From: <b class="gmail_sendername">David Legge</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:D.Legge@latrobe.edu.au">D.Legge@latrobe.edu.au</a>></span><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><div><br><br></div><blockquote type="cite">
<div><b>From:</b> Jane Kelsey <<a href="mailto:j.kelsey@auckland.ac.nz" target="_blank">j.kelsey@auckland.ac.nz</a>><br><br></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div>
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<span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria"> </span>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">FTAs and TPP Kill People!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">Build Another Asia and System Change
 against Free Trade Agreements</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">We, representatives of peasants, workers, consumers, urban and rural poor,
 social movements and civil society organizations are gathering in Chiba and Tokyo, Japan from
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">the
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">12</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">th</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">
 to 15</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">th</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">of
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">October 2011. La Via Campesina South East and East Asia region with FTA Watch (Thailand),
 Shokkenren (Japan) and Task Force against Korea-US FTA (Republic of Korea) organize</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">d</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">
 a strategic meeting to discuss </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">the
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). This is to express our alarm
 on the implementation and pursui</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">t</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">
 of the agreements across Asia. Currently there are dozens of FTAs between countries and/or regions and they have been threatening
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">the
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">peoples’ livelihood in the region.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">At present, the world is still experiencing food, energy, financial and environmental
 crises. Corporations and capital who cause</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">d</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">
 these crises are trying to fill their already-full pocket</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">s</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">
 by pushing FTAs and TPP. Only 1 percent of the world’s population are practicing and reaping
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">the
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">benefits from free trade. This attempt will exacerbate the current crises and sacrifice
 the people, especially the poor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">The FTAs are more liberal than the World Trade Organization (WTO) talks. FTAs
 are also used as a way </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">of</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">
 accelerat</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">ing
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">free-trade
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">in the aftermath of the WTO collapse in 2003.
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">The TPP will liberalize goods, industry, services and investment in the greater Pacific
 Rim. TPP is mainly an initiative by the United States </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">with the
 ambitious goal of liberalizing </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">almost
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">54</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">
 percent of </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">the
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">world’s economy.
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">This liberalization will wipe out n</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">ational
 budget</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">s</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">
 for public spending. </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">The
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">FTAs and TPP will make it more difficult for people</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">
 to </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">access essential public services
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">such as
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">healthcare, education, electricity and water.
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">People’s a</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">ccess
 to food, jobs</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">,</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">
 and productive natural resources </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">in the region will also diminish
 with the greater exploitation of them by </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">corporations and big capital</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">s</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">Further liberalization will threat</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">en
 and </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">violate peoples’ and national sovereignty. We are very concerned because we
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">have
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">witnessed previous FTAs that have destroyed peoples’ food sovereignty, especially local
 price and markets. FTAs will continue to undermine our national sovereignty (especially the developing and poor nations) as they will secure transnational corporations (TNCs) domination. Moreover, FTAs and TPP will perpetuate neocolonialization because poor
 and developing countries will keep supplying energy and raw materials to developed countries.
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">FTAs and TPP will also exacerbate the financial crisis because they will further
 liberalize the financial sector. We need to regulate the financial sector, not to keep TNCs and big capitals reaping
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">profits off the backs of
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">people.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">Workers’ rights are also in danger. FTAs and TPP will create flexible labor
 market and this will alleviate protection. Very low wages, temporary to no contract</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">s</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">
 at all, outsourcing practices, no insurance or other protections are very dangerous situations
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">that have already
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">happened to many workers in our region.
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">We do not oppose trade. There are local, national,
 and even regional trade alternatives </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">based
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">o</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">n
 justice and fair rules—which ensures </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">that no one human exploits
 another. W</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">e need trade that respects human rights, upholds food sovereignty and ensures peoples’
 access to essential public services. </span></p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">In light of threats from FTAs and TPP, we therefore call on our governments
<b>to completely reject</b> the attempts to conclude the upcoming agreements and
<b>to stop the implentation</b> of the previous FTAs. </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria"><span></span></span>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">Therefore we will continue our works and solidarity within this issue, and
 to:</span></p>
<p>
<span style="line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:12pt">1.</span><span><span style="font-size:12pt"> 
  > </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">Make common training, education</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">al</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">
 materials and analysis on FTAs and TPP.</span></p>
<p>
<span style="line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:12pt">2.</span><span><span style="font-size:12pt"> 
  > </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">Voice our concerns in the upcoming ASEAN Summit in Bali, Indonesia and also
 responding to APEC Summit in Honolulu, US—both on November 2011.</span></p>
<p>
<span style="line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:12pt">3.</span><span><span style="font-size:12pt"> 
  > </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">Create permanent stategic committee to coordinate actions on FTAs and TPP.
 Continu</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">e</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">
 the research for alternatives to regional cooperation and work together to create common platform among organizations in the region.
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">We know that this will be a long process to derail the FTAs and TPP, especially
 in the region. Through hard work, strengthening solidarity through our activities and actions, we are determined
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">to achieve our
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Cambria">goal. We also call to peoples’ movements and civil society organizations to come and join
 us in this important struggle.</span></p>
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