The Nation (Thailand) articles from August 2008

The Nation (Thailand) archives from August 2008

His Majesty grants samak an audience.
August 31, 2008... Byline: The Nation. PM insists he'll stay on despite protests; source says he may pass 2009 budget first before considering whether to step down or not Prime Minister Samak Sunda-ravej was granted an audience with His Majesty...

Phuket, Krabi airports still shut.
August 31, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Phuket and Krabi airports Phuket and Krabi airports remained closed yesterday as People's Alliance for Democracy supporters occupying them insisted they would continue their protest until the prime minister...

Princess concerned.
August 31, 2008... Byline: The Nation. HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has assigned medical personnel from the Thai Red Cross to prepare teams and supplies in case more clashes happen in the anti-government...

Ministry, FTI aim to boost consumption, investment.
August 30, 2008... Byline: The Nation. The Industry Ministry and the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) will launch three new joint projects aimed at improving domestic consumption and creating an atmosphere conducive to foreign investment. The...

Thailand, Malaysia to sign rice deal.
August 30, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Thailand will sign a rice contract with Malaysia on Monday for 100,000 tonnes of white rice under a governmenttogovernment deal. Commerce Minister Chaiya Sasomsap said Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and...

Worries about foreigners dominating 3G.
August 30, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Students of the subject are worried the auction of the thirdgeneration (3G) spectrum will pave the way for cashrich foreign telecom operators to clinch licences and dominate Thailand's 3Gservice market. Some...

Train strike brings country to partial halt.
August 30, 2008... Byline: The Nation. In a show of support for the People's Alliance for Democracy, 240 train drivers and technicians have gone on strike, partially paralysing the country's railway system since Thursday night. Routes that have...

Bus fare hikes take effect from Monday.
August 30, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Private bus operators in metropolitan Bangkok can raise their fares immediately, after authorities had suspended the proposed increases for several months. An injunction on fare increases by the Central...

Bangkok governor election set for Oct 5.
August 30, 2008... Byline: The Nation. The date for Bangkok's gubernatorial election has been confirmed for October 5, as in official documents signed by City Clerk Pongsak Semsant yesterday. Candidates have from Monday to Friday to register. ...

Enforced disappearances a blight on Thailand.
August 30, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Kingdom must strengthen laws and follow global norms to protect its people from this heinous crime Today is the International Day of the Disappeared. To mark this important day, Thailand, which has a long list of...

Non-violence must guide police.
August 30, 2008... Byline: The Nation. The police decision to disperse People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protesters yesterday morning was miscalculated. The move unintentionally drew in larger crowds comprised of those who are sympathetic with the PAD....

A country at the brink.
August 30, 2008... Byline: The Nation. The following are excerpts from the editorials of two major newspapers. Matichon The hard-line approach that Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej used to disperse the crowds at Government House, particularly the...

NBT fracas forgivable given all PAD has accomplished.
August 30, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Re: "PAD must not become its own worst enemy", Opinion, August 27. Despite its achievements in exposing wrongs committed by the corruption-ridden Thaksin, which resulted in the 2006 coup, the People's Alliance...

Central bank paints gloomy picture if political unrest lingers.
August 30, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Private consumption, Private consumption, investment and tourism will all take hits if the political unrest is prolonged, according to Bank of Thailand senior director Amara Sriphayak. Meanwhile, Pramon...

Allies, Army.
August 30, 2008... Byline: The Nation. The People Power Party's The People Power Party's key coalition partners called for an urgent meeting last night, while Army Chief Anupong Paochinda rejected Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's plan to declare a...

Anupong shows that he's the boss with military reshuffle.
August 30, 2008... Byline: The Nation. The military line-up is a clear indication that Army Chief General Anupong Paochinda has managed to consolidate his military leadership. Unlike past rotations, which were often politicised, this year's reshuffle...

Bond yields slide after rate hike.
August 29, 2008... Byline: The Nation. After the Bank of Thailand (BOT) raised its policy rate by 25 basis points on Wednesday, bond yields fell across the board. The decline in the yield curves reflected market expectations that the interest rate...

Worth Your Satang.
August 29, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Financial institutions this weeks offer their products and services are as follows : - Siam City Bank has extended the deadline for opening five-month timedeposit accounts and special 16-month fixeddeposit...

Fund managers urge flexibility as market panics.
August 29, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Rising political tension has discouraged equity investors, but fund managers say there are always opportunities in any crisis. The political uncertainty is the biggest concern for all participants in the capital...

GSB rolls out life insurance plus savings products.
August 29, 2008... Byline: The Nation. The Government Savings Bank (GSB) yesterday launched new products for lifeinsurance policyholders seeking a longer period of protection but a shorter premium-payment period. Given present economic conditions,...

BOT interest rate rise will hit private investment.
August 29, 2008... Byline: The Nation. I am a factory owner. Last year in certain provinces it was very hard to find staff for my company. This year it is becoming very easy. The raising of the interest rate by the Bank of Thailand has made me stop all my...

Government ambiguity over E85 policy.
August 29, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Ethanol factories are suffering from an oversupply of ethanol on the market due to the government's unclear policy on whether it will promote E85-compatible vehicles. Energy Minister Poonpirom Liptapanlop earlier...

Conflict natural in politics.
August 29, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Thai Rath Thai Rath in its editorial called for all sides in the current political conflict to resolve the matter by peaceful means. It said that having a difference of opinion is natural, especially in politics....

B International hopes to fan interest in local, overseas markets.
August 29, 2008... Byline: The Nation. In these times of high energy costs, B International and Technology has come up with two innovative products that should boost its livestockfarming business and increase export income next year. B International...

Highways Dept under budget pressure as costs soar.
August 29, 2008... Byline: The Nation. The Highways Department might rely on its 2010 budget, from the 2009-2010 fiscal year, or its recurring budget in order to finance current projects. Seri Sungam, the department's chief engineer overseeing...

A winning team.
August 29, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Students come home with 1 gold medal, 1 bronze and 3 honourable mentions. A group of Thai students return with a gold medal, a bronze medal and three honourable mentions in the second International Olympiad on...

Teenager rapes, strangles 8 year old.
August 29, 2008... Byline: The Nation. A14-year-old boy allegedly raped and strangled an eight-year-old girl before dumping her body near a temple in Chon Buri's Sattahip district, police said yesterday. Suspect Petch (not his real name) alerted police...

Noodles could be a health risk, researchers say.
August 29, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Eating noodles could be dangerous for people's health. Recent research has found people who eat noodles produced by 10 major local manufacturers risk ingesting substances that can cause liver cancer: aflatoxins...

Attacks down in south but grievances behind crisis ignored : ICG.
August 29, 2008... Byline: The Nation. The armed forces have made some headway in reducing the number of militant attacks in the deep South but have done nothing to defuse the underlying grievances of the Malay Muslim minority, the Brussels-based...

Berli Jucker investment in VN.
August 29, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Firm to spend Bt1 bn on glass factory Berli Jucker, a major industrial-glass manufacturer, consumer-product distributor and trading firm, will invest about Bt1 billion next year in kick-starting its glass plant in...

alternative energy urged on Manufacturers.
August 29, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Industrial manufacturers Industrial manufacturers have been urged to maximise production efficiency and depend more on alternative energy sources for their production lines, despite the recent declines in global...

Highways Dept under budget pressure as costs soar.
August 29, 2008... Byline: The Nation. The Highways Department The Highways Department might rely on its 2010 budget, from the 2009-2010 fiscal year, or its recurring budget in order to finance current projects. Seri Sungam, the department's chief...

B International hopes to fan interest in local, overseas markets.
August 29, 2008... Byline: The Nation. In these times of high energy costs, B International and Technology has come up with two innovative products that should boost its livestock-farming business and increase export income next year. B International...

Asiasoft set to benefit from funbox.
August 29, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Online game provider Asiasoft Online game provider Asiasoft will begin realising revenue from its new subsidiary Funbox next month. Asiasoft's wholly owned subsidiary A Capital recently purchased 99 per cent...

AOT boosting upcountry air traffic.
August 29, 2008... Byline: The Nation. International airlines are being offered International airlines are being offered steep discounts of up to 95 per cent on landing and parking fees at four provincial airports in a bid to boost air traffic...

Shaky days ahead for SMEs.
August 29, 2008... Byline: The Nation. More than 42,000 small and More than 42,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were forced out of business in the first seven months of the year. A statement from the Office of Small and...

Surely NBT's few Olympic shortcomings didn't warrant pad attack.
August 29, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Staff at the NBT television Staff at the NBT television station may not yet have recovered from the shock they experienced on Tuesday, when the People's Alliance for Democracy's warriors seized the station...

Bimstec's transport focus.
August 29, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Senior officials from seven Senior officials from seven South and Southeast Asian nations yesterday considered a master plan for transport links between the two regions. The plan has been studied by the Asian...

Incorrect Forbes listing of HM the King as richest in the world.
August 28, 2008... Byline: The Nation. The listing of His Majesty the King as the world's richest royal in Forbes' recent issue is far from the truth. The listing was based on the incorrect assumption that the King owns the Crown Property Bureau, an...

Shattered hopes of national reconciliation and redemption.
August 28, 2008... Byline: The Nation. THE moment we thought that our politics had reached its nadir, it sank lower. The proclaimed "last and final battle" between the People's Alliance for Democracy and the government was waged, and we as a nation lost....

PAD raid on the media was a step too far.
August 28, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Anti-government group has lost public sympathy because of its attempt to stifle a news outlet For all his laudable composure after the high tension on Tuesday, Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej did display a...

A tragedy in the making.
August 28, 2008... Byline: The Nation. As he struggled to make sense of his predicament, embattled Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej managed to combine a little of Shakespeare with a dose of washing detergent - the "soft and gentle" kind. In his Tuesday...

Consumers lack confidence.
August 28, 2008... Byline: The Nation. The Bank of Thailand yesterday decided to raise the policy interest rate again by 0.25 per cent in spite of political pressure from the government. Yet the central bank signalled that, in spite of the market's...

Election Fun.
August 28, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Candidate registration for the election of Bangkok's governor should be a lively affair. This year supporters will be banging drums and bringing along dancing dragons. Registration starts on Monday. The...

Bec world will peg advertising rates.
August 28, 2008... Byline: The Nation. No Q4 hike from Channel 3 operator amid concerns over the continuing turmoil TV Channel 3 operator BEC World has decided not to raise advertising fees in October, because of the political and economic situation....

KTB says political strife is biggest economic risk.
August 28, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Krung Thai Bank has maintained this year's lending-growth target at 6 per cent, or new loans of Bt60 billion, despite the political instability. KTB president Apisak Tantivorawong yesterday described the target...

Ascon seeks foreign investors to drive growth.
August 28, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Ascon Construction plans to sell a strategic stake in the company to investors from Taiwan and Dubai in a move to drive business growth both at home and abroad. The company has also set aside an investment budget...

Dip in investment proposals: BoI.
August 28, 2008... Byline: The Nation. The Board of Investment (BoI) received investment applications worth Bt241.6 billion in the first seven months of the year, down from Bt256.8 billion in the same period last year, though the number of applications...

Court orders pad out.
August 28, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Warrants issued for nine heads of PAD but police yet to move in The Civil Court ordered protesters to leave the Government House compound immediately late last night and remove the rally stage and all barriers ...

Foreign investment will be hit: chambers.
August 28, 2008... Byline: The Nation. The Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce in Thailand (JFCCT) The Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce in Thailand (JFCCT) and the Bangkok office of the Japan External Trade Organisation yesterday said the political...

BOT ups rate in continuing battle with inflation.
August 28, 2008... Byline: The Nation. The central bank signalled a further policy tightening on concerns that core inflation could exceed the upper target range of 3.5 per cent. The central bank signalled a further policy tightening on concerns that...

Bimstec will be a failure without focus and political will.
August 28, 2008... Byline: The Nation. The seven countries who make up the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi=Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) need to learn from the experience of countries in the Mekong basin to materialise the...

Thaksin the puppeteer is pulling the strings again.
August 28, 2008... Byline: The Nation. WHATEVER the outcome of the storming of Government House by the People's Alliance for Democracy on Tuesday, Thaksin Shinawatra will plunge back into Thai politics in full force. In perhaps a paradoxical new twist,...

Samak's remarks on Burma do more damage.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. The PM adds more salt to the wounds by openly endorsing junta's planned 2010 elections Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's recent comments on Burma were ridiculous, even bordering on absurdity. It showed his total...

TOT moves closer to 3G service.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. The Cabinet yesterday granted TOT sole ownership of the 1,900-megahertz spectrum, which it will deploy to launch its third-generation (3G) mobile broadband service, said Information and Communications Technology...

'extend free-trade list'.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. The Thailand Development and Research Institute wants the government to form a team, following up on the Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement (Jtepa), to get more items on the free-trade list. The...

Full steam ahead at Supalai.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Major developer Supalai believes the heightened political uncertainty is short term and will not affect the property sector. The company is therefore sticking to its sales target of Bt10 billion for the year. ...

Cost of raw materials dents sat.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Leading auto-parts maker Somboon Advance Technology (SAT) expects its full-year gross profit margin to fall to 21 per cent, from 22 per cent last year. The company blames soaring raw-material costs for the...

investment and tourism at risk.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Corporate leaders call for restraint on all sides Business leaders yesterday expressed fears the People's Alliance for Democracy's protests could lead to more violence and bloodshed. This could delay...

Cooperation key to asian fashion hub.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Despite the variety of supporting factors, "Asian Fashion Culture" is a key cooperation effort to strengthen competitiveness with the West as Asia seeks to become one of the world's major participants in the textile...

Mitsubishi targets toyota icon with pajero sport.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Mitsubishi Motors Thailand yesterday introduced the Pajero Sport, aiming to steal market share from the Toyota Fortuner with a pricing strategy. President Michiro Imai said the Fortuner would be the main rival to...

Thai AirAsia to fly daily to HK.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Budget airline Thai AirAsia plans to operate a Bangkok-Hong Kong service from late October. Chief executive Tassapon Bijleveld said the airline would operate daily flights between the cities with newly delivered...

pad needs to state ulterior motive soon.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Chaos spread throughout Bangkok Chaos spread throughout Bangkok all day yesterday following the People's Alliance for Democracy's decision to embark on its "Final War". It appeared the PAD was trying to stage its...

Tot granted spectrum.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. State agency to develop 3G service The Cabinet yesterday granted TOT sole ownership of the 1,900-megahertz spectrum, which it will deploy to launch its third-generation (3G) mobile broadband service, said...

set gets jitters as anti-govt protesters turn ugly.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. The Thai stock market The Thai stock market yesterday was the first of many institutions to suffer from the latest round of political unrest, sparked by the activities of anti-government protesters. The...

Excavator plant to start in 2010.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Bangkok Komatsu spent more than Bt1 billion on its second excavator-assembly plant at Bangpakong to serve rising demand globally. The new plant has total production capacity of 9,000 units per year. It is...

Arrest warrants sought for pad's five leaders.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Samak assigns Kowit to take control of quelling unrest as chaos grips the capital Police will today seek the court's approval to issue arrest warrants for at least five leaders of the People's Alliance for...

Dark days descending once again.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Thailand returned to the brink yesterday, Thailand returned to the brink yesterday, and this time we cannot say it was because of a belligerent prime minister blinded by power or irrational mobs armed with clubs...

A family-owned firm finds the best suitor.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Iscar's successful search to preserve passion that drove it As International Institute for Management Development (IMD) professors, we examined the 2006 acquisition of Iscar Metalworking by Berkshire Hathaway, a...

PAD must not become its own worst enemy.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Until yesterday, the People's Alliance for Democracy was a political movement that did the wrong thing for the right reason. The activists had sacrificed their personal comfort, risked their safety and endured...

A unique marketing weapon.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Sarun Chantapalaboon is the chief learning officer at 37.5 Degree Celsius. Dear friends, I am responding to your requests for some examples of creativity applied to real-world scenarios. I visited one...

More violence 'would dent investment'.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Businessmen urge restraint on all sides Business leaders yesterday expressed fears the People's Alliance for Democracy's protests could lead to more violence and bloodshed. This could delay investment...

Thai AirAsia to fly daily, cheaply, to Hong Kong.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Budget airline Thai AirAsia plans to operate a Bangkok-Hong Kong service from late October. Chief executive Tassapon Bijleveld said the airline would operate daily flights between the cities with newly delivered...

Pajero Sport sets to fight Fortuner.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Mitsubishi Motors Thailand yesterday introduced the Pajero Sport, aiming to steal market share from the Toyota Fortuner with a pricing strategy. President Michiro Imai said the Fortuner would be the main rival to...

Full steam ahead at Supalai.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Major developer Supalai believes the heightened political uncertainty is short term and will not affect the property sector. The company is therefore sticking to its sales target of Bt10 billion for the year. ...

Canon targets doubling sales by 2011.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Canon Marketing (Thailand), the local sales and marketing arm of parent Canon Co, plans to double its annual sales to Bt10 billion by 2011 from last year's Bt5 billion. Thailand has been promoted by Canon,...

PAD needs to state ulterior motive soon.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Chaos spread throughout Bangkok all day yesterday following the People's Alliance for Democracy's decision to embark on its "Final War". It appeared the PAD was trying to stage its own version of a people's revolution...

Pakistan alliance dies after 7 years.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. The seven-month-long alliance between the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has finally come to an end, hurting those who believed an understanding between the two main parties...

TDRI proposes Jtepa monitoring team.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. The Thailand Development and Research Institute wants the government to form a team, following up on the Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement (Jtepa), to get more items on the free-trade list. The...

Company reports.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. ASIASOFT reported an investment of Bt400 million to expand its online gaming business. The investment was made through its subsidiary, A Capital, which bought a 99.99-per-cent stake in Funbox. The sum could rise...

Briefs.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. Brainstorming park The Cabinet yesterday approved the Bt316 million budget to build the Innovation Park, which will be a centre for corporate improvements. Expected to be completed in 2010, the...

Senate to put own version of NBTC law to ICT Ministry.
August 27, 2008... Byline: The Nation. The Senate will propose its own version of the draft law governing the formulation of the broadcasting and telecom regulator to the Information and Communications Telecommunications Ministry in a bid to improve the...

Mall Group plans hotel development.
August 26, 2008... Byline: The Nation. The Mall Group, one of Thailand's largest mall operators, will next year expand its business portfolio into hotel and residential development. The Mall Group, one of Thailand's largest mall operators, will next...

Treasury-stock scheme expected.
August 26, 2008... Byline: The Nation. briefs The Association of Securities Analysts expects 10 blue-chip companies to launch a treasury-stock scheme from now until next year in a bid to shore up plummeting share prices. Secretary-general Sombat...