Bangkok Post (Bangkok, Thailand) articles from August 2001

Bangkok Post (Bangkok, Thailand) archives from August 2001

Thai Asset Valuation Policy Near Completion.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Chatrudee Theparat Aug. 1--The Thai Asset Management Corp is expected to finalise a valuation method for assets transferred from local banks today, according to Finance Minister Somkid Jatusripitak. He said the TAMC board would...

Prosecutors Asked to Drop Fraud Case against Thailand Bank Executives.
August 1, 2001... Aug. 1--Police have recommended that prosecutors drop a fraud case against Som Jatusripitak and several other former executives of Siam City Bank. Sources said the decision not to pursue a case against the elder brother of Finance Minister...

Bangkok Post, Thailand, Business Briefs Column.
August 1, 2001... Aug. 1--FIRST-HALF AUTO EXPORTS RISE 53 PERCENT: The value of Thailand's automobile and parts exports jumped year-on-year by 53 percent to 49.12 billion baht in the first six months of this year, undeterred by the world economic slowdown,...

Bangkok Post, Thailand, Business Notes Column.
August 1, 2001... Aug. 1--RATCHABURI CUTS PROFIT FORECAST: Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding Plc has cut its net profit forecast for 2001 to 3.27 billion baht or 2.26 baht per share from 3.5 billion baht (2.41 baht per share). Managing director...

Bangkok Post, Thailand, Company Reports Column.
August 1, 2001... Aug. 1--Dynasty Ceramic said that, of the 136m bt raised in the capital increase as approved by shareholders on Oct 27 last year, 107.5m bt was used to buy 21.5m shares (96.8 percent ) of Tile Top Industry Plc. In addition, 28.5m bt was used to...

Thai Customs Taxes Now Payable Through Krung Thai Bank Branches.
August 1, 2001... Aug. 1--The Customs Department says business operators can now pay applicable taxes through branches of Krung Thai Bank nationwide. The bank will charge a fee of 30 baht per transaction. Taxpayers must first obtain a payment form from...

Bank of Thailand Reports Trade Surplus Up and Investment Down.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Parista Yuthamanop Aug. 1--While the trade surplus posted its strongest gains of the year in June, investment and manufacturing production showed a slight dip from the month before, the Bank of Thailand said yesterday. Atchana...

Small Thai Manufacturers of Electronics Adapt to Survive Downturn.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Chatrudee Theparat Aug. 1--Small-scale manufacturers of electronics are reshaping their businesses to cope with the downturn in the American and Japanese markets. The companies have been able to survive by improving product...

Bangkok Post, Thailand, Money Matters Column.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Ayudhya JF Asset Management Aug. 1--This week we will look again at the fixed-income teams competing in the AJF Young Fund Manager Award contest. Interestingly, new teams have managed to emerge on top in this week's ranking. A...

Program to Promote Thailand Food Industry.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Srisamorn Phoosuphanusorn Aug. 1--A programme to promote Thailand as the "kitchen of the world" within 10 years is part of a preliminary master plan to develop the local food industry. "Given a variety of backward linkage,...

Raising Goldfish Is A New Hobby for the Very Wealthy in Thailand.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Srisamorn Phoosuphanusorn Aug. 1--Japanese goldfish are a rich man's luxury -- and with prices as high as 200,000 baht for a single fish, the hobby could even be considered eccentric in the extreme. The 20-million-baht Thai...

British Health, Beauty Retailer's Expansion Is on Hold in Thailand.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Sukanya Jitpleecheep Aug. 1--Boots, the British health and beauty retailer, has ceased its store expansion in Thailand but is moving to sell some of its products through Tops supermarkets to expand its business. Boots Retail...

Government of Thailand Wants Natural Gas Producers to Reduce Prices.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Yuthana Praiwan Aug. 1--The government intends to negotiate with all natural gas producers for price reductions of at least 7 percent or a total of 5.6 billion baht over the life of existing sales contracts. Prime Minister...

Thai Telephone Company Decides to Cut Long-Distance Rates.
August 1, 2001... Aug. 1--The Telephone Organisation of Thailand today will cut the charge for its popular Y-Tel 1234 long-distance service to 50 satang a minute nationwide on weekends to stay competitive. The discount, effective to Sept 30, will also apply...

Success Follows A Few False Starts for Thai Health-Food Restaurateur.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Charoen Kittikanya Aug. 1--The clean and pleasant environment, abundance of well-stocked bookshelves and neatly arranged furniture could mislead passers-by into believing the Dee-Yeam Thai-Ayutthaya health-food noodle restaurant is...

Thailand's Grammy Entertainment to Expand and Spin Off Imagine Stores.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Bamrung Amnatcharoenrit Aug. 1--MGA Co, the distribution arm of Grammy Entertainment Plc, plans to form joint ventures with entrepreneurs to increase its network of Imagine entertainment outlets. Details of the ventures and the...

Russia Reconsiders Sugar Import Quota; Effects Felt in Thailand.
August 1, 2001... Byline: John Helmer Aug. 1--Russia, the world's largest sugar importer, is reconsidering the year-old sugar import quota scheme that has dramatically reduced Thai sugar sales to Russia this year. The Russian sugar quota, introduced a...

Thailand Defers Decision on Ban against Shrimp-Farming.
August 1, 2001... Aug. 1--While black tiger shrimps are among the few products that could reverse the decline in export receipts, there is debate over whether the country should risk losing fertile rice fields to shrimp farms. With this in mind, the cabinet...

Thailand's United Communication Industry Names Marketing Chief.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Kanchana Pleumjit Aug. 1--Total Access Communication has reassigned its top Thai marketing executive to its parent company, United Communication Industry (Ucom) to take charge of marketing of the group. Somwong Pongstaporn is...

Thai Agency Seeks Valuation Rules for Asset Transfers from Local Banks.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Wichit Sirithaveeporn Aug. 2--Executive directors of the Thai Asset Management Corp have agreed to push for amendments to the agency's legal framework to use valuation methods of the Bank of Thailand for handling asset transfers...

Social, Political Change Could Weaken Case against Thai Bankers.
August 2, 2001... Aug. 2--Outstanding criminal and civil charges against dozens of former bankers and financiers could see the state's case weakened due to changes in the social and political atmosphere and within the government itself. Over the past three...

Bangkok Post, Thailand, Business Briefs Column.
August 2, 2001... Aug. 2--BoA PREPARING FOR EURO CHANGES: Bank of Asia says it will stop issuing travellers' cheques on Sept 1 in the national currencies of the 11 countries that will fully adopt the euro next year. Foreign currency deposit accounts at BoA and...

Bangkok Post, Thailand, Business Briefs Column.
August 2, 2001... Aug. 2--PUBLIC DEBT ACT BOUND FOR CABINET: A new public debt management act will be submitted to the cabinet for approval within one or two weeks, according to Sommai Phasee, deputy permanent secretary for Finance. The new law will...

Bangkok Post, Thailand, Insider Column.
August 2, 2001... Aug. 2--Amaret Sila-on has a bit of advice to pass on to the person who succeeds him as chairman of the Stock Exchange of Thailand: think twice before you consider sacking the current president. The hounds have been baying for the head of...

Thailand Financial Institutions Development Fund Plans Private Bond Issue.
August 2, 2001... Aug. 2--Bonds issued by the Financial Institutions Development Fund to help refinance existing liabilities would be privately placed and non-marketable, according to Sommai Phasee, deputy finance permanent secretary. Authorities plan to...

Bangkok Post, Thailand, Company Reports Column.
August 2, 2001... Aug. 2--Ayudhya CMG Life Assurance reported a reviewed net profit of 242.3m bt for Q2 ended June 30, vs a net loss of 154.4m bt for Q2 2000. 6M net profit of 92.5m bt, vs a net loss of 225m bt in H1 2000. -- Cal-Comp Electronics (Thailand)...

Crowds on the Rise at Major Concerts and Shows in Thailand.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Nondhanada Intarakomalyasut Aug. 2--Recovery or not, entertainment organisers have revived Thailand's partying pulse after four dull years where spending anxieties dampened spirits. Despite the baht's depreciation and tighter...

Thai Finance Minister Says Development Bank Misunderstands Role.
August 2, 2001... Aug. 2--Finance Minister Somkid Jatusripitak has cautioned the management of the Small Industrial Finance Corporation (SIFC) against having any misconceptions about the new status of the agency. "What we need the SIFC to be is not a...

Energy-Saving Cars Encounter Resistance among Automakers in Asia.
August 2, 2001... Aug. 2--Policymakers and auto manufacturers for years have been promoting Thailand as the next "Detroit of Asia", the auto centre for Southeast Asia. Yet while making vehicles has grown quickly into one of the country's largest industries,...

Tricon's Soft Serve Fuels Ice-Cream War in Thailand.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Voranai Vanijaka Aug. 2--With the struggle for pizza domination settling into a war of attrition, ice-cream is shaping up as the next front in the fast-food battleground. Tricon Restaurants International is stepping up its...

Thai Insurance Company Buys 90 Percent of Shares in International Assurance.
August 2, 2001... Aug. 2--Navakij Insurance Plc, a non-life insurance company controlled by the Wanglee family, has bought more than 90 percent of the shares in International Assurance Co (IA) at a price of 140 million baht. IA provides fire, marine, motor and...

Five on Short List for Laotian Satellite Project.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Mongkol Jullayothin Aug. 2--The Laotian satellite operator, Asia Broadcasting and Communications Network Co, will select one of five companies as its partner for the L-Star satellite project. The company expects to make its...

Consortium to Advise Thailand State-Owned Internet Provider.
August 2, 2001... Aug. 2--State-owned Internet Thailand, the country's largest Internet service provider, yesterday appointed a consortium led by PricewaterhouseCoopers to study its par value and share price before its initial public offering in November. ...

OPINION: Expressway Debate Far from over in Bangkok.
August 2, 2001... Aug. 2--The increase in the expressway toll to 42 baht from 40 has been a hot issue in recent weeks. The expressway authority was at pains to explain that the change was not an increase in the toll, but that the value-added tax on the toll was...

OPINION: Thailand's Tourism Promoters Need New Master Plan.
August 2, 2001... Aug. 2--The country's tourism promoters are never at a loss for ideas and bold new initiatives to keep people flocking to Thailand and leaving as much money as possible behind. Perhaps it has something to do with the inspiring settings in which...

Phone Wars Heat Up in Thailand.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Mongkol Jullayothin Aug. 2--A chance to win a Mercedes-Benz is the latest weapon in the country's mobile-phone marketing wars. Total Access Communications plans to give away five of the luxury cars in a draw for consumers who buy...

Thailand Seeks to Be Supply Hub for Asia-Pacific Small Businesses.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Busrin Treerapongpichit Aug. 2--The Thai government proposes making the country the centre of a supply chain network for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) group. The...

Thailand Budget Planners Must Focus More on Strategy and Goals, Official Says.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Wichit Sirithaveeporn Aug. 2--State budget planning must be re-evaluated with a new focus on "mission and strategy", according to Finance Minister Somkid Jatusripitak. He told 160 senior Finance Ministry officials yesterday...

Thai Analyst Advises Investors to Hold Bank Stocks In Short Term Only.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Darana Chudasri Aug. 2--Investors should adopt a short-term holding strategy on bank stocks, according to Tom Paiboon Nalinthrangkurn, first vice-president and research head at Tisco Securities. "At least for the next two...

Thai Communications Board Chairman `Won't Be Blamed Directly' for Any Failings.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Kanchana Pleumjit Aug. 2--Kraisorn Pornsutee would not be held directly responsible even if the CDMA mobile-phone project he helped to approve proves to be tainted, Wan Muhamad Nor Matha, the transport and communications minister,...

Sales of Bottled Water from Coca-Cola Network Grow by 35 Percent in Thailand.
August 2, 2001... Aug. 2--After two years in the market, Namthip bottled water, produced by Thai Pure Drink Co as part of the Coca-Cola network, claims to have annual sales growth of 35 percent. The producers are pumping 150 million baht into a new campaign,...

Former Thai Deputy Premier Forecasts More Trade in Asia.
August 3, 2001... Aug. 3--The "awakening" of Asian giants in Japan, China and India will intensify trade within the region, former deputy premier Supachai Panitchpakdi said yesterday. Speaking after the launch of an Asian Wise Persons Group, of which he is...

Thai Bankers' Group Disputes Claim that They Put ATMs Near Border Casinos.
August 3, 2001... Aug. 3--The Thai Bankers' Association says that no members have automated teller machines or credit card approval terminals near or inside casinos located outside Thai territory along the Laotian and Cambodian borders. Pol Lt-Gen Vasana...

Thai Legal Agency to Hold First Open-Bid Auction.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Parista Yuthamanop Aug. 3--The Legal Execution Department will hold its first open auction fair of assets worth around 1.05 billion baht on Sunday, according to Kraisorn Baramee-uaychai, the director-general of the department. ...

Lecturer Charges Thai Banks to Provide Greater Protection Against Fraud.
August 3, 2001... Aug. 3--Legal changes should be made to give bank customers greater rights in protesting against injustices and unfair claims, said Sudsawat Dissarojana, a lecturer at Thammasat University. "The current law favours creditors more than...

Thai Banking Agency Plans to Raise Funds in Local Markets to Pay Off Loans.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Krissana Parnsoonthorn Aug. 3--The Industrial Finance Corporation of Thailand plans to raise additional funds totalling 24 billion baht, with the majority consisting of promissory notes, in the second half of this year. All...

Bangkok Post, Thailand, Business Briefs Column.
August 3, 2001... Aug. 3--YUANTA TOPS BROKERS IN JULY: Yuanta Securities topped the brokerage table for July with 18.2 billion baht worth of transactions handled, or 9.99 percent of total market turnover, according to the Stock Exchange of Thailand. Close...

Study Shows Growth Comes from Removing Regulations in Key Thai Industries.
August 3, 2001... Aug. 3--Eliminating regulations that impede productivity in key industries is the single most powerful way to improve economic growth in Thailand, according to a study by the consulting firm McKinsey & Co. Reforms that enhanced productivity...

Bangkok Post, Thailand, Company Reports Column.
August 3, 2001... Aug. 3--KGI SECURITIES said the SEC had approved the company's purchase of 2.5m shares (25 percent ) in One Asset Management from BankThai. The transaction increased its holding in the company to 100 percent , effective Aug 1. K.R....

OPINION: Ignorance of Thai Etiquette Can Jeopardise Business Relationships.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Kriengsak Niratpattanasai Aug. 3--Thais rely on relationships more than Westerners do when it comes to doing business. As a result, Westerners need to be aware of behaviour that can threaten a relationship. The basics are covered in...

Thai Companies Try to Stimulate Interest in Flying.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Charoen Kittikanya Aug. 3--If you're not mentally sharp, good at mathematics and physical sciences, as well as physically perfect, it's unlikely you'll be accepted for training by a flying school. Even if you pass that stage,...

Thai Housing Bank May Offer Three-Year Interest-Free Loans to Civil Servants.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Wichit Sirithaveeporn Aug. 3--The Government Housing Bank is considering offering three-year interest-free loans to civil servants and state enterprise employees to attract new clients. Wisudhi Srisuphan, the GHB chairman, said...

British Retailer Tesco Aims to Pair Groceries, Service Stations in Thailand.
August 3, 2001... Aug. 3--Tesco Lotus is moving to boost its growing dominance in the Thai retailing market beyond superstore operations to the downstream levels -- grocery and convenience stores. The move is signalled by an agreement between the giant...

Bangkok Post, Thailand, Arnat Leemakdej.
August 3, 2001... Aug. 3--Previous columns have discussed new channels for Internet access besides personal computers. They include the mobile telephone, game machines such as PlayStation or Cybiko, and the personal digital assistant (PDA). However, the...

Thai Retailer May Help Government Rural Development Project.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Yuthana Praiwan Aug. 3--Retailing giant Tesco Lotus has proposed that its superstores could become distribution centres for products of the government's One Tambon, One Product project to promote rural development. At the same...

Rockwell Considers Indonesia, Malaysia for Assembly Factory Sites.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Srisamorn Phoosuphanusorn Aug. 3--Anticipating new opportunities under the Asian Free Trade Agreement (Afta), US-based Rockwell is considering establishing a local assembly factory to gain advantages in the regional market. It...

Thai Seafood Producer to Close Long Beach, Calif., Packing Plant.
August 3, 2001... Aug. 3--Thai Union Frozen Products, a leading canned and frozen seafood producer, will close its California packing operation in October this year, aiming to cut high operating costs and tax rates in an increasingly competitive environment. ...

Thai Steel Company's Revenue Forecast Revised a Second Time.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Busrin Treerapongpichit Aug. 3--The troubled Sahaviriya Steel Industries Plc has revised its revenue forecast for the second time this year, after posting a net loss of 12.4 million baht on second-quarter operations. Revenue...

Private Companies Protest Over Price Cutting by Thai Telephone Agency.
August 3, 2001... Aug. 3--The new Y-Tel promotion that charges 50 satang per minute for nationwide long-distance calls on weekends and one baht on weekdays has upset private fixed-line and mobile operators. They claim that price-slashing by the Telephone...

Venture by Northern Bangkok Water Supplier Dismays Shareholders.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Yuthana Praiwan Aug. 3--Several shareholders of Pathum Thani Water Co have expressed concern about future business prospects and could look to sell their stakes. The tap water supplier for northern Bangkok continues to have...

Bangkok Post, Thailand, Business Briefs Column.
August 4, 2001... Aug. 4--BANTHOON SEES NO CHANGE IN RATES: Interest rate conditions are unlikely to change in the second half of the year, despite plans by the Financial Institutions Development Fund to issue 320 billion baht in bonds in the fourth quarter,...

Bangkok Post, Thailand, Company Reports Column.
August 4, 2001... Aug. 4--Asian Property Development said shareholders on Aug 2 approved the separation of the company's real-estate and construction materials businesses. The company will focus on real estate and transfer its factory licences to a wholly owned...

Opposition Party Blames Thai Government for Economic Problems.
August 4, 2001... Byline: Chatrudee Theparat Aug. 4--The economy will be more depressed than expected this year mainly because of the government's cumbersome method of budget disbursement, according to the opposition Democrat Party's economic team. ...

Thailand's Economic Performance Dependent on U.S., Japan.
August 4, 2001... Aug. 4--Thailand's exports this year could shrink 2.6 percent in value if the economies of the United States and Japan, major buyers of electronic products, remain dormant in the second half, according to Banphot Hongthong, director-general of...

Bank of Thailand Reports Decline in Non-Performing Loans.
August 4, 2001... Byline: Parista Yuthamanop Aug. 4--Non-performing loans in the financial system fell to 13.13 percent of total loans, or 607.9 billion baht, at the end of June, compared with 17.88 percent of total loans the month before, the Bank of...

Acquittal of Thai Prime Minister Raises Confidence in Stock, Currency Markets.
August 4, 2001... Aug. 4--Investment sentiment is expected to improve sharply in the stock and currency markets next week, following yesterday's acquittal of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra by the Constitutional Court. Rumours that Mr Thaksin would be...

Thai Petroleum Authority to Invest More Money in Production.
August 4, 2001... Aug. 4--In an attempt to turn the Petroleum Authority of Thailand into an industry leader in Southeast Asia, the state enterprise has been told to adjust its plan to invest 740 million baht in petrochemical production. The move would also...

Thai Experts React to Acquittal of Prime Minister.
August 4, 2001... Aug. 4--The split Constitutional Court decision favouring Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will help clear political uncertainty and enable the government to fully carry out its policies to revive the economy, according to economists and...

Thai Officials File More Charges against Unlicensed Securities Dealers.
August 4, 2001... Aug. 4--The Securities and Exchange Commission said yesterday that it had filed additional criminal complaints against seven executives of the Brinton Group for fraud and offering securities services without a licence. The executives are...

Bangkok Post, Thailand, Tourism Column.
August 4, 2001... Byline: Nondhanada Intarakomalyasut Aug. 4--Poorly-run hotels are being offered a chance to upgrade their professional management and promote their properties through a course run by College Management, Mahidol University (CMMU). ...

Thailand Plans to Market Some Unique Goods in Trade Network.
August 4, 2001... Byline: Chatrudee Theparat Aug. 4--Goods different from those made under the One Tambon, One Product and village fund projects will be marketed under a separate network as part of the Thailand Plaza concept. "The goods eligible for the...

Bangkok Post, Thailand, Business Briefs Column.
August 6, 2001... Aug. 6--DEVELOPER'S PLAN WOULD REPAY BUYERS: The proposed rehabilitation plan of Property Perfect allows for full repayment to buyers of the company's housing projects as well as trade creditors, according to Asian International Planner Co. ...

Thailand-Based Telephone Companies Reject Request for Roaming by Rival.
August 6, 2001... Byline: Kanchana Pleumjit Aug. 6--Total Access Communication and Advanced Info Service have rejected a request by CP Orange, the new mobile-phone arm of the Charoen Pokphand Group, for network roaming, saying that they will keep their...

Thai Herbal Products Producers Want Government to Ease Export Regulations.
August 6, 2001... Aug. 6--Herbal products have lucrative export potential that could help offset sluggish receipts from industrial goods, but red tape is getting in the way. The government must speed up the issuing of quality guarantees, says Somkiart...

Members of Asian Hotels Alliance to Formulate Structure, Operations of Group.
August 6, 2001... Byline: Imtiaz Muqbil Aug. 6--Marketing chiefs of the newly-formed Asian Hotels Alliance (AHA) are to meet in Pattaya today to work out finer details of how the new group will be financed, structured and operated as it strives to confront...

National Geographic Magazine Becomes Success in Thailand.
August 6, 2001... Byline: Bamrung Amnatcharoenrit Aug. 6--The Thai version of National Geographic magazine has been so well received that the local publisher has increased the print run of the next issue to 150,000 from 100,000 for the first issue. ...

Thai Sales of Organic Produce Surge on Health Concerns.
August 6, 2001... Aug. 6--Increased customer concern about food safety has fuelled a boom in sales of organic and hygienic food. According to Randy Guttery, chief operations officer of CRC Ahold Co, operator of Tops supermarket, sales of organic fruit and...

Thailand-Based Ballpoint Pen Producer Tries to Survive as Imports Flood Market.
August 6, 2001... Byline: Somporn Thapanachai Aug. 6--When Laszlo Biro perfected the first commercially successful ballpoint pen he hoped to make them fashionable worldwide as cheap writing instruments. Back then, in 1935, the Hungarian inventor saw the...

Bangkok Airport Company Will Call on Local Banks if Japanese Pull Out.
August 7, 2001... Byline: Cholada Ingsrisawang Aug. 7--A contingency plan for financing the long-delayed Suvarnabhumi airport would rely on local banks, including state-owned Krung Thai, for the nearly 80 billion baht required if talks with the Japan Bank...

Change in Procedures Will Not Affect Plans of Thai Asset Management Corp.
August 7, 2001... Aug. 7--A change in valuation procedures for assets pledged as collateral for bad loans to be transferred to the Thai Asset Management Corp will not delay operating plans, according to Yodchai Chusri, the TAMC managing director. The...

Bangkok Post, Thailand, Business Briefs Column.
August 7, 2001... Aug. 7--SIAM CEMENT SELLS CAR-LEASING UNIT: In another sale of a non-core business, the Siam Cement Group has agreed to sell its 100 percent stake in SCG Car Services to the Japan-based Orix Group for about 225 million baht. The...

Bangkok Post, Thailand, Insider Column.
August 7, 2001... Aug. 7--AT LEAST ONE JOB IS SECURE: Finer minds than ours have been digesting the constitutional, legal and moral implications of the decision that has left us with the same Prime Minister we had a week ago. It fell instead to Reader R.J.,...

Thai Bond Issues Set to Lift Interest Rates.
August 7, 2001... Aug. 7--Interest rates are expected to edge upward in the next few months as the government prepares to launch bonds worth hundreds of billions of baht. Viroj Nualkhair, president of Krung Thai Bank, said one-year fixed deposit rates were...

Low Cellular Handset Prices Key to Thai Market Share.
August 7, 2001... Byline: Mongkol Jullayothin Aug. 7--Department stores typically offer 30-50 percent discounts in their seasonal sales promotions. But for cellular handsets, there is no need to wait for the sales season because prices have already plunged...