{\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg874\deff0\deflang1054{\fonttbl{\f0\froman\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}{\f1\fswiss\fcharset0 Arial;}} {\*\generator Msftedit 5.41.15.1503;}\viewkind4\uc1\pard\sb100\sa100\lang1033\b\f0\fs28 Thailand can do nothing much after US ruling \b0\par \b\i\fs24 Complaint lodged against individuals \b0\i0\fs28\par \b\fs20 Bangkok Post, 4 March 2004\par Charoen Kittikanya \b0\fs28\par \fs20 Thai government officials can only watch helplessly from the sidelines following the US International Trade Commission's recent ruling which opened the door for the imposition of anti-dumping tariffs on shrimp imported from Thailand, said a legal firm retained by Thai shrimp exporters to contest the US action. \line\line ''The shrimp exporters are now fully aware of the matter and ready to prepare documentation in their own defence to prevent any adverse impact on the entire shrimp industry,'' said a source from Legal Advisory Council Limited.\line\line According to the source, the dumping complaint had been lodged against individual shrimp exporters, not the country or the industry as a whole, so the Thai government was not obligated to fight the ruling.\line\line ''The US International Trade Commission (ITC) ruling said that based on import volumes and cost, certain low-priced shrimp and prawns from Thailand and the other five countries were hurting US shrimpers. But whether Thai shrimp were dumped or not, nobody right now can tell,'' he said.\line\line According to the source, after the ruling, any discussion of market share, lost exports or whether Thai shrimp affected the job security of US citizens, would be futile.\line\line ''What the Thai exporters have to do right now is to provide them with all the information on cost and pricing that they ask for,'' he said.\line\line Four shrimp exporters, including Thailand Fishery, Thai Ekkamai, Chanthaburi Seafood and Union Frozen Plc, have been named as respondents in the trade action and are being investigated by US authorities to see if Thai exporters sold shrimp in the US at below market prices. \line\line The four companies will represent the entire industry in defending against the US anti-dumping action.\line\line The exact punitive tariff rate won't be known until June 8, the scheduled date for the preliminary finding to be made public.\line\line Thailand sold more than 100,000 tonnes of shrimp to the US, accounting for 50% of the kingdom's total exports. \line\line Sales of both frozen and processed shrimp in January and February were four times higher than in the same period last year, as Thai shrimp exporters rushed to get their shipments through US customs before March 5, the earliest that anti-dumping duties could come into effect if the US government moves to protect its shrimpers.\line\line Shipments totalled 15,700 tonnes in January and 14,983 tonnes in February.\fs28\par \pard\f1\fs20\par }