Thailand to sign FTA with Peru in Singapore on Friday

FTA to double bilateral trade from 2010
Duties on 70 pct of 5,000 items to be cut to zero
(Adds quotes, details)

SINGAPORE, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Thailand and Peru will sign a
free trade agreement on Friday on the sidelines of a regional
trade summit in Singapore, and expect the pact to double their
bilateral trade from 2010, a senior Thai official said.

"We believe this FTA will boost our bilateral trade by 100
percent from 2010, after 60 percent growth in 2008 from 2007,"
Deputy Thai Commerce Minister Alongkorn Ponlaboot told Reuters.

Trade between the countries was valued at $350 million in
2008.

Alongkorn said the pact would mean zero tariffs on 70
percent of 5,000 items traded between the two countries.

"We aim to use Peru as our gateway to South America as it
is a member of key regional trading blocs and it already has
FTAs with the United States, Canada and Mexico," Alongkorn said
in a phone interview, before boarding a plane to the Singapore
meeting.

Thailand imports minerals such as tin and fish products
from Peru, which in turn imports auto parts, electrical
appliances and clothes from the Southeast Asian country, he
said.

In July, Peru and Singapore signed a free trade agreement,
which took effect on Aug. 1, the first pact between the
resource-rich Latin American nation and Asia.

Peruvian trade counterpart Martin Perez told Reuters in
July that Peru would move ahead with bilateral discussions, as
talks on a global trade pact have stalled.

Peru is also seeking deals with China, South Korea,
Australia and New Zealand.
(Reporting by Nopporn Wong-Anan; Editing by Neil Chatterjee)

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUSSIN35029620091110

Thai PTT Q3 meets f'casts, oil seen recovering in Q4
Tue Nov 10, 2009 7:47am EST

* Q3 net profit 16.99 bln baht vs 16.8 bln consensus

* Sales down 25 pct due to weak oil prices

* Q4 oil prices seen at $65-75/barrel vs $60-65 for 2009

* Shares down 1.6 pct ahead of earnings announcement (Adds details, graphic)

By Khettiya Jittapong

BANGKOK, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Thailand's PTT PCL (PTT.BK), Asia-Pacific's No.3 listed oil and gas firm by market value behind PetroChina (0857.HK) and Sinopec (0386.HK), posted a 5 percent drop in quarterly net profit, dented by lower earnings from exploration and refining.

Major oil companies such as PetroChina (601857.SS) have reported weaker earnings as oil prices CLc1 in July-September averaged just half the year-earlier record highs, squeezing their refining margins.

While crude prices have picked up this quarter as the global economy recovers, state-controlled PTT's fourth-quarter earnings are likely to be hit as an oil leak at its Australian Montara field will weaken income from its exploration business.

"The crude oil price in the fourth quarter is expected to move in the range of $65-75 a barrel, with an average price for the whole year of $60-65," PTT said in a statement.

Longer term, the outlook will depend on how the government resolves an environmental health row that has halted some operations at Map Ta Phut, Thailand's largest industrial complex, which could delay the PTT group's expansion plan.

"We expect earnings growth for PTT next year. But how strong that growth is depends on the Map Ta Phut case," said Anupon Sriard, an analyst with BFIT Securities.

July-September net profit fell to 16.99 billion baht ($510 million) from 17.9 billion baht a year earlier. That was broadly in line with an average forecast of 16.8 billion baht by 11 analysts polled by Reuters.

PTT, Thailand's biggest listed company valued at about $21 billion, runs the country's gas pipeline monopoly and controls more than 30 petroleum, gas exploration, petrochemical and refinery businesses.

Third-quarter sales fell 25 percent to 444 billion baht, while petrochemical and refinery subsidiaries contributed profit of 5.3 billion baht, versus a loss of 3.5 billion a year earlier.

China-Thailand economic & trade co-op meeting held
www.chinaview.cn 2009-11-10 21:39:58

Wang Yang, secretary of the Guangdong provincial committee of the Communist Party of China, addresses 2009 China (Guangdong)-Thailand economic and trade cooperation meeting in Bangkok, capital of Thailand, on Nov. 10, 2009. The meeting aims to urge China, especially south China's Guangdong Province, to cooprerate with Thailand in economy, trade and tourism. More than 1,300 representatives from 138 Guangdong enterprises and governmental agencies and circles of industry, commerce, finance and tourism in Thailand attended the meeting.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-11/10/xin_0221106102146531510526.jpg

Demon statues haunt airport staff

Bangkok - Thailand's main airport is to relocate 12 giant "demon statues" to boost the morale of staff who thought the figures brought bad luck, local media and officials said on Tuesday.

The statues at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport will move from the arrivals area to the check-in zone at a cost of around 1,7 million baht (about R379 453,14), said Airports of Thailand (AOT) president Serirat Prasutanond.

"AOT has decided to move the statues to the check-in concourse to give passengers and other people a chance to appreciate the statues' beauty," he said in a statement.

But according to the English-language Bangkok Post newspaper, airport director Niran Thiranartsin admitted the decision had partly resulted from complaints from airport staff.

"The shopkeepers are blaming the 'demon statues' for the problems they have faced at the airport, which was seized late last year by demonstrators and supporters of the People's Alliance of Democracy" (PAD), the paper said.

"The guardian spirit statues will be shifted from the inner zone of the passenger terminal to the check-in area to 'improve morale' of people working at the airport," the report added.

The anti-government PAD seized two of the Thai capital's airports in a crippling eight-day blockade late in 2008, which badly dented the kingdom's tourist-friendly image.

Serirat presided over a religious ceremony at the airport Monday ahead of the relocation of the figures, which are modelled on 12 statues at Bangkok's Grand Palace. He said the move should be finished within 90 days. - AFP

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=29&art_id=nw20091110092543757C497248

AGO grills RI ambassador to Thailand in graft case
Tue, 11/10/2009 12:22 PM | National

JAKARTA: The Attorney General's Office is questioning the Indonesian Ambassador to Thailand and graft suspect, Muhammad Hatta, over his alleged role in cases that caused Rp 7 billion (US$ 700,000) in state losses.

Kompas.com has reported that the ambassador arrived at the AGO building at 8 a.m. for questioning.

Muhammad finally turned up for the session after missing a scheduled interrogation two weeks ago citing health reasons.

In the same case, the AGO has also declared deputy head of mission Djumantoro Purbo and treasurer Suheani as suspects. - JP

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/11/10/ago-grills-ri-ambassador-thailand-graft-case.html

Taking Stock of Bangkok

Thailand's 2006 military coup left its mark on the country in a lot of ways: Years of political instability and crippling street protests and violence, for a start. But some of the most insidious changes are only now revealing themselves, such as the effects of the very first law the junta's assembly passed after taking power, the Computer Crimes Act.

Last week three Thais were arrested under the act and charged with posting rumors online that threatened "national security"—specifically, rumors about the health of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 81, who has been hospitalized since Sept. 19 (authorities say his health is improving). Police allege a link between the postings and a 7% drop in the Thai stock exchange Oct. 14 and 15.

This isn't the first time this law has been applied: the editor of a political Web site was arrested in March after a reader posted a comment critical of the monarchy. The editor has been released on bail and the case is still under investigation. In April, a blogger was convicted of violating the Computer Crimes Act and Lese Majeste laws—and sentenced to a decade in jail. The Thai Netizen Network, a Bangkok-based advocacy group, estimates around 10 Thais have been arrested under the Computer Crimes Act so far.

Proponents argue the act is necessary to combat online pornography and online crime, areas previously overlooked by Thai laws. But the law also punishes, with jail terms of up to five years, anyone who "inputs into a computer system false computer data in a manner that is likely to undermine national security or to cause a public panic."

Last week's arrests show what a broad net that clause casts over Internet users. One person arrested—a former bank executive—told reporters that she had translated a Bloomberg article about the market decline into Thai and posted it online. Another worked at a local securities firm, and the Stock Exchange of Thailand is currently investigating accounts linked to his clients.

We don't know whether any of these people violated Thai laws. But we do know that their arrest sends a powerful message to all Thais about the risks they face for posting information online. This is stifling not only to political discussion, but also detrimental to investors at home and abroad who rely on that information to make investment decisions.

Many analysts say that the stock market dip in October took place because of an information vacuum about the health of the King; in such an environment, rumors spread quickly. But the solution is to have more information, not less.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704402404574524980022736754.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Kingsgate Seeking $50 Million Loan for Thai Gold Mine

By Jesse Riseborough

Nov. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Kingsgate Consolidated Ltd., owner of Thailand’s biggest gold mine, is seeking a loan of about $50 million to finance half the cost of a plant expansion at its Chatree project that is forecast to double production by 2011.

“We are going to be financing $100 million, we want to do some from internal cash flow and some will come from the debt markets,” Gavin Thomas, chief executive officer of the Sydney- based company, said today by phone. Kingsgate is in talks with Investec Plc for a $25 million loan and for a similar amount from a group of Thai banks, he said.

Gold futures climbed to a record for the second straight session yesterday as the slumping dollar spurred demand for the precious metal as an alternative investment. A $100 million expansion will double capacity at the plant to as much as 240,000 ounces a year, according to the company.

“At this stage, I would expect that as long as everything stays pretty stable and we can get some support from the Thai government, I think the project will probably go ahead,” Thomas said, adding that the plan will likely go to the board for approval within the next two months. “There’s been meetings and trips to site, they are progressing along well.”

Kingsgate advanced 3.8 percent to a record A$9.34 at the 4:10 p.m. Sydney time on the Australian stock exchange. That’s the highest since the company began trading its shares in 1988. The stock has more than doubled this year and has a market value of A$902 million ($836 million).

Production will be at the “upper end” of the company’s forecast for between 120,000 and 140,000 ounces of gold in the 2010 fiscal year, Thomas said.

The price of gold for immediate delivery was dropped 0.3 percent to $1,100.27 an ounce at 4:21 p.m. Sydney time.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jesse Riseborough in Melbourne at jriseborough@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: November 10, 2009 00:44 EST

Thai shipper PSL to miss freight rate revenue target

* Sagging demand and oversupply to hit freight rate revenue

* Sees opportunities to buy second-hand ships in 2010 (Adds details)

BANGKOK, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Precious Shipping PCL PSL.BK (PSL), Thailand's biggest dry bulk shipper, said on Tuesday weak demand and global oversupply would make it miss its freight rate revenue target but opened up opportunities to buy more ships.

"The market is on a downtrend with demand still falling and the fleet rising," Managing Director Khalid Hashim told reporters.

The company had said it aimed for average revenue of $14,000 per day per ship in 2009, down from an average $16,500 in 2008.

However, industry overcapacity had worked against that, Hashim said.

Hit by a 50 percent drop in its operating income, PSL reported a 52 percent plunge in third-quarter net profit to 703 million baht, missing analysts' forecast. [ID:nBKK88498]

But the company, which competes with number two Thoresen Thai TTA.BK and smaller Regional Container RCL.BK, would take advantage of falling prices in the sector to buy second-hand ships at a better price, he said, adding the company planned purchases next year to replace ageing ships sold this year.

Precious has said it planned to buy 18 new ships in the five years to 2013, which would cut the average age of its fleet to 9-11 years from 20-21 years and reduce average costs per day per ship to $4,000 from $4,850.

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index .BADI, which tracks rates to ship dry commodities, hit its highest level since July 29 on Monday. [ID:nL9483430]

The index, which monitors the cost of shipping resources including iron ore, cement, grain, coal and fertiliser, was up 2.6 percent at 3,480 on Tuesday.

Hashim said the company managed to avoid the worst of a collapse in commodity shipping rates by locking in fees through long-term contracts.

At the midday break, PSL shares were unchanged at 19.20 baht while the main index .SETI was 0.5 percent lower. ($1= 33.30 Baht) (Reporting by Pisit Changplyngam; Writing by Ploy Ten Kate; Editing by Alan Raybould)

Packaging Industry In Thailand Report Offers A Comprehensive Guide To The Size And Shape Of The Market
Published on November 09, 2009

Packaging Industry in Thailand report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides historic market size data by industry, allowing you to identify the most popular pack types. It identifies the leading companies, and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market- be they new product developments, recycling or legislation issues. Forecasts illustrate how the market is set to change. Data coverage: market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares and brand shares. Data coverage: market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares, brand shares and distribution data.

Why buy this report? * Get a detailed picture of the packaging industry * Pinpoint growth sectors and trends and identify factors driving change * Understand the competitive environment, the market’s major players and leading brands * Use five-year forecasts to assess how the market is predicted to develop

http://www.officialwire.com/main.php?action=posted_news&rid=34748

Up to 200,000 Lao labourers working in Thailand
Business News
Nov 9, 2009, 7:52 GMT

Vientiane - An estimated 200,000 Lao labourers are working in neighbouring Thailand, of whom 120,000 are working there legally, state media reports said Monday.

According to Skill Development and Employment Department Director General Phouvanh Chanthavong, Thailand has this year sought 71,000 Lao labourers though government channels while Vietnam sought 3,000 people and South Korea 2,500 workers, the Vientiane Times reported.

Phouvanh warned that labourers who worked illegally in countries such as Thailand could be subject to abuse, including sexual exploitation.

'Lao workers don't need to work illegally, which puts them at risk from traffickers,' Phouvanh said. 'Young people who have good skills will have the opportunity to apply for these jobs with reputable employment companies.'

Meanwhile, thousands of people from China and Vietnam have moved to Laos, of whom only 27,000 have done so legally, 'presenting a challenge to the government,' the government mouthpiece noted.

Laos is a landlocked country half the size of France with a population of 6.8 million. It is sandwiched between China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar.

Read more: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/business/news/article_1512142.php/Up-to-200-000-Lao-labourers-working-in-Thailand#ixzz0WTBDznGD

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/business/news/article_1512142.php/Up-to-200-000-Lao-labourers-working-in-Thailand

KVB Design creates Meridian concept store in Thailand
Tue, 10 Nov 2009 | By Angus Montgomery

KVB Design has created ‘very English’ designs for audiovisual brand Meridian’s new concept store in Bangkok, Thailand.

The consultancy was appointed directly to the work around 18 months ago, according to KVB managing director Kevin Beard, a former colleague of Meridian director of global marketing Graeme Taylor.

Beard says the consultancy was tasked with creating a design that would be ‘recognisably English to someone in Thailand’. The store uses elements such as padded leather quilts and large graphics of the London Underground.

The store comprises a number of retail zones, including the gallery, a dedicated retail area, and the ‘crown jewels’ – which is a space showcasing Meridian products.

Taylor says, ‘In its design, this showroom aims to fuse traditional luxury with cutting-edge design in a uniquely British way.’

KVB is also working on concept designs for Meridian stores in Los Angeles and London. The Bangkok store opens on 12 November.

http://www.designweek.co.uk/kvb-design-creates-meridian-concept-store-in-thailand/3006418.article

Bangkok's 'bodysnatchers' beat traffic to save lives
By Richard Sargent (AFP) – 11 hours ago

BANGKOK — The car jumps another red light at breakneck speed as Paitoon Kaewkieu, one of Bangkok's so-called "bodysnatchers", dodges through the city's notorious traffic to the scene of yet another accident.

The 28-year-old is a volunteer for the Ruamkatanyu Foundation, one of several private groups that help Bangkok's rudimentary ambulance services by either ferrying injured people to hospital or taking the dead for autopsy.

"You learn through experience," grins Paitoon, who has no licence or training for emergency driving, as the speedometer hits a terrifying 160 kilometres an hour (100 miles per hour).

This is how he and his girlfriend, who accompanies him in the car, spend every other evening until about 3.00am, after finishing their day jobs.

"I just like the feeling I'm helping people -- and I also enjoy the adrenaline rush," adds Paitoon.

Groups like Ruamkatanyu say they are financed entirely by donations, with many people in predominantly Buddhist Thailand believing that giving money to rescue services will bring them good karma.

The volunteers do the work in their free time. They have received a basic, two-day medical training course but it is down to them to buy their green uniforms, walkie-talkies and flashing lights for their cars.

For people like Noppadol Srithongkham, who is a paid supervisor to the volunteers at the Ruamkatanyu Foundation, the job has become something of an macabre obsession.

"You can see this one's skin had already turned green," Noppadol says as he flicks through a stack of photographs showing some of the thousands of dead bodies he has picked up during his time.

"Working with corpses is easy for me," he says. "I don't think it's strange. It's my job and I do it the best I can."

Some pictures show suicides. Others are of murder victims, with blood pouring from gunshot wounds to the face. But most are of people who perished in accidents on the city's streets.

"A passing motorcyclist was staring at one accident, he turned and didn't realise that the pick-up truck in front was braking and crashed right into it. He was killed outright," Noppadol says.

"I told the autopsy doctor, 'Doctor, Doctor! Don't go anywhere; there's another case on the other side of the road,'" he chuckles to himself. "What are Thai people like?"

But there's also a darker side to the service that has contributed to the unflattering nickname given to the volunteers. With rival hospitals competing for trade, one volunteer says it's possible to pick up backhanders.

"We can get between 500 and 1,000 Baht (14 and 28 dollars) from the hospitals for each injured person," Sagachai Supakrerakoon says. "It depends on the case. Hospitals pay different amounts."

Stories of volunteers from the two main rival foundations fighting over the injured to get their cut used to be common. But then Thai authorities stepped in to end the sometimes literal tug-of-war over bodies.

They divided the city into two: one night Ruamkatanyu covers the north while its rival Poh Teck Tung covers the south. The next night they swap over, allowing both organisations the chance to cover the city's hotspots.

The volunteers like Paitoon and Noppadol wait on threadbare mats in a deserted car park off one of Bangkok's main highways. "There go our customers," remarks one volunteer drily as a green traffic light unleashes a swarm of motorbikes.

Soon, the call they've been waiting for comes over the radio: an accident nearby with dead and injured. Everyone leaps to their feet, runs to their cars and they're away, tailgating the foundation's official ambulances.

Paitoon and his girlfriend jump out of the car at the scene of the accident. A crumpled car blocks the road and a smashed taxi has spun off into a ditch -- but this time they're too late.

"No one was seriously hurt and there were no dead like we heard on the radio," he says. "There were only minor injuries -- and another volunteer team took two people to hospital."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jRYrvPqFCs9ytQ6Zq7pgl83DRVsg

Thai Tollway Operator To Hike Toll Fee 55%, Effective Dec 22

BANGKOK -(Dow Jones)- Thailand's department of highways said Tuesday it will hold talks with Don Muang Tollway PCL in a bid to delay its plan to hike tollway fees 55% next month.

Agency director-general Veera Ruangsooksriwong said he hopes to reach an agreement before the toll increase is due to take effect Dec. 22.

The planned hike will lift the fee to THB85 ($2.60) from THB55 for motorists using Don Muang Tollway's 21 kilometer elevated tollway from central Bangkok to its northern suburbs.

The increase is part of an agreement approved after the company signed the concession contract in 1996, the company said on its Web site.

It said the fee has either been trimmed or left unchanged throughout the past decade following requests from the government.

After the proposed hike, there won't be further increases over the next five years, it said.

The higher toll fee may result in lower traffic but the company will assess the impact after the hike takes effect, said Sombat Panichcheewa, president of Don Muang Tollways, whose listing plan on the local bourse has been on hold since last year.

-By Bangkok Bureau, Dow Jones Newswires; 66 2 2660744; djnews.bangkok@ dowjones.com

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=200911100455dowjonesdjonline000150&title=thai-tollway-operator-to-hike-toll-fee-55%EFfective-dec-22

Thailand Plans THB1.47 Trillion Project To Improve Rail Service

BANGKOK -(Dow Jones)- Thailand's Transport Ministry will propose to economic ministers at a meeting Wednesday a plan involving investment worth THB1.47 trillion ($44.14 billion) to upgrade the railway system and services to meet international standards.
Under the first stage of the development plan for the State Railway of Thailand, the SRT will spend THB46 billion between 2010-2014 to replace old train engine cars, improve railway and signaling systems nationwide, Transport Minister Sophon Zaram told reporters Tuesday.
Upon completion of the initial stage, the SRT will invest THB392 billion to expand network coverage by 2,651 kilometers and at the same time spend THB323 billion to develop dual-track lines nationwide from single-track at present, he said.
In the final phase, the government plans to allow the private sector to invest around THB708 billion on high-speed trains nationwide.
The SRT will also seek to restructure its organization and management structures to improve efficiency, said Sophon.

http://www.easybourse.com/bourse/actualite/thailand-plans-thb147-trillion-project-to-improve-rail-758547

New Ford Fiesta To Make Asean Debut At Thailand Motor Expo

Ford Thailand will host the ASEAN reveal of the all-new global Ford Fiesta – the Company's wildly popular new small car that has already sold more than half a million units worldwide – at the Thailand International Motor Expo 2009 from December 2-13.

Bold, sexy, dynamic and stylish, the all-new Fiesta combines exciting, refreshing design with Ford's proven expertise in small car handling and dynamics. It is an important new addition to Ford's core product portfolio in ASEAN, and a key driver for the future growth of Ford in the region.

New Fiesta is a small car that consumers will be proud to drive – and be seen driving – thanks to distinctive kinetic design elements that have been incorporated into its look. Details such as sleek wraparound headlamps, bold pronounced wheel arch lips and a strong bodyside beltline create a dynamic look, even when stationary.

“Style-aware consumers will appreciate the uniqueness of this car to express their individuality, style and aspirations,” said Dave Alden, president, Ford ASEAN. ''New Fiesta will write the next chapter in our small car success story and build on the widespread appeal of the Ford brand in Thailand and other ASEAN markets. It will strengthen our showrooms and introduce Ford dealers to an important new customer segment.''

The new Fiesta will be produced at Ford's new US$500 million state-of-the-art AutoAlliance Thailand (AAT) plant in Rayong, and will arrive in dealerships throughout ASEAN in 2010.

New Fiesta has won accolades throughout the world, including the prestigious "red dot" award for international product design from Germany's Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen. Winner of 2008 Car of the Year awards from Top Gear, Car, Car & Driver and 4 Wheels magazines, new Fiesta has continued to success in 2009 after being named Car of the Year by Auto Express, What Car? and Sun Motors.

The ASEAN reveal runs parallel to the North American launch of new Fiesta at the L.A. Auto Show from December 2-13.

http://paddocktalk.com/news/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=123706&newlang=&topic=33&catid=56

Researchers Say Thailand AIDS Vaccine Has 'Modest' Results
By Lisa Bryant Paris 20 October 2009

A group of researchers says an experimental AIDS vaccine trial in Thailand shows the shot has a modest but significant effect -- and that it offers hope for the future. Findings which were presented at an international AIDS vaccine conference in Paris.

Syringe and pills

The trial has been hailed as the world's first successful AIDS vaccine trial. But at a press conference in Paris, the researchers says it produced only modest results. A combination vaccine, using strains of HIV common in Thailand, was tested on more than 16,000 Thai men and women aged 18 to 30 years old, who were HIV-negative.

Half of the overall test group received the doses, while the other 8,000 people in the trial received a placebo. All the participants were given condoms and counseling for three years. The test found that those given the vaccine showed a 31 percent lower risk of infection than the others.

While initial results from the trial were reported in September, the full results were presented at the AIDS conference in Paris on Tuesday and reported in The New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. Supachai Rerks-Ngarm of the Department of Disease Control of the Thai Ministry's Public Health Department, was overall leader of the study.

"We are, as you may expect, encouraged by these results and look forward to undertaking further research to understand what it means, why the vaccine regimen was effective in some volunteers and how we might build upon these results in our collective research," he said.

http://www.voanews.com/english/images/Photoscom-syringe-pills-6Aug09-210.jpg

Critics say the trial's results may have been accidental and whatever benefits the vaccine might produce may have limited effect. Some want an independent review. And the trial's researchers, like Dr. Nelson Michael, of the Walter Reed Institute of Research in the United States, say it's unclear what difference the findings will make for areas like Africa -- where rates of HIV/AIDS are much higher than among the test population and where there are many strains of the virus.

"Among the questions we have now, if we are to go forward in HIV vaccine development, will be the calculation of the transmission intensity? What will be the proper mix in different risk groups, in different subtypes, in different backgrounds if the goal is to reach a vaccine -- one vaccine -- that could work for all people and nations?" he asked.

But the researchers say the findings offer new hope for AIDS research. And Dr. Michael said South Africa, for one, appears interested in conducting a similar study.

http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-10-20-voa35.cfm

Thai Border on Guard for Drugs From Myanmar
By THOMAS FULLER
Published: November 6, 2009

FANG, Thailand — The heroin and methamphetamine traffickers carry assault weapons and walk briskly through the night, crossing the border in small groups and traveling down a spider’s web of footpaths and dirt roads.

So says Ja Saw, a wiry man in his 20s who should know: Two years ago, he was one of them.

Mr. Ja Saw spent a year in a Thai prison for trafficking. Now he works as an undercover agent for the Thai military. In his native Myanmar, where he travels periodically to glean intelligence, he is known by another name.

“They would kill me immediately if they knew I was a spy,” Mr. Ja Saw, who is from the Wa ethnic group, said in an interview at a remote location several kilometers from the Myanmar border.

Thailand’s northern borderland region is ground zero in the country’s efforts to interdict the tons of illicit drugs manufactured in the freewheeling northern reaches of Myanmar. Thailand is also the main international gateway for heroin bound for the streets of Tokyo, Hong Kong, Sydney and other major cities in the region, counternarcotics officials said.

Sending the drugs through China would be the most geographically direct route to Hong Kong, Tokyo and other points north. But the Thai and United States counternarcotics authorities said they believed that most of the drugs move south through Thailand.

“It’s more convenient,” said a senior Thai police official, who estimated that around 90 percent of illicit drugs produced in northern Myanmar come through Thailand, sometimes via Laos or down the Mekong River. He did not want to be quoted by name because of the sensitivity of the topic.

Economic development in Thailand has facilitated trafficking, officials said, because evading the police is easier through the growing network of roads leading to Bangkok and places farther south, including Malaysia.

The armed ethnic groups in northern Myanmar such as the Wa and Kachin are wary of antagonizing China because of their reliance on the Chinese for cross-border business and, in years past, weapons.

“Since the early 1990s, the Chinese have delivered very stern warnings: Send your powder anywhere else but here,” said Michael Black, an expert on the Wa and a security writer for Jane’s Intelligence Review. The ethnic groups, he said, “can’t afford to anger the Chinese.”

China stepped up pressure on the Wa to shut down trafficking routes across the mainland in the late 1990s when H.I.V. was identified as a growing problem spread in large part by intravenous heroin users.

The illicit drugs produced near the Chinese border take a circuitous route, often shipped down to the southern stronghold of the United Wa State Army, a group that the Thai and American governments say is responsible for the lion’s share of the drug trade in Myanmar. Wa Army camps, perched on hilltops like fortresses from another era, are visible from the Thai side of the border.

The drug trade has helped turn the poorly delineated border between Myanmar and Thailand into a treacherous killing zone.

An increase in trafficking this year, related to tensions between the Myanmar military and the Wa, has left 15 suspected traffickers dead in the Fang area alone, said Master Sgt. Somsak Taengorn, a member of a plainclothes counternarcotics unit. Some of those killed were wearing Wa Army uniforms, he said.

The drugs are often stored near the border and divided into parcels. But traffickers are so worried that the drugs will be pilfered by their competitors that they put them in unusual storage facilities. “Sometimes they dig a hole and bury it,” Sergeant Somsak said.

The drug trade here is lucrative, and Sergeant Somsak said many families in otherwise impoverished areas have brand-new pickup trucks and nicely furnished houses made of sturdy materials.

Two years ago, Mr. Ja Saw was paid 10,000 baht, about $300, to carry 20,000 methamphetamine tablets, known in Thailand as ya ba, or “crazy drugs.” He dropped off the drugs at a Thai village and was paid on arrival. On his third trafficking run, he was ambushed by the Thai military and arrested.

Once delivered to the Thai side, the drugs are sent to Bangkok, to the resort island of Phuket (where yachts are sometimes used to smuggle the drugs to other countries) and to the provinces bordering Malaysia, depending on the final destination.

The drugs are shipped using a variety of ruses, some of them creative, some more pedestrian. Often they are packed inside shipments of corn, lettuce or other agricultural goods, Sergeant Somsak and other officials said. In May 2008, Sergeant Somsak helped seize thousands of methamphetamine pills packaged in condoms and hidden in the vaginas of eight hill-tribe women who tried to board a plane for Bangkok before they were arrested.

In September, a Taiwanese trafficker was arrested in Thailand with boxes of bicycle pedals stuffed with heroin.

The strangest smuggling scheme? Manachai Pongsanae, commander of a checkpoint on a major road in northern Thailand, remembers stopping a woman in her 50s with methamphetamine tablets wrapped in plastic and secreted inside a packet of fermented fish paste.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/world/asia/07thai.html

Thailand`s FSMP Phase II encourages microfinance institutions to serve unbanked
* Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 18:25

Microfinance Focus, Nov. 10, 2009: The Economic Cabinet of Thailand has approved the Financial Sector Master Plan Phase II (FSMP Phase II), jointly proposed by the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and the Bank of Thailand (BOT), stated in an official release. Master Plan gives emphasis on structural importance of Microfinance to serve the unbanked and underserved segments. The FSMP Phase II is to be implemented during 2010 – 2014, following the implementation of the FSMP Phase I during 2004 – 2008.

Master Plan recognizes the proven model of microfinance can be best fit to serve micro businesses and low-income individuals. “There would be measures to encourage private financial institutions to adopt business models suitable to serve the population groups that currently lack the opportunity to access financial services. For example, new entry would be permitted for service providers with expertise and proven success in microfinance”, said the report.
The report further states that, “In this connection, the MOF and the BOT would consider new licenses on a case-by-case basis, subjected to rules and conditions stipulated. Meanwhile, there would be measures to support the role of the government and SFIs in filling the gaps left open by commercial service providers”.

Master plan includes groundwork for Strengthening of grass-root communities through knowledge sharing between successful microfinance experts and local grass-root micro institutions, which would lead to greater financial strength and financial immunity for all groups of the Thai society.

After the principles stipulated in the FSMP Phase II have been approved, the FSMP Phase II Implementation Committee, chaired by the Minister of Finance, would be formed to oversee the implementation of the Plan.

http://www.microfinancefocus.com/news/2009/11/10/thailands-fsmp-phase-ii-encourages-microfinance-institutions-to-serve-unbanked/

ดีครับช่วยๆ โพสอีกแบบ ผมเองก็ไม่ว่างแล้วช่วงนี้

Thailand's Banpu plans $466 mln investment over 6 years
Wed Nov 11, 2009 3:07am EST

BANGKOK, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Banpu (BANP.BK), Thailand's largest coal miner, said on Wednesday it planned to invest $466 million over the next six years, mostly in the coal business.

"Most of our investment money for existing projects will be spent on coal rather than the power business," Chief Executive Chanin Vongkusolkit told reporters.

Chanin said he expected the company's 2010 revenue to grow by single digits from this year's expected 57 billion baht ($1.71 billion) and expected its average selling coal price to fall below $72 a tonne targeted this year.

Banpu reported a higher-than-expected 22 percent rise in third-quarter net earnings after the market close on Tuesday, helped by higher coal sale volumes from Indonesian mines and gains from coal swap. ($1= 33.30 Baht) (Reporting by Pisit Changplyngam; Writing by Ploy Ten Kate; Editing by Jason Szep)

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssEnergyNews/idUSBKK47613320091111

Thai credit card firm Krungthai says clients rising

BANGKOK, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Krungthai Card KTC.BK, Thailand's top credit card issuer, said on Wednesday it expected to add about 180,000 new cards this year, above its target, and up to 200,000 next year as it sought wealthier customers.

"The increase will be helped by demand from certain customer groups, especially top-tier people. And the launch of many marketing campaigns also pushed up new card issues," Senior Executive Vice President Woravut Nisapakulthorn told reporters.

Krungthai Card, which is 49.5 percent owned by number two lender Krung Thai Bank KTB.BK, has a 19 percent market share with 1.6 million cards issued in Thailand.

Earlier this year, the company expected to add only 100,000 net new cards in 2009 due to weak consumer confidence. In recent years it has averaged 200,000.

Credit cards account for 70 percent of its 50 billion baht loan portfolio. Personal finance and small company loans make up the rest.

Average card spending per month remained weak, Woravut said, adding it had risen only 5-10 percent so far this year compared with 20 percent a year earlier.

Krungthai Card TC is forecast to report a 19 percent fall in 2009 net profit to 423 million baht ($12.7 million), according to three analysts polled by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

It reported a net profit of 201 million baht in the first six months.

Its main rivals are the third-biggest bank, Siam Commercial Bank SCB.BK, and Kasikornbank KBAN.BK, the fourth-biggest lender, as well as the Thai units of Citibank (C.N) and Standard Chartered Bank (STAN.L).

At the midday break, its shares were up 0.72 percent at 13.90 baht, while the main Thai index .SETI was 0.69 percent higher. ($1=33.30 Baht) (Reporting by Manunphattr Dhanananphorn; Writing by Arada Kultawanich; Editing by Alan Raybould)


http://www.reuters.com/article/financialsSector/idUSBKK47749120091111

Thai finmin: not much hot money inflow seen this yr

SINGAPORE, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Thailand's finance minister said on Wednesday that the country has not seen a great deal of hot money inflow this year and the foreign exchange rate was not a big factor in export competitiveness.

"We haven't seen an excessive (hot money) inflow of late," Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij said in an interview with CNBC. (Reporting by Jan Dahinten; Editing by Valerie Lee)

http://www.reuters.com/article/hotStocksNews/idUSSGN00227120091111

Unprecedented Canada Thailand Strategic Energy Partnership

The Honourable Stockwell Day, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, today met with Wannarat Channukul, Thailand’s Minister of Energy.

The ministers agreed to develop an unprecedented Canada-Thailand strategic energy partnership.

“Representatives from both countries will meet again before the end of the year to identify specific technologies and services for potential expanded trade and technology partnerships,” said Minister Day. “This agreement will help Canadian companies take advantage of opportunities in the Thai market, particularly in oil and gas exploration and production, natural gas vehicles, biomass energy, and wind, solar and nuclear energy.”

During his trade mission, the first Canadian ministerial visit to Thailand in six years, Minister Day opened SNC-Lavalin’s new operating base in Bangkok. The centre will be the hub for the Canadian company’s work in the renewable and conventional thermal energy sector in Southeast Asia.

“This is a great example of the demand for Canadian expertise here in Thailand, and of a Canadian company stepping in to meet that need,” said Minister Day. “The new centre offers immense opportunities for both our countries to create new jobs and prosperity for our citizens.”

“We are very pleased to expand our presence in Thailand and the region,” said Alain Lemay, Senior Vice-President, SNC-Lavalin International Inc. “SNC-Lavalin has significant expertise and over 40 years of experience in delivering projects in Asia, most recently on the SIPCO 160MW combined cycle power plant in Rayong, Thailand, and we look forward to working with our Thai clients and partners in the region and continue to deliver world-class engineering and construction solutions to the domestic and regional market.”

On this trade mission the Minister also highlighted that Canada’s Economic Action Plan is investing in clean energy projects that are creating high-quality jobs for Canadians, helping our environment and preparing the economy for the future.

The Minister also met with senior Thai officials including the President of the Trade Representative Office, Kiat Sittheeamorn, and Thailand’s Minister of Commerce, Porntiva Nakasai. During the meetings, Minister Day discussed Canada’s robust and growing commercial partnership with Thailand, promoted Canada as a major player in the energy sector, and pressed for removal of Thailand’s trade restrictions affecting access of Canadian swine, pork, and related products, based on science.

Minister Day also visited the British Columbia International School in Bangkok, where students pursue a mixed curriculum—Canadian and Thai—and obtain two high-school graduation certificates, one from Thailand and one from British Columbia’s Ministry of Education.

“This school is an example of the kind of reach Canadian teaching institutions and methods are having in the region,” said Minister Day. “My visit to Thailand not only shows Canada’s commitment to increasing trade and investment with this market, but it also highlights our countries’ people-to-people contacts, as demonstrated by our education links.”

More details about Minister Day’s visit to Thailand can be found at Ministerial visit to Southeast Asia.

http://thegovmonitor.com/economy/unprecedented-canada-thailand-strategic-energy-partnership-14622.html

FBD: Asia Golden Rice to introduce 4 new brands for export (Thailand)

Asia Golden Rice has joined forces with its customers to launch 4 new brands to export to 4 markets.

November 10 2009 - The President of Thai Golden Rice, Mr. Sombat Chalermwuttinan, said that the company is cooperating with its customers (importers) to develop 4 new brands of rice for export. Each brand will serve a specific market: ‘Siam Pure Rice’ is designed for Asia, ‘My Dear’ for Africa, ‘Patra’ for Europe and ‘Monarch’ for the Middle East. Previously, the company sold its rice either under its own brand, ‘Benjarong’ or under a separate customer brand.

Mr. Sombat said that developing a consensus brand with customers is the best solution. Doing this provides a win-win situation for both exporter and importer. Thai Golden Rice understands that modern customers pay equal attention to both brand and quality. Needless to say, Asia Golden Rice responds to customer demands because their loyalty is paramount to success.

Thai rice exports did not prosper as much as usual in 2009 due to higher costs, lower export prices, and more competition from Vietnam. Yet Asia Golden Rice is confident that its own export volume for 2009 will reach 1.4 million tonnes, which is around 16% of Thailand’s total export of 8.5 million tonnes.

Mr. Chalermwuttinan projects an increase in Thai rice exports for 2010 due to lower Indian exports and greater demand in Indonesia and the Philippines.

http://foodbizdaily.com/articles/94041-asia-golden-rice-to-introduce-4-new-brands-for.aspx

Cities Hua Hin, Bangkok and Pattaya present three very different Thailand golf vacations

HUA HIN, THAILAND – After a busy week of golf in Thailand, it’s time to make the journey back home to Texas.

Our group visited three very different cities while here that all offer varying speeds of life and golf styles, one of which would probably suit your golf group the best.

Bangkok, of course, is massive. It reminds me of Houston in a way, because the city just keeps going on and on and on with tall buildings scattered all over with no rhyme or reason, and the traffic is brutal. The golf is more of a compliment to the many cultural and city attractions, but there are the most golf courses here of any Thai city, over 60. Thai Golf Club, with its countless palm trees, scores of water hazards and manmade humps lining the fairway resemble something you might find in south Florida.

Pattaya is a smaller beachside city known for its nightlife and famous Walking Street, which is the wildest street scene I’ve ever seen, and that includes Bangkok’s Soi Cowboy red light district. The golf outside of town offers a slower pace on rolling hillsides void of much development. There’s a lot of golf here too, about 30 of high standard including Siam Country Club’s Old and Plantation courses.

Seaside Hua Hin to the south of Bangkok is a little mountainous as well, somewhat similar to Pattaya but it’s a sleepier beach town without the many “attractions” of Pattaya (after all, the King’s palace is here). It’s been one of the most popular golf spots for years and some new clubs have come online in the last three years that have made it even better. The new Banyan Golf Club wins my personal award for best course of the trip. It was built by a local Thai firm (no big-name architects) and is the most natural and exotic-looking of what we played.

The constants of the trip no matter which course or city we were at: Each golf club’s clubhouse facilities are first class and will in all likelihood put your home country club’s facilities to shame. Each course was beautifully conditioned as well. Fast TifEagle bermuda greens around 9-10 on the stimp and wonderful fairway lies (usually paspalum). The caddies are vigilant at filling in divots, even in the rough.

Another constant is the food. I can’t say I had a bad or even mediocre meal in Thailand (which couldn’t be said for my Malaysia golf trip, which was more hit-and-miss). Our meals ranged from dinner cruises to clubhouse lunches to informal, roadside fishing parks and street food, and nothing disappointed. Breakfast buffets are as good as I’ve seen anywhere, especially at the Marriott Bangkok on the King’s River which is the most elaborate spread I can recall in my many travels.

I’m leaving out the golf courses of the northern highlands as well as Phuket. Phuket is considered one of Thailand’s most popular spots, but it’s a little too far a drive down south from the area we were. I’m told it’s more mountainous there than anything we’ve seen here, and a little pricier to boot.

Thailand is a very developed golf destination where any budget can be treated like a king and one worth traveling across oceans to visit. I’ve got lots to say, from the towns to the golf courses to proper caddie etiquette, so stay tuned in the next couple weeks for plenty more once I shake the inevitable jetlag.

http://media.travelgolf.com/tg_blog_media/tgthisweek/Hua_Hin_Banyan.jpg
Hua Hin’s new Banyan Golf Club is just over a year old and is quickly becoming one of Thailand’s must-play golf courses.

http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/brandon.tucker/2009/11/10/thailand_golf_vacations_in_hua_hin_patta

Formula DRIFT Thailand

The inaugural Formula Drift Thailand, presented by Goodyear, ended with a climactic battle as "Mad Mike" Whiddett, New Zealand's champion drifter, and 2004 D1 Japan Grand Prix winner Ryuji Miki competed head to head in a final showdown last weekend.

Ultimately, Mad Mike was declared the winner after a heart-stopping three-round battle. Third place honors went to Malaysian drifter Tengku Djan, who was the 2009 Formula Drift Singapore champion last July.

"Mad Mike" Whiddett, drifting with Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric tires, overcame an equally gruelling knockout round with Tengku Djan in wet weather conditions as the rain poured before the Final Four began.

Thailand's first and only world-class drifting ground, Wonderworld Park, Ramindra, was filled to capacity as drift fans flowed in to pack the racing ground during the two-day competition. The 7,000 strong venue was fully booked.

Intensity mounted on the second day when 32 qualifiers, including 23 Thai competitors, demonstrated their skills and techniques on the smoke-filled racing track, accompanied by the roar of powerful engines as the drifters revved up. The three American judges invited from Formula Drift lent an air of stringency to the proceedings as the organizers aimed to bring Formula Drift Thailand standards to a new, more professional level.

Thai drift king - Kiki Nana - was among the qualifying drifters and successfully sailed through to the final eight before being defeated and exiting from the competition. All Thai drifters taking part mentioned that this was the most impressive drift competition they had been involved in, and even though they were unable to bring the trophy home, the two days on the drifting ground with super drifters from across the region was an amazing experience. They also noted that they find international competing standards tough but very challenging.

The two drifters from New Zealand and Japan sweated it out in the final battle. Instead of two rounds of battle like the other competitions, the two drifters had to compete in three rounds since their skills were highly matched. Judges were put in the hot seat as they just could not agree on an unanimous winner. It was decided that the competition would be settled in a third round of battle.

Finally, it appeared that the third round had done the trick. Whiddett and Miki stood side by side on the stage. Tension rose to a peak as the third judge revealed his final score for Whiddett, and broke in a wave of emotion as the New Zealand drift hero was crowned the winner of Formula Drift Thailand with 2:1 score. The crowd went wild, cheering and clapping.
http://www.espnstar.com/servlet/file/351854_33_preview.jpg?ITEM_ENT_ID=351854&COLLSPEC_ENT_ID=10&FILE_SERVICE_CONF_ID=33

After the trophy presentation, the winners had to stay on stage for more than half an hour as drift fans kept coming onstage to congratulate them in person. The organizers also kept the crowd entertained with stunt shows and highly energizing percussion numbers.

Formula Drift now moves to Malaysia as Goodyear hosts the final competition in the ASEAN drift series, to be held in December 19-20 at the MAEPS (Malaysian Agro Exposition Park Serdang) grounds.

http://www.espnstar.com/motorsport/news/detail/item351855/Formula-DRIFT-Thailand/

FBD: Thai-Danish Milk to Enter Teen Market (Thailand)

November 10 2009 - Thai-Danish Milk will invest $9 million (US) to build new a plant and increase capacity due to an expected jump in export sales. The expansion comes as part of an aggressive plan to capture the teen market. The company will also launch new products to tap into the growing health and beauty market. Sales targets for 2009 are set at $179 million.

Prof. Dr. Amnart Theeravanich, President, the Dairy Farming Promotion Organization of Thailand (D.P.O.), revealed that to relieve the oversupply of raw milk and to venture into new market areas, the D.P.O is investing $9 million to increase capacity at its Khon Kaen and Saraburi plants in the northeast of Thailand. In addition, a new factory will be built in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. When all is completed by 2011, an added 200 tonnes of production per day is expected.

Realizing the 20% increase in the teen consumer market, the company will launch more marketing activities to capture that market. Part of the plan is to launch new products connected to health and beauty trends, such as low-fat and organic dairy products. Arriving soon are rebranding and new package designs in order to freshen and modernize brand image.

Thai Danish Milk export sales remain healthy; especially exports to neighboring countries such as Laos and Cambodia. (Negotiations with Myanmar are already underway.)

D.P.O. is confident a target revenue of $179 million for 2009 is achievable from $164 million in 2008.

The company currently holds a 33% market share in Thailand’s $1 billion dairy market behind Foremost, which holds a 50% market share.

http://foodbizdaily.com/articles/94054-thai-danish-milk-to-enter-teen-market.aspx

APEC members concerned on anti-dumping moves-Thailand
Wed Nov 11, 2009 3:57am EST

SINGAPORE, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Export-dependent members of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group such as China, Japan and Taiwan have voiced their concerns about a rising trend of anti-dumping measures, a senior Thai trade official said on Wednesday.

"The Chinese minister was saying that fewer countries now were talking about the Doha Round or the WTO mechanism to settle trade disputes, but they are resorting to anti-dumping measures," Deputy Thai Commerce Minister Alongkorn Ponlaboot told reporters in Singapore after a meeting of APEC trade and foreign ministers. (Reporting by Nopporn Wong-Anan; Editing by Neil Chatterjee)

http://www.reuters.com/article/hotStocksNews/idUSSGA00000920091111

More medical tourists to head to Thailand
Wednesday, 11 November 2009

Up to two million medical tourists are expected to flock to Thailand for health care services in 2010, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) forecast this week.

In recent years, thousands of medical tourists have headed to Thailand for health checks, dental and cosmetic surgery or other medical treatments as prices are approximately half of prices in the United States or Europe.

The surge in medical visitors saw foreign patients generate an estimated US$6 billion for Thailand in 2008 according to the TAT and Department of Export Promotion (DEP).

And that number continues to grow, the medical sector in the country possessing an annual growth rate of 14 percent, surpassing its GDP.

TAT said the growth of the medical sector was helping growth in the medical device sector as well boosting the country’s research and clinical trials of advanced medicine and stem cell treatments.

Research and Markets reported in 2008 that Thailand welcomed more international medical tourists than any other country in Asia.

Globally, it was estimated by Deloitte that 1.5 million Americans travelled abroad for health care services during the year with an annual global market expansion of more than 20% going forward to 2012.

http://www.etravelblackboardasia.com/article.asp?id=65833&nav=109

Thailand Inaugurates First Private NGV Mother Station
November 9, 2009

Thailand has inaugurated its first NGV mother station under private investment. Located in central Thailand, the facility was opened by H.E. Dr. Wannarut Channukul, Minister of Energy. The station is operated by Sakol Energy Co., Ltd., supplying fuel on behalf of PTT Plc.

The minister of energy said that with the spiraling NGV demand, PTT had been expanding the capacity of existing mother stations while securing land for additional mother stations to meet the public demand for the increasingly popular fuel. At the same time, the ministry had supported PTT’s invitation for private investment in new mother stations to add to PTT’s tally and raise NGV supply. With a distribution capacity of 250 tons/day, Sakol Energy’s station is Thailand’s first private NGV mother station, supplementing PTT’s distribution capacity and transmission volume for 19 daughter stations in Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, and Ayutthaya.

Mr. Prasert Bunsumpun, PTT’s Chief Executive Officer and President, added that the private sector’s acceptance of PTT’s invitation to set up mother stations is regarded as a milestone step for private participation in NGV business development. For this would not only raise PTT’s own efficiency of promoting NGV in the transport sector, but also ease motorists’ NGV refueling queues. Today, PTT commands a total of 18 mother stations, which supply the fuel to daughter stations nationwide with a total distribution capacity of 3,600 tons/day. Combined with the distribution capacity of its 78 conventional stations, its total capacity now stands at 7,750 tons/day. The national oil company’s current NGV sales volume amounts to about 3,900 tons/day. Currently, there are 358 NGV stations operating nationwide. More NGV stations are planned to be opened by PTT by the end of this year.

http://www.ngvglobal.com/thailand-inaugurates-first-private-ngv-mother-station-1109

DIARY-Thai Corporate bond calendar
Wed Nov 11, 2009 2:19pm IST


BANGKOK, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Following is a list of expected corporate bond issues in Thailand. This information has been compiled from various reports.

Not all the companies concerned have confirmed details of the issues. New or adjusted entries are marked "**".

NOVEMBER

-- Charoen Pokphand Foods CPF.BK, Thailand's largest chicken exporter, is to sell bonds worth 8 billion baht ($239 million) this month to repay debt and for working capital, according to a filing with regulators. [ID:nBKK545486]

-- Thanachart Capital TCAP.BK plans to sell up to 10 billion baht ($299 million) of five-year bonds with a coupon of 4.90 percent to both institutional investors and the public. The proceeds of the issue, rated "A" by Thailand's TRIS Rating, would be used for debt repayment, working capital and business expansion.

2010

- Land & Houses LH.BK said in July it planned to sell up to 5.0 billion baht of bonds in 2010 to refinance maturing debt and for working capital. The issue is part of its plan to sell up to 10 billion baht of 10-year bonds in domestic or foreign markets.

-- Bangkok Expressway BECL.BK, Thailand's biggest private toll-road operator, said in September it planned to issue 1.0 billion baht of bonds to refinance maturing debt in 2010. The company sold four-year bonds worth 1 billion baht with a coupon of 4.25 percent in early September.

-- Siam Future Development SF.BK said in May it planned to sell bonds worth 940 million baht next year for refinancing. Continued...

ISSUE DATE NOT YET SPECIFIED

-- Bank of Ayudhya BAY.BK plans to sell 10 billion baht of bonds to raise funds for expansion. [ID:nBKK418836]

-- Thai Tap Water TTW.BK, Thailand's largest private tap water supplier, told the stock exchange in August it planned to sell a 3.1 billion baht bond to refinance the long-term debt of a subsidiary.

-- AEON Thana Sinsap AEON.BK told the stock exchange in June it planned to issue bonds worth up to 3 billion baht.

-- Siam Gas and Petrochemicals SGP.BK, Thailand's second-biggest liquid petroleum gas firm, told the stock exchange in April it planned to issue bonds, or bills of exchange, worth up to 3 billion baht with maturities of up to five years.

-- Kasikornbank KBAN.BK, Thailand's fourth largest lender, told the stock exchange in February it planned a bond issue of up to 170 billion baht. [ID:nBKK383586]

-- Thai housing developer Asian Property AP.BK told the stock exchange in May it planned to sell bonds, or bills of exchange, worth up to 4.0 billion baht with maturities of up to 10 years. [ID:nBKK393553]

-- Power Line Engineering PLE.BK told the stock exchange in March it planned to sell up to 800 million baht of up to five-year bonds to fund business expansion.

-- Thailand's top mobile phone operator, Advanced Info Service PCL (AIS) ADVA.BK, said in a statement in February it planned to issue bonds worth up to 15 billion baht ($425 million) in baht or other currencies. [ID:nBKK330473]

-- Thai Oil TOP.BK, Thailand's top refiner, said in a statement in February it planned to sell up to $500 million of bonds in domestic and foreign markets to refinance debt and get reserves for business expansion.

http://in.reuters.com/article/specialEvents4/idINBKK51535520091111?pageNumber=3&virtualBrandChannel=0

Thailand Plans To Construct High Speed TrainsNovember 11, 2009 19:27 PM

BANGKOK, Nov 11 (Bernama) -- The meeting of the Thailand's Council of Economic Ministers Wednesday approved a proposal to construct four high speed train routes, Deputy Prime Minister Korbsak Sabhavasu said.

Under the proposal made by the Ministry of Transport, a fund worth 100 billion baht (some US$3 billion) will be allocated for the project, Thai News Agency quoted Korbsak, who is in charge of economic affairs, as saying.

The planned tracks will link Bangkok with northern province of Chiang Mai, northeastern province of Nong Khai, eastern province of Chan-tha-bu-ri and Padang Besar, a town locating at the northern part of Perlis state in Malaysia, he said.

However, the ministry has been directed to start with making a feasibility study and investment plan by 45 days for construction of a high-speed train route linking Bangkok and eastern province of Ra-yong as the pilot project.

This route is a short one, hence, its construction could be quicker than the longer route, Kobsak explained.

The Finance Ministry is assigned to seek financial sources to finance this mega infrastructure project, while at this stage China has proposed to give Thailand some US$400 million in loan, he said.

Also, the government has a policy to let the private sector to co-invest in this project with the Thai government, he said.

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsworld.php?id=454409

Thaicom returns to Q3 net profit, beats forecasts

BANGKOK, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Thaicom PCL THCOM.BK, Thailand's only satellite operator, reported a better-than-expected net profit in the third-quarter on Wednesday, helped by foreign exchange gains and higher revenues from its broadband satellite iPSTAR.

Thaicom, 41.4 percent owned by Shin Corp SHIN.BK, posted a net profit of 50.8 million baht ($1.53 million) in July-September, or 0.05 baht per share, turning around from a net loss of 115 million baht a year earlier.

That was above an average net profit of 40 million baht forecast by five analysts surveyed by Reuters.

Thaicom expects to launch a high-speed Internet service via iPSTAR in India in October and in China in the fourth quarter, and those two big markets should begin generating revenue by the end of this year.

The company, which reported a net loss of 22 million baht in the first half of 2009, maintained its forecast that it would return to net profit this year. It reported 2008 net loss of 713 million baht.

Before the results, Thaicom shares closed up 0.64 percent at 7.85 baht on Wednesday in a broader market .SETI up 1.37 percent. ($1=33.30 Baht) (Reporting by Arada Kultawanich)

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSBAK00293120091111

Thailand Expects Resolution Of Case Of 76 Halted Projects In 4 Months

BANGKOK -(Dow Jones)- Thailand expects a resolution of the case involving 76 suspended industrial projects in the Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate in four months after a special committee is formed next week, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Wednesday.

The committee, which will include former Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun, executives from the Public Health Ministry, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Industrial Ministry, will take 30 days to look into the halted projects, Abhisit told reporters.

The committee will spend up to 60 days to work on pollution control and compensation measures for the residents in the area, and will review laws and regulations within 120 days, Abhisit said.

The Administrative Court in late September issued an injunction to suspend the projects, worth a combined THB400 billion ($11.96 billion), after environmentalists argued that the permits approved by the government violated the constitution. The government filed an appeal against the ruling.

The projects will remain operational until a final decision is handed down.

-By Bangkok Bureau, Dow Jones Newswires; 66 2 2660744; djnews.bangkok@ dowjones.com

Thailand wants settlement of 2.5G concessions
By Costas Paris and Se Young Lee, Dow Jones Newswires
Wednesday 11 November 2009

Finance minister keen to secure revenue from fees before issuing 3G licences.
The Thai government will ask mobile phone operators to settle concession fees for access to the domestic 2.5th-generation mobile service network for the remainder of their contracts as a precondition for the right to participate in the third-generation mobile license auction, Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij said Wednesday.

Korn said the concessions, which require mobile operators Advanced Info Service PCL , Total Access Communication PCL and True Move PCL to pay about 20% of revenue they generate through the 2.5G service, are worth at least THB100 billion ($3 billion).

"The reality is that all incumbents have currently state concessions with five, six years remaining. Those concessions are worth a lot of money in terms of government revenue," Korn told Dow Jones Newswires in an interview on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

"If you give them a 3G service and number portability, they will migrate their entire customer base away from concession contract to 3G...and we will lose all the money."

The minister said he has submitted a proposal that seeks settlements with the operators for the outstanding concession period, and that the government will likely make a formal proposal to the operators in about two weeks' time. He said the government will give the operators a range of payments it would be willing to accept as settlement and a window to negotiate.

"They will have to make this payment for the remaining life of the concession," Korn said."All the government is saying is 'look, let's move on from that, settle today, and then we can have an open, fair, competitive environment for the next generations.'"

"If they refuse to pay they won't be part of the 3G auction," he added.

The four 3G licenses up for auction, comprising three with 10-Mhz bandwidth and one with 15-Mhz bandwidth, will be valid for 15 years. 3G licenses will carry no concessions and only require operators to make an annual payment of 2.5% of their revenue for the life of the license.

The sale of 3G licenses has been postponed several times due to the absence of an independent body to regulate broadcasting frequencies as well as changes Thailand wants settlement of 2.5G concessions
By Costas Paris and Se Young Lee, Dow Jones Newswires
Wednesday 11 November 2009
Finance minister keen to secure revenue from fees before issuing 3G licences.
in state administrations. Thailand will be among the last in Southeast Asia to fully adopt the 3G standard. Don Mueang Airport To Be Used For International Flights

Korn also said during the interview that the government will formally make the decision to revitalize the old Don Mueang airport as a secondary international airport to Suvarnabhumi in "a matter of weeks." The airport was closed in 2006 following the opening of Bangkok's new Suvarnabhumi Airport and has been used exclusively for domestic flights since reopening in 2007.

"Alternative is to build another terminal at Suvarnabhumi Airport and we can delay that investment by five or six years if we properly utilize Don Mueang," he said.

"Strategically Thailand has so many advantages as an airline hub and there is demand for fresh capacity. The most effective and efficient way of utilizing our national resources is to see what we can do with Don Mueang, and that's what we'll do."

http://www.totaltele.com/view.aspx?ID=450648

Thailand's North alerted of bird flu outbreak
www.chinaview.cn 2009-11-12 20:30:02

BANGKOK, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's North has alerted of the bird flu outbreak after almost 100 poultries died recently in a northern province of Nan.

As Thailand's North is now experiencing the winter, during Oct.7 to Nov. 5 some 79 poultries died in six districts of Nan province, a senior official at Nan's livestock department said Thursday, Thai News Agency reported.

The department collected some examples of the dead poultries and sent them to a nearby province of Lam-pang, where a regional office of the National Institute of Animal Health, is located, to examine, the official said.

It will take about two weeks to know if the dead poultries were affected with the bird flu or A/H1N1 influenza, the official said.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-11/12/content_12443785.htm

Thai Protesters Smoke Out Tobacco Execs
By Robert Horn / Bangkok Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009

Thailand may have a reputation for indulging visitors in their various vices, but smoking is no longer one of them. On Tuesday, more than 600 fired-up protesters invaded a convention center in Bangkok, Thailand, in an attempt to smoke out representatives of the global tobacco industry holding an international conference in a country with some of the strictest tobacco controls in Asia.

http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2009/0911/smoke_1112.jpg

"They've come here because they want to target women and children in Asia with products that kill,'' said Bangorn Ritthiphakdee, director of the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance, a civil society group, referring to attendees of Tabinfo 2009, a three-day conference organized by United States-based Tobacco Reporter magazine. "Their presence is a nightmare. We came to tell them they are not welcome here." (Watch a video about France's smoking ban.)

The tobacco industry sees Asia as its most promising market, says Bangorn. Though Thailand has strict controls on smoking in public places and bans advertising tobacco products, more than 14 million of its 65 million people are smokers. In Southeast Asia, 125 million — or 31% of adults — smoke, and China alone has some 350 million smokers. The Alliance claims that 2.4 million people in Asia, or 6,575 people a day die from tobacco-related causes.

Billed as "the biggest tobacco exhibition in Asia", Tabinfo 2009 has been years in the making. Nonetheless, the meeting apparently caught Thailand's government by surprise. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who has said he was unaware of the conference until two weeks before it started, ordered government and tourism agencies not to do anything to promote or support it after activists presented him with a petition containing more than 82,000 signatures opposed the conference. Thailand's state-run Tobacco Monopoly withdrew its exhibitions and sponsorship of a buffet breakfast for industry representatives just days before the conference began.

Most countries in Asia have signed on to the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which calls for price and tax measures to discourage demand for tobacco, along with measures to regulate or restrict tobacco advertising, sales to minors, packaging and product content. "The tobacco industry says it supports [the FCTC], but in fact they are working to undermine the framework in countries across the region,'' Bangorn says. The conference agenda, she says, included presentations like "Operating in a World of Bans" and a "Regulatory Workshop" that "invites participants to wipe the regulatory slate clean and start afresh.'' Other topic descriptions spoke of "state-sponsored behavior modification" and "aggressive legislation.'' Particularly galling to the protesters was the seminar entitled "Harm and Risk Reduction: Should it be an integral part of global health policy?"

After a raucous but peaceful protest that lasted one hour, security guards at the Impact Convention Center forced the demonstrators to leave. Conference organizers refused to meet with the protesters, and locked the meeting room doors to members of the media without making a statement, except to say the conference was private. Churit Tengtrisorn of Thailand's Ministry of Public Health, said that the ministry opposed Tabinfo 2009, and the tobacco industry in general. "The tobacco industry has been pushed out of the developed world, and now it is trying to exploit the developing world. We are certain that it will try every trick in the bag to penetrate the Asian market," said Dr. Hatai Chitanondh, a public health activist. Says Bangorn, "It's just killing people for profits."

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1938434,00.html

Thai PTT sees better 2010, $2.5 bln spending
Thu Nov 12, 2009 2:16am EST

* Higher oil demand, prices to boost 2010 earnings

* To spend $2.5 billion on continuing projects

* Subsidiary PTTEP sees higher Q4 results

* PTTEP's insurance claims to cover damage in Montara (Adds details, outlook of subsidiary PTTEP)

BANGKOK, Nov 12 (Reuters) - PTT Pcl PTT.BK, Thailand's biggest energy firm, on Thursday forecast higher revenue and net profit next year on stronger demand and higher oil prices.

The company planned to spend 82 billion baht ($2.5 billion) next year on investment in continuing natural gas businesses, Chief Executive Prasert Bunsumpun told reporters.

"Results next year will be better than this year, both for profits and revenue. This is because demand for oil is rising and the trend is for oil prices to remain high next year," he said.

Revenue for the first nine months fell 32 percent to 1.14 trillion baht, with net profit for the period dropping 40 percent to 44 billion baht.

Full-year revenue would fall short of last year's 2 trillion baht while 2009 net profit would only match the 51 billion baht of 2008 as it expected small gains in oil inventory, after a huge inventory loss last year due to falling prices, Prasert said.

Suspensions of projects at the eastern industrial estate of Map Ta Phut would hurt earnings growth next year, Prasert said. PTT had filed an appeal against a recent court order to suspend 76 projects, including PTT's, on environmental concerns.

Prasert said he also expected narrower refining margins and petrochemical spreads next year.

"For the worst case, we still expect growth next year but the growth will be small because we have no new investments," he said.

PTT plans to spend a combined 239 billion baht in five years to 2013, Prasert said. It aimed to increase overseas investment to half of total starting from 2014 compared with 20-30 percent now, he said.

PTT, Thailand's biggest listed company valued at about $21 billion, runs the country's gas pipeline monopoly and controls more than 30 petroleum, gas exploration, petrochemical and refinery businesses.

BETTER Q4 AT PTTEP

Its 65.5 percent-owned exploration flagship PTT Exploration and Production PTTE.BK also expected fourth-quarter net profit to be higher than the third quarter's 5.26 billion baht due to higher oil prices.

"Fourth-quarter profits should improve from the previous quarter. Gas demand remains high because of the winter season and oil prices are in a rising trend," Chief Executive Anon Sirisaengtaksin said.

PTTEP had insurance coverage for damage at the Montara field in Australia which caught fire this month.

"We are asking Australian government to reach the field to assess the damage in Montara, but haven't got an approval yet. So, we now can't tell how much damage is," Anon said.

"By the way, our insurance claims should cover the damage from the incident," he added.

In the third quarter, PTTEP booked about $150 million in Montara-related expenses, excluding costs related to the fire, Anon said.

Last week, the company said the start-up of the Montara field in Australia might be delayed from the first quarter of 2010 to an unspecified date later in the year. [ID:nBKK546607]

At the midday break, PTT shares were down 4 percent at 240 baht while shares in PTT Exploration were down 3.5 percent at 139 baht. The main Thai stock index .SETI was 1.8 percent lower. ($1=33.27 Baht) (Reporting by Saranya Suksomkij; Writing by Viparat Jantraprap and Arada Kultawanich; Editing by Jason Szep)

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssOilGasExplorationProduction/idUSBKK28425420091112

Thai BEC World Q3 profit up slightly, above forecast
Thu Nov 12, 2009 5:14am EST

BANGKOK, Nov 12 (Reuters) - BEC World BEC.BK, Thailand's largest listed operator of a TV network, said on Thursday its third quarter net profit rose 2.3 percent thanks to higher advertising sales, and it was above analysts' forecast.

BEC, which owns free-to-air Channel 3 and earns 90 percent of its revenue from advertising, posted July-September net earnings of 752 million baht, or 0.38 baht per share, up from 735 million baht a year earlier.

Six analysts polled by Reuters had forecast a net profit of 698 million baht for the quarter.

Profit was up from 598.5 billion baht in the second quarter.

Analysts said BEC's prospects in 2010 should improve on the back of an economic recovery and a pick-up in advertising, but it will have to pay larger concession fees to state-controlled operator MCOT MCOT.BK and that could weigh on results.

BEC stock climbed 8 percent in the July-September period versus the broader market's .SETI 20 percent rise. ($1=33.28 Baht)

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssBroadcasting/idUSBAK00293220091112

World Tries to Buck Up Dollar

Thailand, Korea, Russia Seen Buying U.S. Currency; Pressure on China to Boost Yuan

Governments around the world stepped up efforts to stem the U.S. dollar's slide, as officials grow increasingly concerned about the impact of the weak greenback on their nascent economic recoveries.

Thailand, South Korea, Russia and the Philippines have been snapping up dollars this week in order to hold down the value of their currencies, traders said Wednesday, as the U.S. currency wallowed near 15-month lows.

The News Hub panel discusses the impact of the weakening dollar on the global recovery.
Free to Grow

China is one of the few exceptions among developing nations, seeing continued strong exports despite its currency's tie to the dollar.


In Latin America, Brazil's finance minister said the country's currency remained too strong, sparking speculation that the government would intensify recent efforts to curb the real's ascent. On Tuesday, Taiwan banned foreign investors from parking time deposits in the country in an effort to ease upward pressure on the local currency.

The fresh buzz over the dollar's fall prompted Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, visiting Tokyo on Wednesday, to repeat the Obama administration's commitment to a strong dollar. Still, Washington hasn't taken any concrete steps to arrest the slide. The weaker dollar is actually benefiting the U.S. as it struggles to come out of recession by helping keep U.S. exports competitive.

China is coming under new pressure from Pacific Rim countries to let its dollar-linked currency rise in value. On Wednesday, China's central bank made a nod to concerns about the declining dollar and yuan by issuing a rare change to the official language of its exchange-rate policy. The central bank said it would take major currency trends into account in setting policy, though it wasn't clear what impact that may have on the yuan's future value.

The U.S. wants to see a stronger yuan, though Washington has avoided explicit public pressure on China to abandon its policy of managing its currency. But in the jargon of finance ministers, Mr. Geithner has made clear that's what he thinks should happen. In an op-ed piece in Thursday's Wall Street Journal Asia, he emphasized the advantages of "market oriented exchange rates in line with economic fundamentals."

On Wednesday, the dollar briefly sagged to a 15-month low against a basket of major currencies before recovering slightly. It fell slightly against the euro, which was quoted at $1.4982 at 4 p.m. in New York. So far this year, the dollar is down 7% against the European currency.

Asian finance ministers, now gathered in Singapore for a meeting of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, are expected to raise their concerns about both the dollar's decline and the inflexibility of the Chinese yuan.

The fear is two-fold. If currencies surge against the dollar, it damages the ability of countries in the region to compete in world markets, by making their exports more expensive. What's more, one of their major competitors -- China -- ties its currency to the dollar. As the yuan sinks in tandem with the dollar, China is able to keep its export prices low and price out competition.

A concluding statement from the assembled APEC officials is expected to underline the importance of flexible exchange rates to sustainable global growth -- generally viewed as code for a rise in the Chinese yuan. Such efforts are unlikely to bear fruit in the near term, which means these countries must act on their own to slow their currencies' rise.

Experts estimate that some of the largest emerging economies may have spent as much as $150 billion on currency intervention over the past two months, judging from the growth of their international reserves, according to data from Brown Brothers Harriman. While that's not a huge amount in the currency markets, which have turnover of more than $3 trillion a day, traders pay keen attention to what the authorities are doing and where they are likely to intervene.

Thailand alone has bought $15 billion trying to push the dollar higher against the baht, Korn Chatikavanij, Thailand's finance minister, said in an interview with Dow Jones Newswires.

"Quite clearly, all Asian central banks have found it necessary to intervene, and it's costing us," Mr. Korn said.

The Chinese authorities aren't going to tip off financial markets in advance of a move in their currency, said Jim O'Neill, head of global economic research at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. But the fact that they adjusted the phrasing of their exchange-rate policy in a quarterly report Wednesday could be a response to the growing attention to the yuan, particularly from fellow developing nations.

"It's one thing for the Chinese to ignore the U.S. and Europe," he said. "But when they start ignoring the developing G-20 it's a bit trickier."

For the last three years, the International Monetary Fund has been pressing China to revalue its currency. At the recent meeting of finance ministers from the Group of 20 nations in Scotland, the IMF once again said the yuan "remains significantly undervalued from a medium-term perspective."

Emerging nations are recovering from the global slump far faster than their developed counterparts and investors are flocking to buy their stocks and bonds. That in turn puts upward pressure on their currencies.

Efforts to stem the flow of foreign capital or to intervene in currency markets pose serious challenges for governments and aren't always successful. Unless a government takes radical steps, it can't affect a U-turn in its currency. However, it "can lean against the wind," says Win Thin, a currency strategist at Brown Brothers Harriman, in this case by slowing the pace of currency strengthening.

Developing nations aren't the only ones uncomfortable with the dollar's slide. European governments, especially Germany, will be increasingly uneasy if the euro continues to gain on the dollar.

Governments that try to check the rise of their currency often end up accumulating dollars which they may not need.

"I'm convinced that in the long term the dollar is more likely than not to decline in value, so we're building up assets that are declining in value over time," says Mr. Korn of Thailand. "That's not healthy."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125798819587744477.html

Thai regulator hopes to hold 3G auction in Q1 2010
Thu Nov 12, 2009 3:49am EST

BANGKOK, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Thailand's telecoms regulator said on Thursday it hoped to hold an auction for third-generation mobile phone licences in the first quarter of 2010, but investors sold telecoms shares, worried about further delays.

"We should finish drafting guidelines for the auction in December. We hope the auction will happen in the first quarter next year," Settaporn Kusripitak, a member of the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC), told a news conference. On Thursday, the NTC held a second round of public hearings on the issuing of 3G licences for a new 2.1 MHz spectrum, seen as a key step in reforming the $4.7 billion sector.

Progress on 3G licensing looked possible earlier this year as the NTC said it could auction the licences in mid-December.

But the projected date was pushed back as the regulator needed more time to consult the state's legal experts about whether it had the authority to hold the auction, after questions raised by politicians and state telecom companies.

"We understand that we have the authority to hold the auction and we have decided to go ahead with the plan. But if they say we do not have the right, we will hand over what we have done to the right organisation," Settaporn said.

Shares in telecoms operators underperformed the market after several brokers said the chances of further delay were high.

At 0826 GMT, shares in number two mobile phone operator Total Access Communication DTAC.BK (TACC.SI) were down 3.8 percent at 38 baht, while the overall market was 2.14 percent lower.

Market leader Advanced Info Service ADVA.BK fell 3.1 percent to 86.25 baht, while True Corp TRUE.BK, which owns third-ranked True Move, eased 2.1 percent to 3.66 baht.

Licensing is seen as a key step in reforming the sector because companies will pay licence fees instead of giving a portion of their revenue to state-owned firms for the right to operate networks they built themselves, as is the case now.

Thailand has been struggling with telecoms deregulation since before the 1997-1998 Asian economic crisis. Progress has been slow because of political obstacles and changes of government.

Telecoms operators are keen to receive 3G licences and the auction is expected to generate around $1.2 billion for the state. ($1 = 33.29 Baht)

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSBKK43355420091112

Big jump in illegal ivory seizures - Nigeria, DRC & Thailand are hotspots

Illegal ivory trade rising - Courtey of TRAFFIC
November 2009. The illicit trade in ivory, which has been increasing in volume since 2004, moved sharply upward in 2009, according to the latest analysis of seizure data in the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS).

ETIS, one of the two monitoring systems for elephants under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) but managed by TRAFFIC, comprises the world's largest collection of elephant product seizure records.

14,364 seizures of elephant products in 85 countries
The analysis, undertaken in advance of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP15) to CITES, was based upon 14,364 elephant product seizure records from 85 countries or territories since 1989, nearly 2,000 more records than the previous analysis, in 2007.

Large scale seizures linked to crime syndicates
The remarkable surge in 2009 reflects a series of large-scale ivory seizures that suggest an increased involvement of organized crime syndicates in the trade, connecting African source countries with Asian end-use markets. The ETIS data indicate that such syndicates have become stronger and more active over the last decade.

Weak law enforcement
There continues to be a highly significant correlation between large-scale domestic ivory markets in Asia and Africa and poor law enforcement, suggesting that illicit ivory trade flows typically follow a path to destinations where law enforcement is weak and markets function with little regulatory impediment.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/resources/listimg/news/2009_jan/ivory_graph@large.png

CITES action plan fails
Indeed, the rise in illicit trade in ivory indicates that implementation of a CITES "action plan for the control of trade in African elephant ivory," the Convention's principal vehicle for closing such unregulated and illicit domestic markets in Africa and Asia, has failed to drive any significant change over the last five years.

Nigeria, DRC & Thailand are main centres of ivory trade
The ETIS analysis identifies Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Thailand as the three countries most heavily implicated in the global illicit ivory trade. Illegal trade involving each of these nations has been repeatedly singled out for priority attention since the first assessment in 2002, but they continue to feature as critical hotspots in the trade as sources.

Cameroon, Gabon, Mozambique, Hong Kong SAR, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Viet Nam
Another nine countries and territories-Cameroon, Gabon and Mozambique in Africa and Hong Kong SAR, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Viet Nam in Asia-were also identified as important nodes in the illicit ivory trade.

China implicated
China, which along with Japan was an approved destination of the legal, CITES-sanctioned one-off ivory sale in 2008, faces a persistent illegal trade challenge from Chinese nationals now based in Africa. Ongoing evidence highlights widespread involvement of overseas Chinese in the illicit procurement of ivory, a problem that needs to be addressed through an aggressive outreach and awareness initiative directed at Chinese communities living abroad.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/resources/listimg/news/2009_jan/ivory_traffic@body.jpg

Legal ivory sales
The results are less clear-cut concerning the impacts of the CITES approved one-off ivory sales in 1999 and 2008. Following the first such sale, in June 1999, there was a progressive decline in the illicit trade in ivory for five years, with no evidence to suggest that the sale had resulted in an increase in the illicit ivory trade globally.

After the second CITES-approved ivory sale, in late 2008, the results are unclear as to whether it has stimulated increase demand or whether it has simply coincided with an increase in supply that was already underway over the last four years. The collection of more data over an extended time period will throw further light on this vital issue.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/ivory-sales009.html#cr

The mother of all adventures: Thailand on two wheels

Our mother of five on a gap year casts caution aside and embarks on an impromptu tour of Koh Samui in Thailand – on a pink moped.

For the last eight days we have been tourists again. We have eaten fabulous food, soaked up sunshine, and gone sightseeing – without changing our accommodation.

No visit to Thailand's islands is complete without hiring a moped. For £4 a day you can risk grazing your knees and head off to find the perfect cove. Until recently the most common tourist injuries were a coconut-related head injury or sunburn – and then the mighty moped arrived. The bars and clubs are now full of young people sporting cuts, burns and plaster casts. Tables are turned as I receive a stern warning from my daughter about the hazards of hot exhausts and gravel rash – but coming here without hiring a moped would be like going to Venice and not riding a gondola.

And so the pink moped is mine.

Mopeds are everywhere, among tourists and locals alike. The bigger Harley-style bikes tend to be mounted by middle-aged sleazy riders wearing sleeveless vests and looking for love.

As tonight is Guy Fawkes night, we go shopping for fireworks. By mid afternoon I am defying the most basic of health and safety guidelines, zooming around on an uninsured moped with a plastic bag full of party explosives strapped to my back. I resolve to read the small print of my insurance policy.

This is exactly the kind of hair-raising scenario I imagined when my daughter went travelling – although she assured me she wore full leathers, a crash helmet and never went above 25mph.

But, despite the risks, shopping for tat in the warm rain is a great way to pass an afternoon. Thailand is cheap – I know that most of my purchases will end up at a car boot sale back home and the clothes will be consigned to fancy dress – but there is something irresistible about a flower made of soap and a coconut Buddha.

Twenty-six years of obsessive safety consciousness vanished back in Pakistan. Riding atop buses, swimming near crocodiles, being detained at Ayatollah Khomeini’s Mausoleum, and getting lost in Kathmandu all seemed like perfectly natural events in my strange and fantastic new world.

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01521/thailand460_1521309c.jpg
The moped is a popular form of transport in Thailand Photo: GETTY IMAGES

I have also developed a complete inability to hold on to my personal possessions. IPods, laptops, sunglasses, countless flip-flops and two bikinis have disappeared, along with any pretence of social graces. We sing along shamelessly to our iPods, help ourselves to each other’s clothes, food and books, and raid rooms for anything from plasters to laptops. We swear with flair, sing and cackle like hyenas. Our humour is not sophisticated but it is joyful.

Two months have passed and things will never be the same again. Fourteen countries have disappeared behind me. Clouds of frustration have vanished. I am not twiddling her thumbs waiting for the family to pop in, living vicariously through my children – they are just fine without my constant presence. I don’t care who wins the flower show or the Rugby World Cup. I don’t want to spend every weekend in the pub or walking the dog. I want to be caught in a monsoon on the beach and breath the choking fumes from a tuk-tuk. I like my ratty dreadlocks and broken nails, not knowing what day it is and spending bonfire night on the beach.

Tomorrow we head into Malaysia and after eight days on holiday we become travellers again. Fabulously, I still don’t know what day it is.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/6538618/The-mother-of-all-adventures-Thailand-on-two-wheels.html

Thai shares tumble 2.95 per cent on MSCI downgrade
Business News
Nov 12, 2009, 9:10 GMT

Bangkok - Thai shares tumbled 2.95 per cent Thursday after the MSCI Emerging Markets Index
downgraded 10 Blue Chip stocks, brokers said.

The Stock Exchange
of Thailand (SET) index ended at 696.72 points, down 21.18 points or 2.95 per cent.

Analysts said the main reason for the tumble was decision by Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Emerging Markets Index to downgrade their forecasts for 10 leading listed companies, most of them in the energy sector.

'A key factor in the MSCI downgrade was a court decision last month to shelve several massive petrochemical projects at Mab Ta Phut Industrial park on the Eastern Seaboard on account of pollution concerns,' said Chaiyod Jiwangkul, an analyst at Country Group Securities.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/business/news/article_1512878.php/Thai-shares-tumble-2-95-per-cent-on-MSCI-downgrade

FBD: Thai Union formed JV to produce high grade tuna oil (Thailand)

November 10 2009 - Thai Union Manufacturing, Co., Ltd., a member of the Thai Union Group of Companies, has joined hands with Nippon Suisan Kaisha Limited of Japan to produce high grade tuna oil in Thailand. Utilizing the state of the art technologies, the new venture is the first in Thailand that is capable of manufacturing high grade ingredient that is suitable for baby formulas. In addition to creating more value-added products, the JV will also help reduce material wastes from Thai Union Group’s main seafood production lines.

Thai Union Frozen Products PLC (TUF)’s president, Thiraphong Chansiri, revealed that Thai Union Manufacturing, Co., Ltd., entered into an agreement with Nippon Suisan Kaisha, a leading Japanese seafood company, to set up TN Fine Chemicals Co., Ltd. The new firm aims to develop seafood by-products into fine chemical products that can be used as ingredients in dietary supplements and pharmaceutical products.

TN Fine Chemicals plans to invest more than 80 million baht in equipment and machinery based on new production technologies that are never used in Thailand before. The first phase of production will begin with tuna oil products. The firm aims to produce high grade tuna oil suitable as an ingredient for baby formulas that help enhance brain development in young children.

Besides tuna oil, the joint investment also plans to extract glucosamine from shrimp and crab shells. Glucosamine is a key ingredient of pharmaceutical products for treating arthritis. The chemical can act as a lubricating fluid in the human joints.

Khun Thiraphong further emphasized, “These new projects will make better use of waste materials from our main seafood production lines, helping us achieve our environmental objectives, while adding values to these by-products and diversify our product portfolio.”

At this initial phase, TN Fine Chemicals will produce 540 ton of tuna oil per year, with sales expected to exceed 125 million baht. Japan, the US, and the European Union are key export markets for this product. This investment represents a significant step in turning Thailand's seafood by-products into high value-added export items with a potential to generate substantial income for the country and promoting a more efficient use of natural resources.

http://foodbizdaily.com/articles/94088-thai-union-formed-jv-to-produce-high-grade-tuna.aspx

FBD: Siam Makro Plc 3Q performance shows sign of improvement (Thailand)

November 11 2009 - Thailand leading wholesaler, Siam Makro Plc, the operator of Cash and Carry Trade Centers under the name “Makro” revealed that its performance in the third quarter improved from the first half of the year.

The company finished the quarter with total revenues of US$ 575.9 million, a growth of 5.8% over the same quarter last year. This growth was mainly contributed by 41 old stores and 2 new stores. Siam Makro open a new branch in Bangkok in June and another in the southern province of Chumporn in July.

The group net profit was USD11.5 million, 17.5% lower than the same period last year. The lower net profit was a result of fierce competition that squeezes margins.

Siam Makro states in its financial statement that the absolute amount of gross profit margin rose by 13% from the same quarter last year. The percentage of gross margin to sales was 7.4%, up from 7% of the same quarter last year mainly contributed by new store expansion, change in sales mix and decrease in transportation cost.

http://foodbizdaily.com/articles/94095-makro-plc-3q-performance-shows-sign-of-improvement.aspx

Suzuki to relocate motorcycle plant from Thailand to Indonesia
Thursday, November 12, 2009 01:04 WIB | Economic & Business | | Viewed 314 time(s)

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Japanese automotive company Suzuki plans to relocate its motorcycle plant from Thailand to Indonesia in 2010, citing the huge market as one of its reasons.

"Suzuki originally wanted to develop (motorcycle industry) in Thailand but it later decided to switch to Indonesia," PT Suzuki Indomobil Motor (SIM) President Director Yoshiji Terada said here on Wednesday.

The other reasons behind the company`s plan to relocate the plant were that Indonesia had large oil/gas, non-oil/non-gas potentials and high demand for transportation means, he said.
In addition to meeting domestic needs, PT SIM also exports its products to the Philippines.

"So far, we have exported 10,000 completely knocked down (CDK) motorcycles to the Philippines per month," he said.

Suzuki would resume motorcycle exports to Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, he said adding nearly 90 percent of the exported motorcycles` components came from Indonesia.
"ASEAN is the target of our products," he said.

Previously, Terada said the company would raise its investment in Indonesia by US$50 million to increase its production capacity by 40 percent next year.

The additional investment would enable the company to raise its production to 720,000 units from the current 500,000-600,000 units per year, he said.

The investment would mostly be used to double the production of motorcycles of skutic type which currently stood at 200,000 units a year, he said.

PT SIM would also launch at least seven new types of motorcycles, including those of skutic type. But most of the new products would be underbone and backbone motorcycles, he said.(*)

http://www.antara.co.id/en/news/1257962671/suzuki-to-relocate-motorcycle-plant-from-thailand-to-indonesia

Thai Mitr Phol to Crush More Cane as Sugar Prices Jump

Bangkok, Nov 11 - Mitr Phol Sugar, Thailand's biggest sugar miller, plans to expand its crushing capacity over the next two years in response to high world sugar prices, the company's president said.
Daily News Alerts

The expansion would take in its existing sugar mills in neighbouring Laos, Krisda Monthienvichienchai, the president of Mitr Phol Sugar Corp Ltd., told Reuters in an interview.

"Our crushing capacity should rise to 13 million tonnes of cane next year, up from 11.8 million tonnes this year," Krisda said, referring to its operations in Thailand.

That would result in sugar production of 1.5 million tonnes from the 2009/10 crop, crushing of which is due to start on Nov. 20, he said.

Around 70 percent of sugar production, all of it white and refined sugar, is for export and the rest for domestic consumption.

Thai cane production in the current 2009/10 season is likely to be around 71 million tonnes, giving around 7.1 million tonnes of sugar, according to the latest survey conducted jointly by millers, cane growers and traders.

However, Krisda said soaring world sugar prices would encourage farmers to grow more sugar cane in 2010/11 and that would result in lower prices.

"No one can forecast how much sugar prices will fall in the next crop, but prices should drop eventually as we know that supply is rising," he said.

New York futures hit a multi-year high of 24.85 cents per lb in early September on speculative buying in anticipation of strong demand from India, where a weak monsoon hit production.

The benchmark March raw sugar contract dropped 0.50 cent to finish at 21.91 cents per lb on Tuesday.

EXPANSION IN LAOS

A plan to expand in neighbouring Cambodia has had to be postponed indefinitely due to a diplomatic row between Thailand and Cambodia, Krisda said, after fugitive former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinwatra was given a home and a job by the Cambodian government.

However, Mitr Phol, which ranks as the world's sixth-biggest miller, will go ahead with a plan to expand crushing capacity in Laos, where it has invested under the name of Mitr Lao since 2005.

"We plan to double our sugar production in Laos within two years," he said.

According to the plan Mitr Phol would have another 10,000 hectares (24,710 acres) of cane plantation by 2011 to add to its current 10,000 hectares. Most of the plantations are in Laos' southern province of Savannakhet.

"Our sugar production from Laos should double from the current 23,000 tonnes in two years," Krisda said, adding that all of the sugar was high quality, Hi-pol raw sugar.

Around 98 percent of the production is for export to the European Union under the "Everything But Arms" (EBA) initiative, which grants a zero percent import tariff to 49 poor countries, including Laos.

http://www.flex-news-food.com/pages/26898/Sugar/Thailand/thai-mitr-phol-crush-cane-sugar-prices-jump.html

APEC members concerned on anti-dumping moves-Thailand

SINGAPORE, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Export-dependent members of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group such as China, Japan and Taiwan have voiced their concerns about a rising trend of anti-dumping measures, a senior Thai trade official said on Wednesday.

"The Chinese minister was saying that fewer countries now were talking about the Doha Round or the WTO mechanism to settle trade disputes, but they are resorting to anti-dumping measures," Deputy Thai Commerce Minister Alongkorn Ponlaboot told reporters in Singapore after a meeting of APEC trade and foreign ministers. (Reporting by Nopporn Wong-Anan; Editing by Neil Chatterjee)

http://www.reuters.com/article/hotStocksNews/idUSSGA00000920091111

Peru-Thailand Deal Expected to Double Two-Way Trade
November 11, 2009
by AQ Online

On Friday, Peru and Thailand will sign a free-trade agreement in Singapore at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum that will eliminate tariffs covering 5,000 commercial products. Last year, trade between the two countries was valued at $350 million.

But the agreement also will help Thailand enter more broadly into the Americas. “We aim to use Peru as our gateway to South America as it is a member of key regional trading blocs and it already has FTAs with the United States, Canada and Mexico," according to Deputy Thai Commerce Minister Alongkorn Ponlaboot. Thailand’s main imports from Peru consist primarily of tin and fish, while Peru imports mostly electrical appliances, auto parts and clothing from Thailand.

In Asia, Peru has already signed a trade deal with China and is negotiating pacts with Japan and South Korea.

http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/1064

AirAsia Plans Flights To India Via Thailand

SEPANG, Nov 20 (Bernama) -- AirAsia, Asia's leading low cost airline, plans to fly to Delhi, Kolkata and Amritsar via its Bangkok hub by the first half of next year, said group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes.

"The whole Indian sub-continent is going to be very exciting for AirAsia and the Malaysian tourism industry.

"By next year, (there will be) six routes from Malaysia to India while three via Thailand," he told reporters after the live video interview with the Indian media in conjunction with the Kuala Lumpur-Kolkata route launch, here Friday.

Kuala Lumpur-Kolkata was AirAsia's fourth route launched this year. The airline currently flies to Trichy, Kochin and Trivandrum. With frequency of two flights a day, Trichy is AirAsia's top ten profitable routes.

Fernandes said India was a huge market with 1.1 billion people, US$3.1 trillion economy and 20 potential airports.

There is a still room for AirAsia to tap the market, he added.

AirAsia will fly the Kuala Lumpur-Chennai and Kuala Lumpur-Bangalore routes by May next year, Penang-Chennai in April and Kuala Lumpur-Hyderabad in July.

For the Kuala Lumpur-Mumbai and Kuala Lumpur-Delhi routes, he said the destinations will be operated by AirAsia's long-haul affiliate, AirAsia X, by the end of next year.

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsbusiness.php?id=456896

India Talking With Thailand, Vietnam to Import Rice

Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) -- India, the second-most populous nation, is in talks with Thailand and Vietnam to secure rice supplies after a drought in half the country destroyed crops.

A panel of ministers will discuss the proposal on Nov. 20, Trade Minister Anand Sharma told reporters in New Delhi. Imports will be under government-to-government contracts.

Purchases by the second-biggest producer may tighten rice supplies that have been strained because of weather disruptions to crops in the Philippines, the biggest buyer. India may become a net importer for the first time in two decades, and may buy 3 million tons, Samarendu Mohanty, a senior economist at the International Rice Research Institute, said in an interview Oct. 29.

India’s rice production may decline 18 percent to 69.45 million tons from a record 84.58 million tons last year after the driest monsoon since 1972 ravaged crops, according to the farm ministry. The Philippines is accelerating purchases for 2010 supplies after two storms destroyed about 1.3 million tons of the grain.

In comparison, exports from Thailand, the top shipper, may increase to a record of more than 10 million tons next year, fueled by demand from India, the Thai Rice Exporters Association said Nov. 11. The country may release part of its 5.9 million ton reserve for export, Vichak Visetnoi, director general of the Foreign Trade Department, said in Bangkok.

Exporters in Vietnam, the second-biggest supplier, have shipped 5 million tons in the first nine months, according to government figures.

Record Exports

Thai production in the crop year that began Oct. 1 may increase to 35 million tons, from an estimated 32 million tons in the 2008-2009 year, according to the association. Exports reached a record 10.14 million tons in 2004.

Rice futures traded in Chicago have jumped 36 percent from this year’s low of $11.195 per 100 pounds on March 16. The price surged to a record $25.07 in April 2008 as concern that there would be a supply shortage prompted India and Vietnam to cut exports.

India’s state-owned trading firms, PEC Ltd., MMTC Ltd. and State Trading Corp., on Oct. 30 sought to import 10,000 tons each for delivery during November and December.

PEC has scrapped the tender, a government official said yesterday, while MMTC Chairman Sanjeev Batra said on Nov. 11 that the company won’t buy at “high prices.”

Louis Dreyfus Corp. and Emmsons International Ltd. were among eight companies which offered to sell to PEC at prices ranging from $366.88 a ton to $586.88 a ton. State Trading received offers at $442 to $598.75 a ton.

Subsidy

PEC and State Trading have told Emmsons that they are seeking a subsidy from the government before finalizing the purchase, Rakesh Singh, a trader at Emmsons, said in a phone interview. The government may have to pay $250 a ton to cover losses for selling imported rice at local rates, he said.

“They cannot sell in the local market if there’s no subsidy,” Singh said. Emmsons offered to sell rice from Pakistan, Vietnam or Thailand at $527.51 a ton, he said.

PEC and State Trading have asked the food ministry to extend the validity of the tenders from Nov. 12 to Nov. 23, to allow them to finalize the subsidy payment, Singh said.

Suppliers to Emmsons may not agree to sell at prices first offered in the tender if the period is extended, he said. “The second tender from the Philippines has already firmed up prices,” he said.

Separately, the government studying demands to restrict cotton exports amid a rise in domestic prices, Sharma said.

“Companies have made representations, the textiles minister has put in a word,” he said.

Cotton exports from India, the second-biggest grower, may top 7 million bales of 170 kilograms each, compared with 3.3 million bales a year earlier, A.B. Joshi, the country’s textiles commissioner, said in an interview on Nov. 11.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601091&sid=a4HSqza8qrQw

Malaysia’s CIMB to Seek Dual Listing in Thailand



By Barry Porter and Anuchit Nguyen

Nov. 16 (Bloomberg) -- CIMB Group Holdings Bhd., Malaysia’s second-largest bank, will be the first company to take advantage of new rules allowing overseas listings on Thailand’s exchange.

CIMB plans to sell as many as 35 million shares to the public in the listing, according to a joint statement by the company and the Stock Exchange of Thailand today. CIMB, listed in Malaysia with a market value of $13.7 billion, would be the largest financial services group and among the top three companies on the Thai bourse.

“CIMB wants to list in Thailand to build its name in the country because it has a commitment to expand here and in the region,” Patareeya Benjapolchai, the Stock Exchange of Thailand’s president, told reporters in Bangkok today.

“If they want to make Thailand the next region for expansion, then it’s a good move,” said Lye Thim Loong, who helps manage about $500 million of assets at Avenue Invest Bhd. in Kuala Lumpur. “If Thailand can be nurtured properly, they will have a better footing there. For CIMB, it’s good to increase their footprint.”

The bourse’s $166 billion market capitalization ranks it 11th among 16 exchanges in the Asia-Pacific region, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The benchmark SET Index has gained 57 percent this year, the second-worst performer among five Southeast Asian countries tracked by Bloomberg.

The Malaysian lender already has a presence in Thailand through its 93.15 percent-owned subsidiary CIMB Thai Bank Pcl, which is also listed on the Thai stock market. The dual listing is expected to be completed in the first half of next year, subject to approvals, the Malaysian lender said in the statement.

Opening Up

The new rule to allow foreign companies starting on Dec. 1 was decided earlier this month, Vichate Tantiwanich, the bourse’s executive vice president, told reporters at a briefing in Bangkok today.

CIMB, which is listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange, rose 2.8 percent to close at a record 13.28 ringgit today. Malaysia’s FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI Index added 0.6 percent, lagging behind the 1 percent advance for Thailand’s SET Index.

“The listing will enhance our profile to investors and the general public in Thailand,” CIMB Group Chief Executive Officer Nazir Razak said in the statement.

CIMB’s shares will be offered to retail and institutional investors in Thailand, including customers and staff there as well as minority shareholders in CIMB Thai.

“CIMB wants to list in Thailand to build its name in the country because it has a commitment to expand here and in the region,” Patareeya told reporters in Bangkok today.

CIMB Thai Bank will remain listed in Thailand for now. “However, CIMB Group’s proposed listing would be an opportune time for us to reconsider this in consultation with our shareholders,” said the Thai lender’s Chief Executive Officer Subhak Siwaraksa.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=aJCUebRCfXdw

Thailand's Big C sees 2010 sales, profit higher

* Economy, new branches to boost sales, net profit in 2010

* To miss 2009 sales growth target, net profit seen flat

* To spend at least 2 bln baht to open four new branches (Adds details)

BANGKOK, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Thai hypermarket group Big C Supercenter BIGC.BK said on Thursday it expected growth in both net profit and sales of 6-7 percent in 2010, helped by the opening of new branches and a likely pick-up in the economy.

But this year's earnings should be flat from last year's 2.85 billion baht ($86 million) as sales were likely to grow in a range of just 0-2 percent, missing a 5-6 percent target, Vice-President Jariya Chirathivat told reporters.

"We have started to see higher consumer spending over the past two weeks ... but it's too soon to say it's because of the economic improvement," Jariya said. "We are still concerned about higher oil prices, which will affect consumption."

Consumer confidence dropped in October for the first time in five months as Thais worried about high oil prices, political uncertainty and the suspension of some activities at a big industrial estate. [ID:nBKK182016]

Big C, 36 percent owned by France's Casino Group (CASP.PA), is the country's second-biggest hypermarket operator in terms of the number of stores after British-owned Tesco Lotus (TSCO.L).

Fifteen analysts polled by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S expected a 1.4 percent fall in 2009 net profit to 2.81 billion baht, and projected 2010 net profit of 3.22 billion baht.

Big C, which has cut costs to combat the economic slump and slashed its planned capital expenditure this year to 1.5 billion baht, aims to spend at least 2 billion baht next year to open four new branches, Jariya said.

One new store has been opened this year as sagging consumer demand held back expansion, the company has said.

Big C currently runs 67 stores nationwide. It opened 12 new stores in 2008.

At 0847 GMT, Big C shares were unchanged at 42 baht, while the main Thai index .SETI was down 0.92 percent. ($1=33.18 Baht)

http://www.reuters.com/article/cyclicalConsumerGoodsSector/idUSBKK49826420091119

Thai Exports Fall Least in a Year on Global Recovery

Nov. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Thailand’s exports dropped the least in a year in October as a nascent recovery in the global economy helped revive demand for rice, electronics and auto parts.

Shipments fell 3 percent from a year earlier to $14.8 billion last month, Commerce Minister Porntiva Nakasai said in Nonthaburi province on the outskirts of Bangkok today. That follows an 8.5 percent contraction in September. The median estimate of 11 economists in a Bloomberg News survey was for a 5 percent decline.

The Bank of Thailand last month said the country’s first economic recession in a decade has ended, as unemployment eased and manufacturing expanded. Companies including Delta Electronics (Thailand) Pcl have rehired workers and started to increase capacity to cope with rising overseas orders.

“We remain positive on an export-led growth recovery in Thailand,” said Rahul Bajoria, an economist at Barclays Capital in Singapore. “With signs of a resurgence in exports in North Asia in October, we think shipments out of Thailand are likely to benefit, thus helping support the recovery.”

Leaders of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group, including U.S. President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, pledged in Singapore over the weekend to maintain stimulus policies until a “durable” economic recovery is secure.

Fourth-Quarter Growth

Thailand’s exports may grow 3 percent to 5 percent in the fourth quarter, helping narrow the contraction for the full year to between 13 percent and 15 percent this year, Porntiva said. Exports may grow 10 percent to 15 percent next year, she said.

“Exports have really shown good improvement,” Porntiva said at a briefing. “The contraction to key markets has eased in line with the improving global environment.”

Gross domestic product may shrink as little as 2.5 percent this year, less than an earlier forecast for a contraction of 3 percent to 4.5 percent, the central bank said Oct. 29.

Imports fell 17.5 percent in October after a 17.9 percent decline a month earlier. The trade surplus narrowed to $1.76 billion, from $1.98 billion in September.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a3KZUyb5N0_Q&pos=7

2011 Mazda2 Production To Switch To Thailand, Sedan To Enter Line-Up

http://www.themotorreport.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/2010-mazda2-update-02.jpg

MAZDA AUSTRALIA has today confirmed that it will begin sourcing its Mazda2 light car from Thailand instead of Japan next year.

Currently, all Australian-delivered Mazda2s come from Mazda’s Hiroshima assembly plant in Japan.

From mid-2010 onwards, the newly-refurbished Auto Alliance Thailand plant in Rayong will build Mazda2 models for the Australian market, including an all-new sedan variant.

The Thai-produced Mazda2 will also be sold across the Asia-Pacific region, with the Japanese company gearing up to build 50,000 Mazda2s at the Rayong plant each year.

Mazda2 production at the Auto Alliance facility started last month, while the plant also produces the Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50 utilities. Thai assembly of the Ford Fiesta is slated to begin there soon.

http://www.themotorreport.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/2010-mazda2-update-01.jpg

The introduction of Thai-built Mazda2s to Australian roads will bring a new front-end design for the car, with the Rayong-sourced cars sporting Mazda’s now-familiar corporate grin.

No other major changes for the Mazda2 have been announced, however preliminary specs for the sedan have been released. It will be powered by the same 76kW 1.5 litre inline four as the three and five-door hatch, while boot capacity will be a substantial 450 litres.

Full specifications and pricing information will be released closer to the updated Mazda2’s launch midway through 2010.

http://www.themotorreport.com.au/46166/2011-mazda2-production-to-switch-to-thailand-sedan-to-enter-line-up/

Thai PTT plans coal mine investment in Indonesia

* To conclude Indonesian coal mine buy in 6 months

* Sees coal output jumping to 20 mln tonnes in five years (Adds details)

BANGKOK, Nov 18 (Reuters) - PTT PTT.BK, Thailand's biggest energy firm, said on Wednesday it would conclude a plan to invest in coal mines in Indonesia over the next six months.

"We are in talks on the coal mine investment. It will be a joint investment to help our expansion," Chitrapongse Kwangsukstith, chairman of PTT International, told reporters.

PTT International, PTT's wholly owned overseas investment arm, would invest with partners in a mine in Kalimantan, he said.

PTT has said it was looking to buy more coal assets in Indonesia and Australia.

The latest deal was in April when PTT spent $335 million to buy part of Australian miner Straits Resources' SRL.AK coal and salt assets. The deal marked PTT group's first foray into the coal business and its second investment in Australia.

Chitrapongse said he expected PTT to raise its coal output to 9 million tonnes this year from 7-8 million tonnes last year, then to 11-12 million tonnes in 2010 and at least 20 million tonnes in five years.

Under a five-year plan, PTT wanted to increase overseas revenue to 20 percent of group revenue from around 10 percent now, PTT finance executive Tevin Vongvanick said.

PTT, Thailand's biggest listed company with a market value of $20 billion, runs Thailand's gas pipeline monopoly and controls more than 30 petroleum, gas exploration, petrochemical and refinery businesses.

At the midday break, PTT shares were up 0.4 percent at 240 baht while the main Thai stock index .SETI was down 0.4 percent.

http://www.reuters.com/article/energySector/idUSBKK24962120091118

Thai economy may grow 5 pct in 2010-deputy PM

* Deputy PM concerned about protests but sees them contained

* Says Q4 GDP expansion will be weaker than expected

* Expanding environmental controls in major industrial estate (Adds details throughout on baht, economy)

By Jason Szep and Vithoon Amorn

BANGKOK, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Thailand's economy could grow as much as 5 percent next year if there is political stability, the country's deputy prime minister in charge of the economy said on Wednesday, though he called the baht's rise a concern.

"If politics are stable, 5 percent is not something that is unreachable," Deputy Prime Minister Korbsak Sabhavasu told Reuters in an interview.

Thailand, Southeast Asia's second-largest economy, is expected by economists to grow about 3.5 percent next year, among the slowest in Asia MKTPOLL1.

Many private forecasters factor political instability into their outlook for Thailand, with no end in sight to a seemingly intractable political crisis, underscored by plans for prolonged anti-government protests starting on Nov. 29. [ID:nBKK4822]

That will be the first protracted demonstration by red-shirted supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra since violent protests in April that were forcibly ended by the army.

"Of course, we are concerned," said Korbsak. "But we've controlled it before and will do it again. Remember the bad one in April, we were able to control it."

He said, however, an expected economic rebound in the fourth quarter would probably not be as strong as the government had anticipated because the disbursement of funds for its stimulus programmes has been slower than expected.

Cabinet approved in September the first disbursement of a 1.43 trillion baht ($42 billion), three-year stimulus plan, a cornerstone of its economic recovery efforts.

"We are in the fourth quarter right now and we believe it is a plus. We are a little concerned it could not be as high as expected because the funding of our stimulus programme is lagging behind a little bit," he said.

"The cash injection is slower than we would have thought. Signing the contracts was about a month late," he said.

CONCERN OVER RISING BAHT

He also expressed concern about recent gains in the baht, which has climbed 4.9 percent against the dollar this year, but said it would not be wise for the government to attempt to influence or reverse its direction.

"We are very concerned. We should not let it fluctuate too much. The Bank of Thailand is doing that part. We want to see less fluctuation," he said. "We should not try to reverse it."

He said the government was pushing ahead with plans to resolve environmental issues at the heart of a landmark court ruling in September that suspended some operations in a major industrial zone and stirred doubts about the ability of the shaky government to satisfy both investors and angry villagers.

Thailand was allocating 2 billion baht ($60 million) to strengthen pollution controls, emergency services and public works around the sprawling 16.5 sq km (4,086 acre) Map Ta Phut industrial estate, the world's eighth-biggest petrochemicals hub, where 76 projects worth about $9 billion have been suspended.

He said he expected approval in a week to expand clean-water pipelines into the community, and would spend 275 million baht to remove 300,000 tonnes of garbage piled up in the area while more than doubling the number of hospital beds to 200.

The projects, including some from Germany's Bayer (BAYGn.DE), India's Aditya Birla Chemicals (ADYA.BO), Australia's BlueScope Steel Ltd (BSL.AX) and 25 companies belonging to Thai energy giant PTT PTT.BK, were suspended over their failure to comply with health impact assessment (HIA) rules, in force since 2007.

He said the industrial zone had grown far faster and far bigger than originally designed in 1985 when authorities had put in place a buffer zone between industrial and residential areas.

"The factories are not supposed to be there in the first place," he said. "The buffer zone is all gone. And now we cannot take the industry out. We cannot take the people out. So we have to learn to live together."

He blamed the problem on the government led by Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and now lives in exile after fleeing ahead of a two-year prison sentence for graft.

"I would say that government didn't do much. They kept expanding into the buffer area," he said. ($1=33.18 Baht)

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSBKK457156

Thai Siam Commercial Bank sees higher 2010 loan growth
Mon Nov 16, 2009 11:24pm EST

BANGKOK, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Siam Commercial Bank SCB.BK, Thailand's third largest lender, said on Tuesday it aimed for 2010 lending growth of more than 5 percent but expected growth this year to be below its 3 percent target.

Lending at the bank, which has 829 billion baht ($25 billion) in loans, was hit by the weak economy, President Kannikar Chalitaporn told reporters.

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssFinancialServicesAndRealEstateNews/idUSBKK12558720091117

Singapore and Thailand slide in Gunn Report 2009
by Kenny Lim 19-Nov-09, 11:07

GLOBAL – Japan has maintained its position as the fifth most-awarded advertising market in the world, but Thailand and Singapore’s rankings slumped dramatically in the latest Gunn Report.

The Gunn Report, which tracks performance in the world's leading award shows, noted that there was remarkable consistency in the top 10 countries, with two notable exceptions in 2009.

Thailand, ranked eighth last year, and in the top 10 throughout the previous decade, slumped to 15th position with just 37 points, which was exactly half of its 2008 tally of 74.

Singapore, 13th last year, but with five previous top 10 rankings to its credit, slumped to 20th position with only 19 points, by far its lowest points total ever.

Both Thailand and Singapore scored hardly any points in the interactive and All Gunns Blazing categories.

China recorded its highest finish ever in 13th place.

Last year's Gunn Report showed saw Asia rising up the rankings in global award shows, with the region's agencies taking top-five places in TV, print and interactive categories.

This year, however, the only top-five finishes from Asian agencies were BBDO/Proximity Malaysia’s Chrysler Jeep 'Two worlds' for print and Bascule Tokyo’s '12 cams create your rainbow' for interactive.

BBDO Worldwide was named most awarded agency network in the world again. DDB ranked number two with its London office named most awarded agency in the world.

http://www.media.asia/Newsarticle/2009_11/Singapore-and-Thailand-slide-in-Gunn-Report-2009/37942

Thai music firm GMM Grammy sees lower 2009 earnings
Wed Nov 18, 2009 6:06am EST

* Weak economy to drag '09 earnings down 20 pct

* Expects a recovery next year from television, radio (Adds quote, background)

BANGKOK, Nov 18 (Reuters) - GMM Grammy GRAM.BK, Thailand's top music and entertainment group, said on Wednesday it expected this year's net profit to drop by 20 percent from last year's 705 million baht ($21.3 million) due to higher operating costs.

"We see net profit this year falling by about 20 percent. As for the revenue, it should come out quite close to last year's, or slightly lower," Chief Financial Officer Sirichai Tantiponganan told reporters.

His forecast was below that of five analysts polled by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S, who expect a net profit of 660 million baht this year, down 6.5 percent from last year.

Last week the company reported a net profit of 374 million baht in the first nine months, down 18 percent from a year earlier.

Chief Operating Officer Sumeth Damrongchaitham said its earnings and revenue were hit by low advertising spending and the weak economy, which affected to its key music and media businesses.

"For next year, overall it should be better as we will book revenue from big-event marketing and expect that satellite TV, as well as radio and television businesses, should contribute more income," Sumeth said.

On Wednesday, Grammy's stock rose 0.7 percent to 14.70 baht, while the main Thai index .SETI added 0.1 percent.

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSBKK7266320091118

Thailand: Market records 18-month sales high in October
Wednesday, November 18, 2009, AutomotiveWorld.com

New vehicle sales in Thailand rose for the second consecutive month and hit an 18-month high in October. The rise in sales has been attributed primarily to a government stimulus package and to an economy that has shown signs of recovery.

Vehicle sales last month totalled 53,271 units, up 8.8% compared with figures recorded in the corresponding month a year earlier, Agence France-Presse says. Passenger car sales rose 23.4% to 22,747 units. Sales of commercial vehicles, however, remained flat, at 30,524 units.

"It is the second consecutive month of gains, and sales hit an 18-month high due to the recovery of private investment, benefits from the stimulus package and some higher crop prices," the news agency quotes Toyota Motor Thailand as stating. Toyota compiles monthly sales data for the automotive industry in Thailand.

Despite the October improvement, cumulative sales for the first ten months in 2009 were still behind the figures posted in the corresponding ten-month period in 2008. Sales for this period stood at 419,755 vehicles, down 17.7% year-on-year.

In all, Toyota, Isuzu and Honda accounted for a share of 81.5% of the October automotive market in Thailand. The industry expects sales to drop by 22% for the full year 2009, compared with last year, to 480,000 units.

In the short term, meanwhile, Toyota expects the introduction of new models and promotions introduced ahead of the new year to boost vehicle sales in November, says AFP.

http://www.automotiveworld.com/news/emerging-markets/79535-thailand-market-records-18-month-sales-high-in-october

Thai Minor plans $120 mln expansion in 2010
Tue Nov 17, 2009 3:38am EST

* To add 80-100 food outlets next year

* Hotel investments include overseas

* Plans funding by bank loans, bonds (Adds details)

By Saranya Suksomkij

BANGKOK, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Thai luxury hotel group Minor International Pcl MINT.BK, operator of the Four Seasons and Marriott hotels in Thailand, plans a 4 billion baht ($120 million) expansion next year, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Minor, which also runs Burger King and Dairy Queen fast-food franchises in Thailand, expects earnings to rise in the fourth quarter from the previous quarter as a recovery in tousism boosts revenues, said finance chief Pratana Mongkolkul.

"We will invest on food outlet expansions and new hotels next year. Our revenue next year will increase from both existing and new food outlets. The hotel business will also improve next year," she told reporters..

Minor's average hotel occupancy rate would rise to 60 percent in the fourth quarter, helped by lower room rates, before climbing further to 65 percent next year, up from a projected average of 53 percent in 2009, she said.

It is targeting at least 10 percent revenue growth next year, underpinned by property sales and plans to open 80-100 new food outlets from a total of 1,100 now, she said.

The group, which runs some hotels in overseas markets such as the Maldives, said it would fund investments next year by bank loans and bonds, she said. Next year's plans include opening a new hotel in the Maldives.

Minor is targeting revenue to reach 47 billion baht ($1.42 billion) by 2014, with hotel business contributing 65 percent of earnings and food earnings making up 30 percent. Its 2008 revenue was 15.8 billion baht ($476 million).

At 0804 GMT, Minor shares were unchanged at 11.1 baht while the main Thai stock index .SETI was up 0.05 percent.

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssHotels,%20Motels%20&%20Cruise%20Lines/idUSBKK18926120091117

Krung Thai Bank to miss 2009 loan growth target
Mon Nov 16, 2009 5:18am EST

* 2009 loan growth seen at 3-4 pct vs 5-6 pct target

* 2010 loan growth seen at 7 pct on govt stimulus plans

* Shares up 2 pct, outperforming the market (Adds quotes, details)

BANGKOK, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Krung Thai Bank KTB.BK, Thailand's second-largest bank by assets, said on Monday it expected loan growth of 3-4 percent this year, below its target of 5-6 percent, due to loan repayments from state agencies.

But Krung Thai Bank, which lends mainly to state agencies, maintained its earlier forecast of 2010 loan growth of 7 percent on expectations it would benefit from the government's stimulus packages, President Apisak Tantivorawong told reporters.

"We plan to extend lending by a net 75 billion baht next year, or 7 percent growth. That's based on the assumption that GDP would grow at about 3-4 percent," Apisak said.

This year, state agencies have repaid about 350 billion baht in debt to the bank, while it planned lending of about 450 billion baht, which caused the bank to miss its 2009 target, he said.

State-run Krung Thai Bank was expected to have about a 25 percent share of the government's economic stimulus plan worth some 1.43 trillion baht over three years, beginning in the fiscal year that started in October.

In September, top lender Bangkok Bank BBL.BK said its loan portfolio would probably contract this year, while third-ranked Siam Commercial Bank SCB.BK expected 3 percent growth.

On Monday, Krung Thai Bank shares closed up 2.1 percent at 9.80 baht, while the overall market was 1.21 percent higher.

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssBanks/idUSBKK41832220091116

Thailand's EGAT signs agreement with China Guangdong Nuclear Power

17 November 2009 - The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) has signed an agreement with a Chinese developer of nuclear power technology, paving the way for the country's first atomic power plant, says governor Sombat Sarntijaree.

EGAT signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Chinese state-owned China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group (CGNPC) and CLP Holding Co, under which they agreed to a knowledge and information exchange on nuclear power technology over the next three years.

CGNPC has developed its own nuclear-power technology over the past decade including the CPR-1000 pressurized water reactor. France's Areva co-developed the Chinese technology, said Mr Sombat. EGAT has not decided whether it will use the Chinese technology, he told the Bangkok Post.

EGAT is tasked with building two nuclear power generators, with a total capacity of 2000 MW, under the current national power development plan. The power plants should come online between 2020 and 2021.

As required by the plan, EGAT is now studying available sites, nuclear technology, related legal issues and human resource development. But the final decision on whether the country will actually build its first nuclear power stations will not take place until next year.

EGAT last year sent more than 80 engineers and technicians to attend a training course on nuclear power in China. Pornchai Rujiprapa, permanent-secretary to the Energy Ministry, said the MoU with China covers legal issues and updated investment cost.

CGNPC will provide EGAT with research and development and on-the-job training at its nuclear power plant and technical assistance. Chairman Qian Zhimin said CGNPC owns 53 nuclear power projects which accounted for nearly 20 per cent of global capacity.

"We are about to install another eight nuclear reactors units in Guangdong, where we will use our latest technology which will help us cut greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants," he said.

http://pepei.pennnet.com/display_article/370941/6/ARTCL/none/INDUS/1/Thailand%27s-EGAT-signs-agreement-with-China-Guangdong-Nuclear-Power/

Thailand Aims To Boost Private Sector Role In Stimulus Program

BANGKOK -(Dow Jones)- The Thai government is targeting a bigger role for the private sector in boosting economic growth, raising the value of projects it expects to finance in partnership with private investors to 10% of its THB1.43 trillion ($43.07 billion) investment budget from the currently planned 2%, a senior finance ministry official said Wednesday.

To facilitate such Public-Private Partnership, or PPP, projects, the ministry's Public Debt Management Office and the Department of Comptroller General are drafting a new Act to set a comprehensive institutional and regulatory framework, a methodology for project evaluation, and clear guidelines for the procurement process--all currently lacking, the head of the Comptroller General's Department, Pongpanu Svetarundra, told a forum on PPP.

As the new law could take years to pass, the ministry is drafting guidelines on such partnerships based on existing legislations, including the procedures that participating private investors must follow, he said.

"The guidelines are expected to be activated very soon," Pongpanu said, without providing a specific time frame.

Mass transit and road projects are among the first that will be launched under the new guidelines, he said.

Of the THB1.43 trillion investment budget in a stimulus program that runs between 2009 and 2012, THB145 billion is expected to be financed via PPP while the remainder will come from the government's budget, state borrowing and retained earnings of state enterprises, said Pongpanu.

Of the projects to be undertaken by PPPs, some THB57 billion worth will likely be in industries that the private sector will find highly feasible to participate in, such as energy, telecom, and air transportation; THB45 billion worth of projects will require some form of support or subsidy from the government, such as mass transit, road, and rail; and the remainder will be on projects that aren't feasible for private sector investment such as public health, water resources, and education, he said.

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=200911180226dowjonesdjonline000276&title=thailand-aims-to-boost-private-sector-role-in-stimulus-program