Love them, hate them but there is no ignoring them. The severe opposition following Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's decision to reverse an earlier ban on the planting of genetically modified (gm) crops served as a timely reminder of the power of the masses. The Cabinet has now decided not to consider the National Science and Technology Development Agency resolution to lift the ban on gm-crop field testing. Instead, a national committee of academics has been directed to weigh the pros and cons of such a move. Government spokesman Jakrapob Penkair admitted that the decision was partly due to strong opposition from environmental and farmers' groups and consumer networks.

As Witoon Lianchamroon, director of BioThai