It took a clever US lobbyist to devise the strategy and do the work aimed at discrediting the Thai agency's controversial bid, which has severely upset the powerful US pharmaceutical industry.

Last week, Brazil sort of followed Thailand's footsteps when it announced it would also do "compulsory licensing" of a patented Aids medicine legally under World Trade Organisation rules.

Now, both nations are being seen as "bad boys" in the eyes of USA for Innovation, a non-profit unit said to champion the protection of intellectual property rights.

After discrediting the Public Health Ministry's bid with an initial posting of what it calls 10 "Thai Myths", the USA-for-Innovation-sponsored website has said it will release more information to back its accusations over the next two weeks.

"Thailand's Health Ministry is misleading politicians, press and patients in an attempt to gain support from misinformed activists and to funnel money into its government-owned drug company," says the website.

The website's strongly-worded accusations such as Thailand is not a poor country or that the country is not in the middle of an Aids crisis (so it could not justify the compulsory licensing argument) clearly demonstrates that it wants to woo international support against Thailand's bid.

Besides the so-called Thai myths, USA for Innovation also invites its supporters to write to the US president complaining about the compulsory licensing issue along with the absence of democracy following the coup on September 19, 2006.

Supporters are given a pre-written letter, to be undersigned, urging the US president to stand up to the Thai military.

 "... I hope that you will deliver a message to the Minister of Health and the military leaders in Thailand that a continued departure from democracy and theft of American innovations will not be tolerated, and that the United States will move quickly to take retaliatory action in the form of trade or economic sanctions or the removal of military aid to protect the jobs of hundreds of thousands of American scientists, doctors, teachers and researchers," says the pre-written letter.

USA for Innovation also urges its supporters to write to the Thai ambassador to the US on the same issue.

Last but not least, Kenneth L Adelman, executive director of USA for Innovation, wrote in a May 9 letter to members of the US Congress urging them to take action against both Thailand and Brazil over the compulsory licensing issue.

So stay tuned for the next development.

Nophakhun

Limsamarnphun

The Nation