Emergency meeting on bird flu crisis
Bangkok (AsiaNews) Thailand is going to host an international ministerial meeting on Wednesday next week to map out a plan to tackle the bird flu crisis sweeping Asia, the government said today.The kingdom has invited Cambodia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam, which have all reported outbreaks of strains of the virus, along with importers including the United States, European Union and Singapore to attend Wednesday's meeting, government spokesman Jakrapob Penkair said. "Concerned ministers overseeing public health, agriculture and foreign affairs have been invited," he told reporters.
He said experts from the World Health Organisation and the Food and Agriculture Organisation have also been invited. "It will be a half-day meeting with participants focusing on cooperation to map out common measures and how to exchange information," he added.
Thai government is under heavy criticism. Local farmers have been saying for more than a week that their chickens, like those in neighbouring countries, were dying of bird flu. But until yesterday, officials had maintained the chickens were suffering from fowl cholera - which they said posed no danger to people.
Yesterday the European Union, Japan, Cambodia and South Korea have decided to ban import of Thai poultry. Thailand is among the world's top five poultry exporters, with 1,3 billion in international sales per year.
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