

"The US government should not pressure countries to open up their trade and services, and the Thai government should not initiate any free trade talks with the US to open up more sectors," Somsak told AFP.

Developing countries thought they had an ally in their cause one year ago when Thailand's Supachai Panitchpakdi took over as WTO chief, but critics say he has done little to help poor nations benefit from global commerce.

"Supachai is merely a puppet of the US. Thailand does not benefit from Supachai's position as head of WTO at all," Somsak said.

World trade ministers were set to launch a fresh bid Wednesday to rescue WTO trade liberalization talks, but officials have warned that there may be little significant headway made at the five-day meeting in Cancun, Mexico.

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