Sanitsuda Ekachai
COMMENTARY
Published: 5/11/2009

As if our commons have not been destroyed enough by the local money barons, the government is planning to invite foreign investors to bleed dry our seas, forests and biodiversity resources.

This is sheer madness.

At a time when Thailand cannot escape erratic weather patterns and natural disaster threats from global warming, our nation's priorities are pretty clear. We must preserve what little is left of our healthy environment. At the same time, we must nurture the degraded natural environment back to health to ensure that the majority have enough to eat.

When climate change keeps breeding new diseases, we also need to protect our biodiversity as a source of medicinal ingredients that will save the lives of millions.

Yet, under the Asean Comprehensive Investment Agreement (ACIA), our government is going to do just the opposite. Instead of ensuring that the majority, ordinary people have control over their local natural resources, the government will serve our precious natural resources to a handful of rich foreign investors on a silver platter.

What is going on here?

If the Board of Investment of Thailand (BoI) and the Department of Trade Negotiations have their way, Thailand will lift investment restrictions in forestry, aqua culture and plant breeding for Asean investors, offering them also special BoI privileges and protection.

In short, the scarce resources that are the basis of the country's food security in a time of climate change crisis will be up for grabs - thanks to our policy obsession with foreign investment.

The Fisheries Department, Rice Department and the Office of Agricultural Economics are unhappy with the BoI move, believing this will put too much pressure on scarce resources while making rice and other plant varieties open to greater bio-piracy.

Meanwhile, civil society and grassroots groups foresee explosive conflicts on the ground. To start with, tree farms by new Asean money will definitely accelerate the already serious land rights conflicts since local villagers have to be evicted to make way for large-scale tree farms, not to mention more losses of biodiversity.

Along the coasts, small-scale fishermen are already at their wits' end with the local mafias who destroy the seas and their livelihood through big trawlers and gigantic prawn and cockle farms. Now, they will have to face a new set of enemies armed with special protection from the government. The BoI insists that local rules and regulations can be set up to keep Asean investors in line. But no one buys this. If our laws are so effective, how come we are in such a deep environmental mess?

But the forestry officials, the main supporters of tree farms, are in favour of the Asean free investment push. No need to fear foreigners taking over Thai forests, they say, for only Thai nationals are allowed to have tree farm concessions.

Excuse me, but we are not talking nationalism here. We're talking about protecting the natural environment and the locals' livelihood from the onslaught of excessive investment, Thai or foreign.

In fact, this Asean free investment move will strengthen the local mafias like never before. Up until now they have been green with envy for the privileges enjoyed by foreign investors. But through the Asean free investment drives, the local money barons can act as a front, get additional capital, and enjoy a tax holiday and other legal protection. How nice! This is also true for agro-industry giants in Thailand. Imagine how rich and powerful they will be with more privileges and protection?

The Abhisit government will decide about this issue tomorrow. If the BoI wins, the country will lose and more than 100 civic groups will team up to sue the government to stop the onslaught on the environment and the villagers' livelihood.

Indonesia and the Philippines have already refused to lift similar investment restrictions to protect their local people and the foundation of their food security. Why can't Thailand?

Tomorrow, we will know if the Abhisit government is with the common good, or with big business.

* Sanitsuda Ekachai is Assistant Editor (Outlook), Bangkok Post. Email: sanitsudae@bangkokpost.co.th

By Bangkok Post On 5 Nov 2009

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