Photo Gallery : Launch of Rethinking Bilateral Investment Treaties

"The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement is back without the United States and Malaysia has agreed to it.

Today, my friends Burghard Ilge and Kavaljit Singh launched their book along with Karina Yong from Third World Network, and discussed the challenges which lie ahead for Malaysia, especially on giving special rights for only foreign corporations to sue our country.

Investor-State Dispute Settlement or ISDS as it is popularly known, has created a huge ripple in the TPP and another big deal Malaysia is signing, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)."

                                                                       -- Charles Santiago, Director of MSN

No proof Malaysia will benefit from CPTPP, say economists

Source : The Malaysian Insight

Low Han Shaun    Published on 18 Nov 2017

Burghard Ilge says most treaties have survival clauses, meaning they are still in effect for a certain amount of years after the date of termination. 

THERE is no proof that Malaysia will benefit from the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), said economists.

A public forum today was told that the CPTPP, formerly known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and other similar treaties might even be detrimental to the country.

Activist: Many govts clueless about economic treaties signed

Source : Free Malaysia Today

PETALING JAYA: A senior policy officer with a global sustainability advocacy group says many governments are clueless about the economic treaties they have signed, leaving them open to be sued by foreign investors for “unfulfilled expectations”.

Burghard Ilge of Both ENDS, headquartered in Amsterdam, said the terms of treaties like the planned Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) were usually influenced by powerful investors who wanted the ability to take action on countries that did not meet expected “promises”.

Launch of "Rethinking Bilateral Investment Treaties : Critical Issues and Policy Choices"

Monitoring Sustainability of GlobalizatioN (MSN) cordially invite you to a book launch entitled: "Rethinking Bilateral Investment Treaties : Critical Issues and Policy Choices".

The book launch will coincide with a public forum titled Free Trade Agreement, Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) and Its Impact on Human Rights.

The event details are as follow :

Date : Saturday, 18 November 2017
Time : 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Venue : Event Hall, Gerakbudaya
2, Jalan Bukit 11/2, 46200 Petaling jaya, Selangor.

TPPA may backfire on FDI, says opposition MP

by Koh Jun Lin     Published 4 Dec 2015    Source : Malaysiakini

As Malaysia is poised to sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), Klang MP Charles Santiago warned that it could backfire on Malaysia's hopes that it would increase foreign direct investment (FDI).

He pointed to an academic paper, which says that a bilateral investment treaty (BIT) can reduce FDI inflows when it comes to countries with high political risk – a category that Charles argues includes Malaysia.

The paper reads: “Where a country exhibits high levels of political risk, there is a marginal benefit in signing a treaty and, for particularly risky countries, BITs may actually have "a negative effect on FDI inflows.”

Opposition reps want AG’s take on TPP agreement

December 3, 2015    Source : The Malay Mail Online

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 3 ― Opposition have written in to Attorney-General (AG) Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali, seeking his legal opinion on the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, especially on the clause that makes signatory nations vulnerable to legal action by companies from partner countries.

Pakatan Harapan MPs including DAP's Charles Santiago and PKR's Wong Chen urged Apandi to take a closer look at the agreement’s 30 chapters, and on the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism, which they said could undermine the country’s sovereignty.

“We want to get his legal opinion in black and white on this trade agreement. One of the most controversial topics in is the investment chapter.

Pakatan Harapan MPs seek AG’s advice on constitutionality of TPPA agreement

by Ram Anand   3 December 2015    Source : Stop ISDS   Originally from : The Malaysian Insider

Four Pakatan Harapan lawmakers today wrote a letter to the Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali seeking clarification whether the Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism under the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) is in line with the spirit of the Federal Constitution.

PKR’s Nurul Izzah Anwar and Wong Chen, along with DAP’s Charles Santiago, and Amanah’s Dr Hatta Ramli sent the letter to the AG’s office today.

The ISDS, which is a major component under TPPA, allows a corporate entity to drag a state to a tribunal.

TPPA signatories must be set to lose assets in disputes

by Koh Jun Lin     Published 21 Nov 2015     Source : Malaysiakini

Governments that fail to pay up after losing an Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) lawsuit are likely to see their foreign assets seized by investors, Klang MP Charles Santiago said.

Charles said the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, which also has provisions for an ISDS, allows for such seizures to take place.

As an example, he said, a German company that won an ISDS case against Thailand had once learned that Thai Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn had landed in Germany in a private jet.