PM stays coy on US-led trade pact

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PM stays coy on US-led trade pact

YINGLUCK TO ASK OBAMA FOR DETAILS

Published: 18 Nov 2012 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra says she will not give a commitment to US President Barack Obama Sunday that Thailand will join the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement.

However, Ms Yingluck said she would ask for more details of the TPP -- which has been criticised by some US congressmen and foreign policy experts for not being transparent -- so it could be further studied. Local academics and consumer advocates have warned that entry into the TPP would hurt consumers and Thailand's economic competitiveness.

"A number of parties have expressed concern about Thailand's participation in the TPP," Ms Yingluck said.

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mutley
Post : 184
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Discussion 21 : 19 Nov 2012 at 13.0021
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Drugs or medicines. I had a rash on my leg. I was given 3 types of locally manufactured cream by a hospital, a doctor and a drugstore. None of them worked. I went to another drugstore and bought a cream made in Switzerland. Cost twice as much but guess what. It worked.
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wakeup
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Discussion 20 : 18 Nov 2012 at 20.4120
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Yes - I really believe that all the sudden, everyone on Bangkok Post is fully for free trade and protecting "intellectual property" for big pharma. Bangkok Post ought to find a way to ensure only registered readers can comment and vote on comments, and only once. Just goes to show how low these people are willing to go to manipulate public opinion.
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puek
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Discussion 19 : 18 Nov 2012 at 20.0019
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wonder what Mrs PM will have to say about getting called out on the plan to dump rice below cost (due in part to the govt buyback scheme) on the world mkt. Seems the WTO has raised the issue and you can bet it will get discussed. TPP is a smokescreen
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watchdog
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Discussion 18 : 18 Nov 2012 at 17.0718
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Consider the timing: Japan announces it wants to join the TPP talks, and just a few days later Thailand says it would also like to join the TPP talks. That was no accident. Consider Thailand's position if the US, Japan and other countries in SE Asia, such as Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore are, parties to the TPP while Thailand is not. No one is pressing Thailand to join. This is a trans-pacific initiative, which was not started by and is not led by the US. Its up to Thailand to decide if it wants to join. And stamping your feet and blaming the US for this is not going to make the TPP go away.
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felixqui
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Discussion 17 : 18 Nov 2012 at 14.4117
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wakeup, re D10.

False.
Cambodia's current foreign land ownership laws are much like Thailand's, and for exactly the same reason - to allow a rich elite to buy up the land at a pittance as they generally exploit their fellow citizens. ANd of course, such anti-democratic laws also encourage corruption as we regularly see in Thailand.

A simple Google would have saved you some embarrassment.
We must now assume your D8 to be equally reliable.
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homosapien
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Discussion 16 : 18 Nov 2012 at 14.3516
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#13 Khun joninnak

The problem of costly pharmaceuticals can be solved, at least in part, by government subsidies, charities, insurance coverage, etc. But this will work only if there're the pharmaceuticals in question to begin with. (And this, by collecting more taxes for example, will ultimately push up prices of drugs to some extent. But the effect will be tolerable compared with what'll happen if we take off the incentive altogether.) Clearly, even after going through these social remedies, the poor will still have the lesser chance, but it's the chance nonetheless. It's better than the world in which we all die.
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pointman-1
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Discussion 15 : 18 Nov 2012 at 14.2715
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Disc 4, whatajoke: The United States, doesn't bully anyone into signing free trade deals. In fact, the USA, isn't behind TPP. If you take a look at the free trade agteement (FTA) between the United States, and The Republic of Korea, you'll see where The Republic of Korea, cut a good deal and enjoys a trade surplus with the USA. No-one is forced to join in an FTA.
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boons
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Discussion 14 : 18 Nov 2012 at 13.5314
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The citizens of the United States are still not able to view the contents of the TPP. The TPP is an incredibly secretive and scary document which was crafted behind closed doors, and is being cemented into place around the world without public knowledge. Thailand should absolutely refuse to sign on until the entire draft has been made public. This is a dangerous, fascist piece of legislation and is a very scary indication of how little the public has to do with laws which will radically affect them.
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joninnak
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Discussion 13 : 18 Nov 2012 at 13.4113
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homosapien, "costly life-saving drugs are much better than no drug at all!" that is correct if you are rich enough to afford them. No drugs at all if you cannot afford them.
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Bangon
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Discussion 12 : 18 Nov 2012 at 13.4012
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Thais know, they don't need to learn! The complex of superiority, and specificity, that has been nurtured during centuries by the ruling powers, has come into the genes of the Thais! Sure, it kept colonization away, but also education. In the World today to evoluate one needs to be able to make a decision, to take a stance, to stick to it, and to deliver accordingly. Thailand can't! Thais already have a poor reputation all over Asia, pray the rest of the World doesn't follow soon...
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