From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Ellen Shaffer</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:ershaffer@gmail.com">ershaffer@gmail.com</a>></span><br><div class="gmail_quote"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt"><br>
16 February 2012<a name="1359b4a038e19793_1359b3fcd9156a8d__GoBack"></a></span>
<font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt">The Honorable Barack
H. Obama<span> </span></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt">President,</span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt">United States of
America</span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt">1600 Pennsylvania
Avenue N.W. </span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt">Washington, DC 20500
USA</span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt"> </span></b></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt">RE: CARVE OUT
TOBACCO FROM THE TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT</span></b></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt">Dear Mr. President,</span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;text-align:justify" class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt">We are writing to inform you about our
concerns regarding the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement which is currently
being negotiated. We believe it is not enough to have free and fair trade, <b>safe trade</b> should be a primary
consideration and the tobacco business whose product poses a health risk is
certainly not safe. </span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt">We are appealing to
you to carve out tobacco from the TPP for the following reasons:</span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt 0.25in;text-align:justify" class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:Symbol;font-size:10pt"><span>·<span style="font:7pt/normal "Times New Roman";font-size-adjust:none;font-stretch:normal">
</span></span></span><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt">Over 40 countries have pictorial health warnings on cigarette
packs, but when these sovereign governments try to protect their public health
by increasing the warning size tobacco companies like Philip Morris take them
to court using bilateral trade agreements. Your administration is facing a
lawsuit by tobacco companies, preventing the FDA from applying pictorial health
warnings. What chance do small governments like Uruguay have in the face of
wealthy and powerful transnational corporations? We in Southeast Asia have
fought hard for our tobacco control measures. We are very concerned that
through the TPP, transnational corporations can undo or threaten our
governments to roll back what we have accomplished. The tobacco industry is
like a chameleon changing its legal identity to suit itself in fighting tobacco
control. For example in suing the Uruguay government, Philip Morris is a Swiss
company. In suing the Australian government’s plain packaging laws Philip
Morris is a Hong Kong company. It is impossible for a government to protect
public health against this elusiveness on the trade platform like the TPP.</span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt 0.25in;text-align:justify" class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:Symbol;font-size:10pt"><span>·<span style="font:7pt/normal "Times New Roman";font-size-adjust:none;font-stretch:normal">
</span></span></span><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt">In the 1980s the US government through the Trade
Representative Office pried open Asian markets which resulted in increased
tobacco use in Asia. We do not want a repeat performance of the US tobacco
business’ might upon Asia. Eight out of the nine countries negotiating the TPP
are Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Through
the FCTC the Asia Pacific region has made advancement in tobacco control. It
seems logical for the eight countries to exclude tobacco from the TPP. We are
appealing to your administration not to block this move. The next round of
negotiations is taking place in Melbourne Australia 1-9 March 2012. We hope
health is not sidelined at this round by your administration.</span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;text-align:justify" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt">Mr. President, you
sent a strong message to the world that the US has a firm stand on tobacco
control when you signed the <i>Family
Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control </i>Act in June 2009. We urge you to
continue to reflect that position in the TPP and exclude tobacco in this
agreement.</span></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 6pt 0.5in;line-height:150%" class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height:150%;font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt">Thank you for your kind
consideration.</span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;text-align:justify;line-height:normal" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt">Sincerely
yours,<span> </span> </span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;line-height:normal" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt">
</span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">
</font></font><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">
</font></font><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">
</font></font><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt">Ms. Bungon Ritthiphakdee<span style></span></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt">Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance - SEATCA <br></span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt">Director</span><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt"></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"></font><br></div><br>