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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Not one to be intimidated, Supinya has =
taken her
crusade a notch higher by slamming the Thaksin governments free trade =
agreement
with Australia as an agreement that is deterimental to Thai farmers and =
one
which provides immense benfits to Thaksin's telecommunications empire.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Under the FTA with Australia, australia =
will not
impose qoutas on the number of satellites and mobile services, it will =
permit
unlimited access in Optus and Vodafone.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>While thailand is to provide reduced =
tariffs on
Dairy, and other exports form Australia.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Criticism of the Thai =
government's signing of
a spate of FTA with a number of governments has been growing in the past =
few
months. Civil Society groups like the Thai FTA watch have been =
strident in
their criticism of the governements, lack of transparency in the
negotiations.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The government on its part has been =
using
everything at its disposal to undermine and discredit the growing =
opposition to
the FTA. There were reports where dairy farmers were pressured not to =
march to
the capital, The dairy farmers in Thailand are perhaps the ones who will =
lose
the most from the FTA with Australlia. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>While the political opposition in the =
parliament
remains divided, unresponsive and confused, it is the civil society =
which
provides the only space where the government is effectivley challenged.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Go! Supinya! WE are with =
you.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Anoop</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
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