<p><span><font size="2">The tragedy of Thai democracy today is that we have a Prime Minister and Interior Minister who tell bare-faced lies and an opposition, in the shape of the Democrat Party, that supported the 19^th September coup, insulted the poor and never showed an interest in the 6^th October in the past.</font></span></p>

<p><span><span><em>The following article is an edited transcript of a paper given at the International Conference on Compulsory Licensing: Innovation and Access for All, held in Bangkok, 21-23 November 2007.</em></span><span><em> Prof. Baker has written extensively for activists about the global AIDS pandemic.</em></span></span></p>

<p>Nothing highlights the inhumanity of the global economic <a id="KonaLink0" style="position: static; text-decoration: underline! important" href="http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/20Feb2008_news21.php#" target="_top"><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 12px; color: black! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; position: static">system</span></a> better than drug patents. </p>

<p>Debating on the 6 October events has become a political tool of both leftists and rightists in the present game of post anti-Thaksin and anti-coup struggle but it will not shed any light for later generations unless facts were learned and shared by a majority of the people-not a handful of the October Generation, said academics at a seminar yesterday.</p>

<p>I was fresh to Thailand in 1989 and attended the democracy demonstrations at Sanam Luang against a Thai Army general self-appointed to Prime Minister, Suchinda Krapayoon, in May 1992. Although many people saw Chamlong Srimuang as their leader, I only ever saw him as a political opportunist. I saw Chamlong arrested to safety with his followers at Phanfa Bridge. This was when I sent my Thai family home. </p>

<p><span>We all know that Prime Minister Samak Sundarawej was lying to the CNN when he claimed that he was not involved in the 6^th October massacre and that only one person died. Before the event, he was closely associated with the Tank Corps Radio Station, which called for right-wing thugs to kill left-wing students. Samak was also very close to the Royally sponsored &quot;Village Scouts&quot;. After the event, and the coup on the same day, he became Minister of the Interior and has lied about the massacre to this day. For those who are unaware of the details of the event, this is part of a chapter on the 6^th October.</span></p>

<p><span><span><em>The following article is an edited transcript </em></span><span><em>of the Keynote Address of the International Conference on Compulsory Licensing: Innovation and Access for All, held in Bangkok, 21-23 November 2007. Dr Wilson is a Member of the Board of Directors of M&eacute;decins Sans Fronti&egrave;res (MSF) and was medical coordinator of the MSF in Thailand until August 2007.</em></span></span></p>

<p><font face="tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2">The following article is an edited transcript of the Opening Address of the International Conference on Compulsory Licensing: Innovation and Access for All, held in Bangkok, 21-23 November 2007, organized with the collaboration of the Health Consumer Protection Programme of Chulalongkorn University with the support of the National Health Security Office and the Thai Health Promotion Foundation.&nbsp; Further papers from the Conference will be posted in Prachatai as they become available.</font>&nbsp;</p>

<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm">Those with power are likely to be able to set the rules. These words are not too excessive in the reality of how relations have worked from the past to the present. Rules are what are always referred to in order to claim legitimacy for any action. </p>

<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">Leftists and pro-democracy people found it really hard to swallow the appointment of Samak Sundaravej, the right-wing, royalist politician, as the 25th Prime Minister. <span>&nbsp;</span>But those who were most blissful&mdash;no, not Thaksin Shinawatra who handpicked Samak himself&mdash;were the &lsquo;People&rsquo;s Alliance for coup D&rsquo;&eacute;tat&rsquo;, which resurrected conservative, rightist royalism as the dominant force in Thailand&rsquo;s politics two years ago.</span></p>

<p>Well, after two years of derailment, here we are, back on the rusty tracks of &quot;Thai democracy&quot;. And to pilot the country into the new era is our notorious new Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej who will most likely be joined by such well-matching personalities as Chalerm Yubamrung as interior minister and Plodprasop Suraswadi as environment minister. </p>

<p>Thailand needs to re-think about the concept of Thainess before social unrest or an ethnic uprising similar to that in the Deep South spreads to other regions, academics said at a seminar yesterday on the &quot;Concept of Thainess and the Southern Insurgency.&quot;</p>