Thailand tackled by US Chamber of Commerce

The US Chamber of Commerce has contacted Thailand's government to demand that its Public Health Ministry establish a dialog with foreign drugmakers and stop using compulsory licensing as a mechanism for breaking patents for antiretroviral and cardiovascular drugs. The group has also released a survey of 234 business executives worldwide which indicates that the Thai military-appointed government's economic and intellectual property rights policies are threatening future inward investment.

Daniel Christman, the US Chamber of Commerce's senior vice president for international affairs and retired Lieutenant-General, said: "global businesses have a long history of successfully working in Thailand, but recent feedback from business leaders shows concern about their future." Lt Gen Christman added that Thai government policies must "follow globally-accepted business practices, including regular consultations on pending economic decisions that impact foreign companies and investors operating in Thailand."

According to the USCC survey, three quarters of respondents said that the military coup and protectionist economic policies, including currency exchange controls, foreign ownership restrictions and compulsory drug licensing would affect their willingness to do business in Thailand. The Chamber ranks the Southeast Asian country as third-worst in the region for intellectual property rights enforcement, behind only Vietnam and Indonesia.