The Nation (Thailand) articles from January 2007, page 3

The Nation (Thailand) archives from January 2007

'Dead wood' to be cut in economy drive.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Axe hanging over staff with poor performance as executives formulate business plans Samart Corp's group of companies will slash its workforce 3-5 per cent at the end of the year...

Thai hotels plan road shows.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The Thai Hotels Association plans to invite buyers from Singapore and Hong Kong to participate in travel fairs in Thailand this year in order to boost tourist arrivals. THA vice...

True Visions scores licence for football.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Dominant pay-TV operator True Visions, which changed its name from UBC True yesterday, has won the exclusive licence to broadcast English Premier League football programmes, its...

Chinese tourists shrug off fears.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Only a few Chinese tourists have called off their trips to Thailand for Chinese New Year out of safety concerns, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said yesterday. Governor...

SRT given two weeks for plan.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula yesterday instructed the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) to complete the 15-kilometre Bang Sue-Taling Chan railway...

Siam Makro moves to assist traditional retailers.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Siam Makro, the Netherlands-based operator of cash-and-carry wholesale centres, yesterday announced a Retailer Centre initiative to help its 350,000 members from traditional stores...

Bigger and better Ripley scares in store.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Royal Garden Entertainment, holder of the Ripley's Believe It or Not! franchise, has a two-year plan to double its area in the Royal Garden Plaza shopping mall in Pattaya and...

Books make the man.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Surachai Chetchotisak, chief executive of the RS entertainment conglomerate, reads constantly to update his knowledge of business Surachai Chetchotisak, the 45-year-old chief...

Government's concerns over national security in wake of ShinSat sale fully justified.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Re: "ShinSat deal unethical but hardly a security threat", Letters, January 24. Outraged taxpayer, Cock and Bull ("Tragedy' of sale might have been exaggerated for profit",...

Revamped statistics bill a step forward.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Revisions balance the need to improve quality of polls, while staving off government interference The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) will soon discuss the statistics bill -...

'Materialism' keeps city youths happy.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. A new study seeking to measure the Gross Domestic Happiness (GDH) of Bangkok and its vicinity of youth aged between 12 and 24, found that they were quite happy with their lives and...

Biodiesel plant set to start.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The first biodiesel plant in Thailand will start operating in Surat Thani province next month, producing a daily output of 10,000 tonnes. The prototype plant, located in...

No murder charge against ex-senator.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Public prosecutors yesterday decided there was insufficient evidence to put former senator Napinthorn Srisanpang on trial on a charge of masterminding the murder of former Thai Rak...

ATM heist.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Thieves yesterday ran off with an ATM machine, which had been filled with Bt2.45 million a day earlier, in Songkhla's Hat Yai district. Sathaporn Nilpradab, 43, a security guard...

Cheaper generic drugs will help ease health crisis.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Breaking patents will give affordable treatment to HIV and heart patients Thailand is planning to "legally" break the patents of three more drugs, two of which are medications for...

Counting red blood cells.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Leukaemia victim fears toxic estate ruined her life The pale face of 31-year-old Mod (not her real name) had a glum smile when the result of a test showed her red-blood-cell count...

Autonomous university chiefs 'must reveal assets'.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Presidents and vice presidents of autonomous universities should be required to declare their assets to the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC), Thammasat University rector...

Neglected diseases of poor nations in focus.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Unlike other medical conferences, the upcoming Prince Mahidol Award Conference will focus on policies aimed to countering health problems faced by minority groups around the world. ...

Aussies charged over fake credit cards, 'black money'.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Two middle-aged Australian men were paraded in front of the media yesterday following their arrest in Bangkok for alleged fraud related offences. The two men, both from Sydney,...

Plea over lotteries.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Unemployed sellers of two- and three-digit lotteries are going to the Supreme Administrative Court next week over the government's repealing of the lotteries. About 50 sellers...

'We'll get tough with old regime'.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Govt to eradicate vested interests, as premier reassures foreign investors Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont yesterday vowed to act tough against remnants of the previous...

PR deals cast doubt on Thaksin's real intent.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra said in a CNN interview last week that he was tired of politics and would like to spend the remainder of his life as a civilian. But has...

WHO help to be sought on Map Ta Phut.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Health Organisation will be asked to study DNA blood samples of residents The National Cancer Institute will seek the assistance of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in studying...

Lie-detector tests for more suspects: source.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. None have confessed, says Anupong, despite police claim Two military officers detained in connection with the New Year's Eve bombs in Bangkok took lie-detector tests yesterday,...

Foreign investors cautious.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Foreign investors and businessmen yesterday expressed mixed reactions towards Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont's clarification on the draft amendment to the foreign business law, which...

Groupe Danone, Dutch Mill join hands.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Two leading makers of dairy products, Thai-owned Dutch Mill Group and France-based Groupe Danone, entered into a strategic partnership yesterday to offer innovative, high value-added...

Amata predicts drop in sales.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Amata Corp said yesterday its sales revenues would drop, because investors might move out of Thailand after the announcement of the proposed amendments to the Foreign Business Act. ...

Chance fades for Metrostar.
January 25, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The Bangkok bomb blasts on New Year's Eve have resulted in a lost business opportunity for Metrostar Property, as potential foreign partners have suspended plans to form a joint...

Moving into the community.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Bangkok Dusit unit opening five clinics in capital to get closer to target groups BNH Hospital, one of three hospitals in the Bangkok Dusit Medical Services Group, plans to spend...

JTEPA hearing results for NLA.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The Cabinet yesterday order-ed the Foreign Ministry to pass the results of a public hearing into the proposed Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement (JTEPA) to the National...

Advanced Info Service.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Phatra Securities maintains its "sell" recommendation for Advanced Info Service stock. As the interconnection-charge (IC) regime will be up and running in a few months, Phatra...

New bidding method proposed for rice auctions.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The Agricultural Futures Trading Commission of Thailand is proposing a new rice auction method, in which the bidding would be linked to the price of the 5-per-cent white rice contract...

'Contactless' credit on the way.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Visa International Thailand plans to launch a "contactless" credit card in Thailand by the fourth quarter, country manager Somboon Krobteeranon said yesterday. Contactless payment...

Association to improve its services.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The Listed Companies Association (LCA) this year plans to play a more central role in providing information and updating standards for members. Speaking as association chairman,...

Company reports.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. ADVANCED INFO SERVICE said it had appointed Koh Kah Sek, the representative director of SingTel Strategic Investments, to replace Hui Weng Cheong, who resigned from the position. The...

Stricter pollution standards likely.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand to urgently discuss issue with firms operating in the area Industrial plants in Map Ta Phut could be subject to stricter environmental...

Microsoft expects quick shift to Vista.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Microsoft said yesterday it expected 90 per cent of new PCs shipped in Thailand this year to have specifications allowing them to be pre-installed with Vista, the new Windows operating...

SME performance could pull down Kingdom's GDP: study.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The latest growth index reveals that Thailand's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are in a critical state and could pull down the country's gross domestic product (GDP) as a...

Thai soft power wins out again.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Formal or informal' This is now the big question that corporate PR teams and professional PR firms are asking themselves when they host press conferences. Thai journalists are not...

Palm-oil farmers face Bt400m loss.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Delay in project to promote plantations will hit seedlings' quality, warns Naret Growers of palm-oil seedlings yesterday warned they would suffer a loss of more than Bt400 million...

Bioplastics 'the way forward for industry'.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The Thai plastics industry is at a crossroads today and there is an urgent need to explore the potential of bioplastics, a panel of experts said yesterday. The industry...

Dubai-based firm launches interior-decoration investments.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Depa Interior, a subsidiary of Dubai's Depa United Group, is negotiating to buy majority stakes in a furniture company and other interior-decoration firms in Thailand after...

Club president.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. It is widely expected that Krung Thai Bank president Apisak Tantivorawong will be named as the new chairman of the Thai Bankers' Association, replacing Siam Commercial Bank president...

'We'll act if airlines are foreign-controlled'.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The Civil Aviation Department is waiting for the Commerce Ministry to clarify the ownership of Thai AirAsia and Thai Sky Airlines and says it is prepared to act if they are found to...

Leaders fear the 'Thaksin Curse' landing on their doorsteps.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. With the "Thaksin Curse" threatening to wreak havoc on the world stage, international leaders must be having sleepless nights, anxious about if or when the "pop-up" magician will...

Airport's legacy of corruption lingers.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Those responsible for dishonest practices that led to Suvarnabhumi's current state must be brought to book The new Suvarnabhumi Airport, hyped as Southeast Asia's latest aviation...

New constitution needs a clause to keep those in uniform from political power.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Re: "Nominees of CNS can't chair panels", News, January 23. The members of the Constitution Drafting Committee have now been determined, and they are about to embark on their task...

Project to promote sufficiency economy.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The public and private sectors yesterday joined forces to promote His Majesty the King's sufficiency economy philosophy, through TV programmes and on-the-road activities throughout the...

2nd bird-flu outbreak in Nong Khai.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. A fresh H5N1 bird-flu outbreak has been found in hens in the far northeastern province of Nong Khai, Livestock Development Department director-general Pirom Srichan said yesterday. ...

The national snapshot.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Kraipit Phanvut is lending his own royal touch to the drama being captured for the book 'Thailand: 9 Days in the Kingdom' Twenty years later and Kraipit Phanvut is still the man to...

A wizard in Chiang Mai.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi scores impossibly high with a feast by German chef Heinz Winkler You don't have to read German chef Heinz Winkler's CV to be impressed - his food...

Sensational salads and savoury treats.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Cheesy week Shangri-La Hotel's Next2 Cafe & Terrace indulges all cheese lovers with a special promotion that runs from today through February 3. The week features a wide...

Junior champs for Pattaya event.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. [TENNIS] Two world junior champions will be hoping to win their maiden professional title when they take part in the US$170,000 Pattaya Women's Open at the Dusit Resort Hotel early...

Nod for airport safety in doubt.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Aviation officials reluctant to renew certificate due to multiple concerns. This Friday was supposed to be the day Suvarnabhumi Airport would have received a permanent Aerodrome...

CNS satisfied with police probe into bombings.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The Council for National Security yesterday eased off on police after investigators confirmed they had produced concrete evidence incriminating "three to four" out of 19 suspects in...

On the right track.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Go-karting put Formula One stars like Schumacher on the path to glory. Now an entrepreneur is inviting Thai speedsters to get in gear at Bangkok's RCA Plaza The world of motor...

Union wants Montree back as TOT chairman.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. TOT's labour union has pleaded for Montree Supaporn to return to his chairman's post after resigning last week. Union head Nukul Baworn-sirinukul said yesterday he had asked the...

Housing inventories up 10%, leading to oversupply.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The inventories of property companies increased by 10 per cent from 84,058 units in the middle of last year to 92,462 units at year-end due to a sharp drop in housing demand in the...

SCIB's bad loans shoot up by 32%.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. NPLs overall fall to 4.5% at end of 2006 as a result of new calculation Siam City Bank (SCIB) was the only bank to see a rise in its distressed loans at the end of last year,...

NVDRs can't be used to skirt law.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Stock Exchange of Thailand president Patareeya Benjapholchai confirmed yesterday that foreigners would be unable to use non-voting depository receipts (NVDRs) as an instrument to avoid...

Ministry to clear out 3m-tonne rice stockpile.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The Commerce Ministry will soon open bidding for 3 million tonnes of white and jasmine rice, to help clear out its huge stockpile. Foreign Trade Department director-general Apiradi...

Steps urged to solve major tourism problems.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Travel operators want the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) to solve four major problems, in order to boost the number of domestic and foreign tourists. They want action over...

Industrial waste 'was in breach of standards'.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. PCD chief pledges to cut pollution at Rayong estates pending studies Wastewater in Rayong-based industrial estates failed pollution checks, an informed source at the Natural...

Bt1.4 billion for the far South.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Bt400m to fund local development, plus Bt972m to boost CCTV security The Cabinet agreed yesterday to outlay Bt400 million as "seed funding" for development in the five...

Scholarship scheme gets a rejig.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. There will be no more free grants from the One District One Scholarship project, according to the Education Ministry. The number of people granted scholarships under the revamped...

Vichai and Aiyawat make it really memorable.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. [POLO] Three spectacular goals each from Vichai Raksriaksorn and his son Aiyawat gave Thailand A a convincing 6-3 victory over underdogs Thailand B and a berth in the final of the...

Probe into airport cracks.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. A Transport Ministry committee was yesterday set up to look into what has caused the cracks on several taxiways at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Transport Minister Admiral Theera...

Telecom excise tax revoked.
January 24, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Former government's dubious policy finally axed by Cabinet resolution. The Cabinet yesterday revoked excise tax on telecom services, reversing a policy of the Thaksin government. ...

Investors can cover risk with insurance policy.
January 23, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. SCBQ product is a first for stock market and aims to reduce impact of volatility Prompted by volatility in the capital market and continuing political uncertainty, SCB Quant Asset...

Savings focus turns to younger generation.
January 23, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Most of Thailand's large banks are tailoring their marketing this year to attract the younger generation. This follows awareness that a larger proportion of the existing customer...

New accounting standard hits earnings.
January 23, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The 2006 results for almost every Thai bank have been hurt by the need to provide loan-loss reserves to meet new international accounting standards being demanded by the Bank of...

Advanced Info Service.
January 23, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Kim Eng Securities (Thailand) has changed its recommendation on Advanced Info Service's stock from "buy on weakness" to "hold", with a fair value of Bt85.50 per share. Even...

Company reports.
January 23, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. CALIFORNIA WOW XPERIENCE corrected earlier information about an investment in Dlush (Thailand). The investment amount is in fact Bt7.4 million, with Bt5.55 million for the cost of the...

Investors unfazed by slow-down.
January 23, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Aquarius Estate to embark on its second project in a tourist destination Property developer and manager Aquarius Estate plans to spend up to Bt500 million to build a new...

Property market's prospects tumble.
January 23, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The Thai branch of global real-estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle has revised downwards its outlook for the Bangkok property market this year, from positive growth of up to 10 per cent to...

Data-encryption firm upbeat.
January 23, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. CryptoGraf, a company selling an application to encrypt outgoing mobile-phone data messages, is upbeat about its prospects, given recent increased awareness of the need for...

Boeing introduces its 747-8 line.
January 23, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Boeing has introduced its 747-8 line in Bangkok, positioning itself for the 400- to 500-seat market. "Our programme strategy is to serve the 200-seat gap between the 777-300ER and...

Power, petrochem plans put on hold.
January 23, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Academic research vital to identifying cancer-causing toxic substances: Piyasvasti New power and petrochemical plants planned for Map Ta Phut in Rayong will be delayed until the...

Tough stance by PM's Office.
January 23, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Will oppose move to return the case to arbitration The Office of the Permanent Secretary of the PM's Office will oppose a request from broadcaster iTV to return to arbitration over...

Six strategies agreed for boosting export competitiveness.
January 23, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The Commerce Ministry and three joint private committees yesterday came out with six strategies in a plan to improve export competitiveness and the trading system. The goal is to...

Roosting on an auspicious perch.
January 23, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. People who have long known Pornsiri Manoharn and recently paid a visit to congratulate her on her appointment as the new governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, have been in...

Tarisa warns on imbalances.
January 23, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Bank of Thailand Governor Tarisa Watanagase yesterday gave a stern warning of the need for international cooperation to curb global imbalances that brought about speculation on the...

Japanese investors are 'worried'.
January 23, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Chamber of Commerce to study impact of BOT measure and proposed law changes The Japanese Cham-ber of Commerce (JCC) will shortly set up a committee to study the impact of the Bank...

Danes fund solar pumps.
January 23, 2007... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Solartron and Grundfos have combined to create new technology for solar-powered water pumps, to ease the water shortage in rural areas with the support of Bt33 million from the Danish...