Non-government organisations opposed to free-trade agreements will today seek an Administrative Court injunction to delay the signing of the Japan-Thailand Economic Co-operation Agreement (Jtepa).

The Jtepa was approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday and Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont is set to sign the pact in Tokyo on Tuesday.

Bantoon Sertsiroj, from FTA Watch, a network of civic groups who have closely monitored the country's free-trade agreements, said yesterday the petition would be filed by four foundations, representing people whose interests would be seriously damaged if the Jtepa was signed. The groups are: BioThai, Khao-kwan, Aids Access and the Foundation for Consumers.

Bantoon said the petition would be filed on the grounds that the process under which the agreement was drafted was unlawful. He referred to the Cabinet resolution on December 19 last year, which required a "public hearing" before the agreement was finalised.

The Foreign Ministry did bring the issue to the public, but it could not be defined as a "public hearing" because a regulation of the Prime Minister's Office required that all details be available to the public before the hearing took place.

Pisan Manawapat, chief of the negotiating team, admitted the event organised on December 22 last year was a "public opinion gathering" - not a public hearing.

Bantoon said: "The deal will have a huge negative effect on society, but the government went ahead without public participation."

Witoon Lienchamroon, director of BioThai, a foundation to protect farmers' rights and biodiversity, said the agreement would badly affect farmers and all of society, because it would allow Japan exclusive rights to use micro-organisms - which farmers use as organic pest controls - and create a monopoly of plant varieties and seedlings.

Chamlong Srimuang, a member of the National Legislative Assem-bly, sent a letter to Council for National Security chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin, opposing the Jtepa.