WASHINGTON--10 May--PRNewswire-AsiaNet/InfoQuest Over 1,000 letters sent to U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Ralph Boyce USA For Innovation ( http://www.usaforinnovation.org ) today announced an advertising campaign to highlight Thailand's web of deceit and theft of American innovation and jobs. The advertisement, a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal, highlights the Myth and Facts of Thailand's Health Minister, Mongkol Na Songkhla effort to steal American medical innovations. Additionally, supporters of USA For Innovation delivered over 1,000 letters to the U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Ralph Boyce urging him to confront the Thai military regime's theft of American property and not let this act of theft occur on his watch. Complete Text of the Advertisement: "Will Thailand's Web of Deceit Cost American Jobs? MYTH 1: Thailand is a poor country and cannot afford Western medicines. FACT: Thailand is in the top 10% of wealthiest nations in the world. MYTH 2: Thailand is doing everything it can to address its AIDS problem. FACT: Thailand spends just 3.3% of GDP on public health, compared to around 10% for Cambodia and 15% for the U.S. Following the military coup last September, Thailand's military spending skyrocketed by $1.1 billion. Thailand is effectively stealing American and European technology in part to pay for its increased militarization. MYTH 3: Thailand is trying to lower the cost of Western medicines. FACT: Thailand's government actually raises the cost of drugs for needy patients by imposing taxes and tariffs on medicines -- including a 7% value-added tax (VAT), which the Bangkok Post recently reported may soon rise to 10%. MYTH 4: Thailand's Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) needs to deliver generic medicines to people who can't afford Western medicine. FACT: The GPO's AIDS medicines have never been approved by the World Health Organization. So while wealthy Thais can buy proven drugs, poor patients get untested GPO knock-off drugs. MYTH 5: Thailand is in the middle of an AIDS crisis. FACT: Thailand is not alone -- the world is in an AIDS crisis. Thailand's HIV prevalence rate is less than 1%, and it spends less on health care than most countries around the world. Thailand's theft of medical patents slows the innovation necessary to help countries such as Swaziland (20% of the total population is HIV+), Botswana (17%) and Zimbabwe (14%). MYTH 6: Thailand's recent use of compulsory licenses is legal. FACT: Not so. Thailand's actions are clearly at odds with World Trade Organization rules. Thailand's Minister of Health made no effort to negotiate with drug companies before issuing compulsory licenses. MYTH 7: Other countries issue compulsory licenses all of the time. FACT: Again, not so. Health activists have invented a new definition of "compulsory license" to include "consent decrees." The very name "consent decree" means that it is with the "consent" of the patent holder -- a far cry from the forced "compulsory" license. A recent study found intellectual capital and ideas to comprise 80% of America's economic strength. Thailand's theft of American intellectual property is a direct assault on the millions of American workers who develop life-saving medicines. Our jobs and new advances in medical technologies are threatened when foreign governments are allowed to plunder the products of American innovation. Congress's passive observation of this crisis is tantamount to outsourcing American jobs and innovation. We Urge President Bush and Members of Congress to Protect American Interests -- and the People of Thailand. Learn What You Can Do to Keep America from Being Trapped in a Web of Thai Myths. Visit ThaiMyths.com, a project of USA for Innovation." About USA For Innovation USA For Innovation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of intellectual property and continued innovation around the globe. USA For Innovation educates decision makers, the media and general public about threats to innovation. For additional information, please contact us at 866-646-8668 or [email protected] SOURCE: USA For Innovation CONTACT:USA For Innovation, +1-866-646-8668, [email protected] Website: http://www.usaforinnovation.org http://www.ThaiMyths.com --Distributed by AsiaNet ( www.asianetnews.net )--