By Lek, Thai Labour Campaign, and Pablo Kala, People Global Action

A farmer tied himself to the cross of rice stems with his mouth gagged shut. This powerful image - seen at the anti-WTO demonstration in Bangkok - is a potent symbol that farmers are going to be effected by the trade deal without their voice being heard.

A week of Action on the WTO starts today, 9th September 2003 in Thailand and 3,000 Thai poor from every sector of the grassroots movement, - farmers, laborers, urban poor, students, environmental activists - are on the streets demonstrating their concern and opposition over the WTO Cancun Meeting. Posters and banners declare "Stop the WTO". "Stop US power in the WTO". "People before Profits."

Somsak Kosaisuk, the president of the State Enterprise Federation, stated that we have to stop the WTO from implementing the GATS and pushing for privatization of public enterprises. He said: "There is a big gap between the poor and the powerful in Thailand. State enterprise services are meant to fill this gap and provide a subsidy so that the poor can afford basic commodities. If we undergo privatization, the production of these commodities will be in the hands of the corporations which are only concerned with making a profit. Prices will rise and the poor will no longer be able to afford commodity goods."

Bamrung Kayotha, an advisor of the Assembly of the Poor, said "Before I was a small pig farmer, but I cannot compete with the big corporations which monopolise the chain of production of every commodity. Small scale farmers can never compete with the corporations under the free trade agreement which is why we have to fight to stop it"

Kingkorn Narintornkul, coordinator of the Thai Action on Globalisation stated: " Thailand's poor and farmers from many parts of the country traveled all night to come to participate in this demonstration - more than we expected. This is because Thai farmers are now starting to face the effects of unfair trade agreements and feel the need to raise their voices in opposition to the global trade policy. They said that if we are not coming to join the protest we will have nothing left to eat"

During the demonstration, representatives of the people's movement handed over letters to the EU and the US Embassy. These letters demanded the end to unfair trade practices that masquerade as free trade.

The week of actions will end on the 14th September with a one day public conference on the impacts of the WTO on the poor. Five hundred people have confirmed their participation - including representatives from most of Thailand's popular movements. Anti-WTO actions are planned for the end of the conference.