Print this news Thailand CAMPAIGN TO BEGIN AGAINST GM GOODS; DESIGNED TO COUNTER UPCOMING MEETING ON BIOTECHNOLOGY 06-Jul-2001 Bangkok Post   Thai and international activists will join forces with consumer protection groups and farmer organisations to launch a campaign against genetically modified products next week. The campaign is a response to an international conference on biotechnology, scheduled for July 10-12 and organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The activists believed the "New Biotechnology Foods and Crops: Science, Safety and Society" conference would be geared as a forum to promote acceptance of GM products in developing countries. Organisers said the campaign against GM products would be launched on July 10. Participants would include BioThai, a network of groups advocating protection of biological resources, Greenpeace International, Consumer International and Third World Network. They would form a group called "People's against GMOs."Auaiporn Suthonthanyakorn, of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, said the fact that Thailand was picked as a venue for the conference showed the intention of developed countries to force Thailand to allow in more GM products. The activists said BioThai and the Foundation for Consumers had already turned down an invitation for them to become part of the conference's steering committee. The conference's programme was already fixed and their participation would not make any difference, they said. Another activist claimed the conference would be focusing primarily on scientific aspect of GMOs in a bid to divert public attention from the ongoing debate which covered socio-economic, religious and ethical aspects. "The conference is aimed at weakening the strong feeling against GMOs in developing countries while the OECD had failed to persuade their public to accept GM products," said Saree Ongsomwang, of the Confederation of Consumers Organisations. Print this news SEAMEO SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center http://www.bic.searca.org		Campaign to begin against GM goods; designed to counter upcoming meeting on biotechnology       More news...