bush is coming to town, which means it’s time for the thai government to do a quick clean up … make things boring for a week. everything always goes back to normal once he is gone tho. it’s become clear tho that bush’s problems don’t stem from his general lack of competence or the fact that he’s dumb, apparently thai farmers have put a curse on him.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/JG31Ae01.html

Pirated DVDs, fake Swiss watches and imitation designer garments are fast disappearing from Patpong, a red-light strip in the Thai capital popular with tourists, bargain-hunters and others. The clean-up comes ahead of US President George W Bush’s two-day visit next week to Thailand as part of his final Asian tour as chief executive.

The US has pushed for stronger IPR protection in the proposed FTA than is currently mandated by member states to the World Trade Organization, which allows for generic drug production under certain circumstances through a compulsory licensing arrangement. US officials have taken issue with that clause and were behind the 2006 removal of a World Health Organization country representative to Thailand who argued against the FTA.

Local interest groups, particularly the farmers who have suffered from previous free trade deals, doubt those scientific assessments. They demonstrated their displeasure with US trade policies the last time Bush visited Thailand in 2003, placing a curse on him by dropping his photograph inside a pot and tossing it into the northern Ping River amid chants and black magic mantras. Bush can likely expect more of the same during his visit next week.