9 November 2001

His Excellency,

      We, farmers and people's organizations in Thailand, would like to register our concern over the project "the Stepwise Program for Improvement of Jasmine Rice for the United States" led by Dr. J. Neil Rutger, Dr. Chris Deren and Dr. James Gibbons, the Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center under the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The project our opinion is in breach of the Thai Plant Protection Act and the International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources, as well as general ethics on research work

      Part of the rice germs used in the project were obtained from Thailand without proper permission from the Commission on Plant Protection. The fact was testified by Dr. James Gibbons in his interview published in a newsletter by the University of Arkansas in January 1999. The rest of the rice germs were improperly taken from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in 1995, as the Material Transfer Agreement was not signed by concern parties.

     The farmers and people's organisations in Thailand are of the opinion that the letter submitted by Dr. J. Neil Rutger and Dr. Chris Deren to IRRI indicating their commitment not to patent or request for protection of the intellectual property rights of their research, is insufficient because it is still in breach of the Thai laws. The potential impact of their research on Thai peasants, i.e. the spread of jasmine rice plantation in the US, cannot be diminished by their promise. The plantation of pirated jasmine rice in the US will cause huge and permanent loss of the Thai rice market in the world and in the US. Similarly, Indian farmers are losing their market as much as 200 million USD a year after a project that developed a production of slight variation of Indian Basmati rice and patented in the US.

     The Thai jasmine rice has been developed and passed down for generations by Thai rural farmers. Over five million of Thai farmers live off their meager income from planting and selling jasmine rice. Their average income is as low as 200 USD per head per year. The research and development of jasmine rice in the US to compete with the Thai jasmine rice will impose great harm on the Thai farmers. The destitute farmers with their average income below the poverty line will suffer even more from such a project.

     In our opinion, and of most people in the world, the claim of "freedom of research that breaches laws in other countries", "the patenting of genetic resources stolen from Third World counties" and "the free trade that impoverishing people all over the world", will make your proud social standard and living standard questionable in the eyes of the world community.

     On behalf of poor farmers, NGOs, and Thai people who cherish our jasmine rice, we request that your government;

1. Order the immediate stoppage of the Thai jasmine rice research projects, which utilize rice germs taken from Thailand and IRRI without proper permission. If the project shall continue, the USDA must seek permission for the use of jasmine rice germs and sign contracts with the Commission on Plant Variety Protection as obliged by article 52 under the Thai 1999 Plant Variety Protection Act.
2. Revoke the Jasmati trademark registration granted by the US authority and stop the US corporations from deceiving the American public by using bogus brand names similar to the name of our the Thai jasmine rice and Indian Basmati rice. There shall also be a thorough review of the policy to grant intellectual property rights to genetic resources and wisdom taken from other Third World countries.

     We ask for your cooperation with the national commission appointed by the Thai government to solve the problem by the deadline of 30 November 2001, the date that Thai Prime Minister is scheduled to meet your Excellency and your entourage.

Jasmine rice is the pride of Thai farmers and Thai people. Our close bondage with rice does not stem from the fact that we are the biggest rice exporter in the world, but because "rice" is and integral part of our way of life and our spirit.

     Thai farmers and people's organisations are determined to continue our campaign to stop the stealing and illegal usage of our jasmine rice.

     We hope that our requests will satisfactory be met by 30 November 2001, otherwise we are obliged to start economic and other rightful retaliation campaigns

Yours sincerely,

Witoon Boonchado
On behalf of
Thai jasmine rice farmers in Toong Kula Rong-Hai
Alternative Agriculture Network
Alternative Agriculture Network Northern
Alternative Agriculture Network Northeastern
Alternative Agriculture Network Southern
Alternative Agriculture Network Middle of Thailand
The People's Network Against Globalization
BioThai
Assembly of the Poor

CC: The Prim Minister of Thailand Dr. Thaksin Sinnawat