Asia Africa Intelligence Wire articles from April 2003, page 9

Asia Africa Intelligence Wire archives from April 2003

Your supply chain measuring tape.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: BARRY ELLIOTT and KANUTE NIRUNTASUKKARUT We continue this week with our ``short course'' on the Supply Chain Council's SCOR (Supply Chain Operations Reference) model. In recent weeks, we've talked about...

ICT takes control for now.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Komsan Tortermvasana The Council of State has ruled that the Information and Communications Technology Ministry has full authority to oversee the telecommunications industry until the National...

Enodis targets Asean business.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Nareerat Wiriyapong Enodis Plc, a Florida-based food equipment manufacturer, plans to use Thailand as its base to expand business throughout the Asean region. In the first-half of 2004, Enodis will...

Inefficiency delays funds of B100bn.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Wichit Chantanusornsiri More than 100 billion baht worth of funds slated for spending in the current budget remains delayed due to bureaucratic inefficiencies. Somchai Sujjapongse, director of the...

PTT retail share growth beats forecasts.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Yuthana Praiwan PTT Plc's retail oil business grew faster than expected in the first two months of this year, according to Apisith Rujikiatkamjorn, senior executive vice-president for the company's oil...

Big C targets high-end shoppers.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Sukanya Jitpleecheep Big C Supercenter Plc is breaking new ground in Thailand's competitive retail market by opening its first upmarket discount store at the Ratchaprasong intersection, Bangkok's prime...

BECL to sell stake in unit if plan fails.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Busrin Treerapongpichit Bangkok Expressway Plc (BECL) will sell 75% of its shares in wholly-owned subsidiary Northern Expressway Co Ltd (NECL) if the Transport Ministry does not approve their merger plan...

Sars may hit IT producers.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Tony Waltham Hong Kong has been critically impacted by the Sars crisis that is having a wide impact on regional economies, with many IT-related industries affected. However, technology is on our side,...

Dtac primed for growth in mobile data.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Geoff Long Mobile phone operator Dtac is preparing its network for an ``explosion'' in mobile data use and this week will commence field trials of a new technology that offers three times the data rates...

ICT Ministry draws praise from industry.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Sasiwimon Boonruang The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Ministry has done a good job in training and improving IT skills in its first six months, but needs to focus more on e-law...

SME Bank to give funding to software developers based on IP assets.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Karnjana Karnjanatawe The Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank (SME Bank) will work with the Association of Thai Software Industry (ATSI) to help software houses get loans based on their...

Wireless tech park to open in Chiang Mai.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Karnjana Karnjanatawe The first Thailand wireless technology park will soon be launched in Chiang Mai with an initial private investment of 100 million baht. To be called the Artech Wireless Technology...

ATCI head.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Sun Microsystems (Thailand) country director Sanpat Sopon was elected as the new president of the Association of Thai Computer Industry (ATCI). Mr Sanpat, 49, has been in the position with Sun for four years. ...

Stonesoft tackles security.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Sasiwimon Boonruang Stonesoft, a maker of firewalls, has released its latest StoneGate solution here and aims to be one of the top three in its sector this year. The company is also planning to...

SME servers.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) IBM Thailand will repackage its Intel-based server X series and entry-level storage and printers for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The aim of the campaign is to offer competitive prices, according to IBM...

Gartner offers possible scenarios for assessing impact of Sars.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Dion Wiggins and Bob Hayward What steps can Hong Kong take to assure the IT industry worldwide that the country is safe? How can public trust and confidence be rebuilt? Results are what count. Is Sars...

Tools of the web trade.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: James Hein Before you get too far along with planning your web site, you will need to consider what web development tools you want to use. I asked the people that have done this kind of thing before for...

Download a little help.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Wanda Sloan At 3:30 am, the loudest noise on Ratchada is often the sigh or occasional shout of anguish from the world's most picked-on, abused, misunderstood and mistreated group of technology consumers...

How to measure the performance of your web site.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Ric Shreves Establishing a set of reliable metrics for measuring the performance of your web site in the real world is a key success factor. In the next few articles, we will explore what can be measured,...

XP's missing utility.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) I have benefited so much from the advice and helpful articles appearing in the Database and particularly by Wanda Sloan on Page 4, that I feel emboldened to ask for any guidance you may give on a Windows XP-Home...

A mobile PCT modem.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Pee Kay I'm not sure what the best thing before sliced bread was, but to me the best thing since sliced bread is anything portable _ from high-tech electronic gadgets like personal digital assistants and...

Your Internet name and address, please.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Marc Holt Before you open a business, including an online one, you need a name for it. A web site name should be descriptive and easy to remember. The domain name you choose for your online business should...

EVENTS.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) ACIS Professional Center will hold a Cyber Defence Initiative Conference and Workshop on May 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31. Information: K.Woraporn or K.Wittaya at 02-726-9911, 01-815-5533 or visit www.acisonline.net. ...

Thai SAP resource.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Web Traveller Reader Khun Chanunt has recommended a Thai language web site for SAP users here called ThaiSAP.com. ``It is really informative and good for any student who really wants to learn about SAP,''...

Jail is no security solution.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: James Hein Question: Can you improve computer security, application security and stop hackers by putting them into prison? Answer: No. I was reading a recent article by John Lasser, a columnist from...

Microsoft's road ahead, the 2003-2006 version.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Tony Waltham In 1996, Microsoft chairman and then CEO Bill Gates wrote about his vision of the future in a book he called The Road Ahead, in which he took a largely pre-Internet view of where computer...

Upgrading the world's network.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Geoff Long I don't know about you, but I hate upgrading my computer. Something will inevitably go wrong, there'll be missing disks for certain pieces of software, and it will be weeks before all of the...

It's time to make Pladao the de facto office.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Ping na Thalang What a difference four years make in the world of IT. In June 1999, I wrote an article called ``The X Files that may bring Bill Gates down to earth,'' which highlighted the ways XML-based...

Find your way around Final Cut Express.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: George Mann When it comes to more advanced non-linear video editing it pays to know the interface. Today we'll look at some basic editing with Apple's Final Cut Express by examining its major components....

A new spyware blocker.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Wanda Sloan SpywareBlaster takes a whole new look at protecting computer users from unwanted software that can track you across the Internet, and it's a winner. Instead of scanning for installed...

Let the crackdown begin.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Authorities with nothing to do after wiping out drugs on April 30 will have something to do: wipe out music, movie and software pirates; the three-month campaign's supreme commander, Deputy Commerce Minister Wattana...

Iraq's loss is Kuwaiti mobile operators' gain.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Kuwaitis set a national SMS record on April 9, texting joyful messages on the fall of Iraq and Saddam Hussein; the two million Kuwaitis sent at least 5 million mobile-phone text messages to each other in a day,...

Internet Site of the Week.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) This is not strictly about technology, although virtual conferencing, email and the Internet have gone a long way towards making an event that is happening in Bangkok this coming Saturday possible. Called the...

Special Sars fund kicks off with B64.3m pledge.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Aphaluck Bhatiasevi and Bhanravee Tansubhapol Asean and China set up a special fund to fight severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) at their meeting yesterday. The Thai, Chinese and Cambodian leaders...

Benefactors fail to deliver their pledges.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Wassayos Ngamkham Would-be benefactors who promised to foot the medical bill for a boy who was mauled by 30 stray dogs more than 10 days ago have failed to come up with the money now that the tab has...

Mercury transit due.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) People in Thailand and across Asia, Europe and East Africa will be able to view a rare event next week as the planet Mercury moves across the face of the Sun. Voravit Tanwuthibandhit, a member of the Thai...

Lawsuit threat to hospital.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Ploenpote Atthakor The husband of a Thai businesswoman suspected of carrying the deadly Sars virus has threatened to sue Vichaiyut hospital for keeping the truth from him. Panthai Thaichon said it was...

New book on 700 years of royal military involvement.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) The Defence Ministry will issue a comprehensive book on royal contributions to Thailand's military since the Sukhothai era more than seven centuries ago. Defence permanent secretary Gen Samphan Boonyanant...

Court condemns two warders, police officer.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Two C-5 Bang Khwang Prison officers, a policeman and two other men were handed death penalties yesterday for possessing more than 800,000 methamphetamine pills with intent to sell. The court commuted the death...

China promises to lift ban on travellers to Thailand.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Post reporters Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao yesterday promised to lift a ban on Chinese citizens from visiting Thailand, which was imposed recently in retaliation against Thailand's strict screening...

Private sector cool to anti-virus measures.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Nondhanada Intarakomalyasut The private sector responded coolly to the anti-Sars measures announced by Asean leaders at their Bangkok summit yesterday. Charoen Wangananont, president of the Association...

Airport fees cut to help struggling airlines.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Amornrat Mahitthirook Airports of Thailand Co (AoT) will cut its airport fees and extend payment deadlines for operators to help them cushion the impact of Sars. It will also introduce austerity policies...

Jongchai lets go with first round of censure.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Surasak Tumcharoen Chart Thai deputy leader Jongchai Thiengtham yesterday launched what he called ``an unfinished censure debate'' against one of his party's cabinet members as a prelude to one planned by...

11 warrants out after fatal mob attack on policemen.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Manop Thip-osod Police have issued arrest warrants for 11 of 40 suspects in Saturday's mob attack in which two border patrol policemen were killed in Rangae district of Narathiwat. National police...

Jurin: Violence won't solve the problems.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Apiradee Treerutkuarkul Violence should be avoided in dealing with problems along Thailand's southern border, opposition chief whip Jurin Laksanawisit said. The government had failed to resolve...

Villagers in fear of `ninja' gang.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Anucha Charoenpo Rumours of a black-clad ninja gang of thieves continue to hold many remote villages in fear in the southern border provinces, despite repeated assurances by authorities the gang does not...

Seagal brings Hollywood to Thailand.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Story by PENCHAN PHOBORISUT, Picture by YINGYONG UN-ANONGRAK Steven Seagal can often be spotted in Thailand. The Hollywood action star is Buddhist. He loves the country's spectacular scenery so much that...

Cabinet approves direct vote proposal.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Pradit Ruangdit The cabinet has approved in principle two bills which require the direct election by local people of the presidents of provincial administrative organisations (PAOs) and mayors of...

`Belly of the Beast' plot covers kidnapping, deception and the CIA.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Steven Seagal plays Jake Hoppers, a former CIA agent who learns that his daughter Jessica (Sarah Malakul) and her friends have been kidnapped while travelling in Southeast Asia. An old friend of Jake's tells him that...

Arms raids `work of a single group'.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Post Reporters Armed robberies at two Thaksin Pattana development operation units in the South were the work of a single group of raiders believed to have fled to Malaysia, Defence Minister Thammarak...

Is the domestic press truly free?
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) To mark World Press Freedom Day on May 3, the Thai Journalists Association (TJA) will hold a two-day conference this Saturday and Sunday to assess the state of the media's and citizens' constitutional right to...

464 van owners win easy licences as others protest.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Amornrat Mahitthirook The owners of 464 passenger vans easily obtained operating licences without having to enter an expected draw yesterday, as their colleagues protested outside against the quota imposed...

Making a name for himself.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Story by ONSIRI PRAVATTIYAGUL, Picture by CHAYAPORN MANEESUTHAM Offspring of famous individuals are often uneasy talking about their parents, for fear of the inevitable comparisons. Some brush questions...

`Misunderstandings' are all too common.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) The prime minister caused no surprises when he attributed the stoning and stabbing to death of two border policemen in Rangae district of Narathiwat on Saturday to a misunderstanding by villagers. It was one way of...

Remembering Luang Sukhum Naiyapradit.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: USNISA SUKHSVASTI Tomorrow, May 1, marks the beginning of the centenary year celebrations for Luang Sukhum Naiyapradit, whose lasting legacy to the Thai nation includes the SEA Games, the Suntaraporn Band...

US weighs North Korea encore.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: DOUG BANDOW As if the United States administration wasn't busy enough already, Undersecretary of State John Bolton says that North Korea should ``draw the appropriate lesson from Iraq''. That follows...

`Divas and Gentlemen' entertain the crowds.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Music fans had a treat at the recent ``Divas and Gentlemen'' concert featuring leading singers. GMM Grammy organised the anti-drugs event in cooperation with the Thai military. It was held at the Huamark...

Only cheap tourists whine about costs.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) People like Cliff (Postbag, April 26) really amaze me. They come from ``more developed countries'' where they easily earn at least 4-5 times more than their counterparts in Thailand. Yet they complain about the...

A 20-year horizon makes sense.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Kanjana Spindler As much as Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's upbeat pep talk to the Thai Rak Thai party faithful last Sunday might have disturbed some people, especially his assertion that his party...

BEC Tero win but remain in fourth spot.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Tor Chittinand Defending champions BEC Tero Sasana picked up three important Thailand League points with a 1-0 win over Krung Thai Bank at Thephatsdin Stadium yesterday. Despite the win, AFC Champions...

Has the `Tornado' blown himself out?
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Wanchai Rujawongsanti As the top snooker players bid for a place in this weekend's final of the World Championship at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre, many Thais have lost interest in the event since their...

Mexican challenger warns Veeraphol.
April 30, 2003... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Edward Thangarajah A brash 28-year-old Mexican, Hugo Dianzo, has thrown down a strong challenge to the World Boxing Council (WBC) bantamweight champion, Thailand's popular Veeraphol Nakhonluang, claiming...

Namibia: Rights body faults US, UK on alleged mistreatment of Iraqi captives.
April 30, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Windhoek, 28 April: The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has called on the US, Britain and all countries that call themselves democratic, to show cause that they are truly democratic...

Taiwan's bad check ratio up slightly in March.
April 30, 2003... (From Taiwan Economic News) Taipei, April 30, 2003 (CENS)--Taiwan's bad check ratio in terms of the number of checks issued edged up to 0.53% in March from February's 0.52%, as some industries were hit by the outbreak of severe acute...

Taiwan banks' overdue loan ratio fell to 6.11% at end-March.
April 30, 2003... (From Taiwan Economic News) Taipei, April 30, 2003 (CENS)--The average overdue loan ratio of Taiwan's domestic banks fell slightly to 6.11% in March from 6.12% at the end of December, the Bureau of Monetary Affair said yesterday....

TSMC expects shipments and prices to improve significantly in Q2: Chang.
April 30, 2003... (From Taiwan Economic News) Taipei, April 30, 2003 (CENS)--Morris Chang, chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., said yesterday that he expects TSMC's shipments and its product prices to improve significantly in the second...

Taiwan shares end higher on bargain-hunting.
April 30, 2003... (From Taiwan Economic News) Taipei, April 30, 2003 (CENS)--Taiwan shares snapped a three-session losing streak to end higher yesterday on bargain-hunting, analysts said. Overnight gains in U.S. stocks also helped boost market sentiment,...

Polaris to launch Taiwan's first exchange traded fund by end-June.
April 30, 2003... (From Taiwan Economic News) Taipei, April 30, 2003 (CENS)--The Taiwan Stock Exchange and London-based FTSE officially authorized a license to Paris International Securities Investment Trust to use the 'TSEC Taiwan 50 Index' for launching...

No date yet for Australian pull-out from Iraq.
April 30, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Australia's defence minister, Robert Hill, is unsure when Australian troops will finish their work in the Persian Gulf. Senator Hill, who is visiting the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, says the...

AstraZeneca Q1 net at Rs 2.73 cr.
April 30, 2003... (From Business Line) BANGALORE: AstraZeneca Pharma India has posted net sales of Rs 32.22 crore for its first quarter ended March 31, 2003, a growth of around 24 per cent over Rs 26.01 crore recorded during the same period of 2002. ...

AI's incentives to UK agents under scrutiny.
April 30, 2003... (From Business Line) NEW DELHI, April 29. THE role played by the then Managing Director of Air India in allowing an increase in the productivity-linked incentives (PLI) to the UK-based General Sales Agents (GSA) has come in for close...

Sankara Eye Centre opened in Coimbatore.
April 30, 2003... (From Business Line) COIMBATORE, April 29. ARE you a person suffering from any refractive errors - long sight, short sight or astigmatism (cylinder power) but is averse to wearing prescription glasses or contact lenses to have normal...

Finance Ministry says RBI growth projection realistic.
April 30, 2003... (From Business Line) NEW DELHI, April 29. THE Ministry of Finance today seconded the Reserve Bank of India's projection of a 6 per cent GDP growth for the current fiscal made in the Credit Policy. "We share the expectation of RBI of a...

Pilots guild derecognised; 18 more suspended.
April 30, 2003... (From Business Line) MUMBAI, April 29. THE Air India management on Tuesday decided to derecognise the Indian Pilots Guild (IPG), the representative body of pilots with the national carrier. They have also issued suspension orders on 18...

Anand Mahindra takes over as CII President.
April 30, 2003... (From Business Line) NEW DELHI, April 29. THE Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, Mr Anand Mahindra, has taken over as President of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) from Mr Ashok Soota for the year...

Asahi India nets Rs 18.47 cr.
April 30, 2003... (From Business Line) NEW DELHI: Asahi India Glass Ltd (AIGL) has reported a net profit of Rs 18.47 crore for the year ended March 31, 2003 as against a net profit of Rs 11.86 crore recorded for the same period during the previous year....

Chennai Metrowater plans desalination plant on BOOT basis.
April 30, 2003... (From Business Line) CHENNAI, April 29. THE Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (Metrowater) will facilitate a 300 million litre per day desalination plant on build-own-operate-transfer basis to have a reliable source of...

Bal Pharma net up 30 pc.
April 30, 2003... (From Business Line) BANGALORE: Bal Pharma has posted nearly 30 per cent higher net profit with a PAT of Rs 258.09 lakh for the year ended March 31, 2003. This was Rs 198.77 lakh during the previous year. The gross turnover was Rs...

Krishnapatnam port to be ready by 2005.
April 30, 2003... (From Business Line) HYDERABAD, April 29. THE first phase of Krishnapatnam port, being developed at a cost of Rs 900 crore by Krishnapatnam Port Company Ltd (KPCL), will be completed by the middle of 2005. KPCL is developing the port on...

TN mulls approach paper for funding urban projects.
April 30, 2003... (From Business Line) CHENNAI, April 29. THE Tamil Nadu Government is looking at evolving an approach paper for the third Tamil Nadu Urban Development Project (TNUDP-III) to enable continuous financing for urban infrastructure from...

Engineers soon to come under rating ambit.
April 30, 2003... (From Business Line) NEW DELHI, April 29. IN a bid to ensure credibility and accountability among engineers, the Engineering Council of India (ECI) plans to launch an accreditation scheme for practicing professionals. The scheme would...

NTC arm in TN revises bids for surplus land.
April 30, 2003... (From Business Line) The revised reserve price now arrived at for each parcel of land is the average of the three valuations - that of the value taken in the revival scheme, the value of the independent valuer's evaluation and that of...

EU seeks to double trade with India.
April 30, 2003... (From Business Line) HYDERABAD, April 29. WITH a view to doubling the bilateral trade with India, the European Union is planning to launch a massive euro 15-million 'Trade and Investment Development Programme' in July across the country...

Foodgrain exports from TN to get fillip.
April 30, 2003... (From Business Line) MADURAI, April 29. THE multi-purpose marketing yard developed by the Tamil Nadu Foodgrain Merchants Association here is expected to become functional in a couple of years. It is expected to give a fillip to...