Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said after the yesterday's Cabinet meeting that the Cabinet had approved the Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement (Jtepa), the first free-trade agreement proposed by the Finance Ministry.

The Cabinet's blessing came after last week's National Legislative Assembly's debate on the agreement.

Foreign Ministry deputy permanent secretary Pisan Manawapat, the head of the trade negotiating team, told a press conference, "The Cabinet resolved in principle to assign the Foreign Ministry to inform the Japanese government that Thailand was ready to sign Jtepa. The Cabinet asked us to make the public understand the agreement, in order to reduce people's concerns over toxic wastes, hazardous materials and biosecurity patents," he said.

The Cabinet also assigned relevant agencies to be prepared to strengthen the mechanisms of Thai law enforcement regarding monitoring, tracking, controlling and managing the waste that would come with industries.

Pisan said he would travel to Japan next Sunday for two weeks for bilateral discussions with the Japanese side. He added the agreement should be signed by early April.

Surayud said the Cabinet did not amend the agreement. It endorsed the original agreement that both sides have worked out in talks since 2005. Originally, Tokyo and Bangkok planned to sign the agreement last February, but that was delayed by Thailand's political situation.

Nonetheless, a number of non-governmental organisations paid a call on Surayud at Government House yesterday before the Cabinet meeting, to ask the government to change details in the deal by withdrawing Article 130 (3), thus preventing Japanese investors from registering biosecurity patents. They said the withdrawal would help protect more than 2 million members of farming families.