The Nation (Thailand) articles from March 2009, page 5

The Nation (Thailand) archives from March 2009

Developers in good financial health.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Listed firms 'learnt from the financial crisis of 1997' Most of Thailand's bigger property developers, who are listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, have debt-to-equity ratios lower than 2:1, showing that they...

BOT highlights good governance to foreign full branch banks.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The Bank of Thailand (BOT) has underlined the principle of good governance to foreign full branches to ensure stability in the banking system. The central bank's permission will be a legal necessity for...

Cease with the useless advice about the South.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. After so many years, I am fed up with your useless advice; would you stop writing your inane editorials about the "strife-torn" South. The hearts and minds you wish to win are not Malay, they are Thai. This land was...

The Illiquidity Trap and the danger of too much intervention.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. INVESTING in bear markets requires the investor to go back to basics. Remember the old advice - know what you are buying, know what risks you can take and know yourself' There are two basic fundamentals that apply...

Hmong should return to Laos on a voluntary basis.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. IT WAS at the end of a short walk through the Ban Huay Nam Kao refugee camp here that Dr Angela Makate from Malawi got the chance to speak to Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya. She immediately invited him inside the...

Rong Wongsawan.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Until Rong Wongsawan, the Thai literary scene was dominated by stories of technocrats or the elite. Rong, who passed away over the weekend, revolutionised Thai literature with his "counter-culture" style and themes of...

Bond Outlook.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The Thai bond yield curve is mirroring the rest of Asia, where government bond yield curves are very steep. Flush liquidity and monetarypolicy easing expectations are keeping frontend yields very low, and in the...

New UOB fund to focus investment.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. With the world reeling in what the International Monetary Fund had dubbed the "Great Recession", opportunities to invest in safe havens that offer better returns than Thai government bonds are rare - but still...

Phuket Square suspends plan for overseas.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Phuket Square, operator of the Jungceylon shopping complex at Patong Beach, Phuket, yesterday announced a suspension of its plan to develop community malls overseas, citing the global recession. Phuket Square had...

SCG Unit forecasts lower growth.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Falling demand from new and renovated homes blamed The country's leading fibre cement manufacturer Siam-Fibre Cement in SCG Building Materials expects to see a lower sales growth this year due mainly to the...

A breath of fresh air at Map Ta Phut.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Pollution control should not adversely affect investment in the eastern industrial zone On Monday, the National Environment Board (NEB) decided not to appeal the Administrative Court's ruling to designate the...

Missing lawyer's wife.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Angkana Neelaphaijit applied for a Civil Court ruling yesterday to declare her husband Somchai a "missing person" since it is already five years since he disappeared. The prominent lawyer has been missing since...

Princess remembered in a series of books.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The official book chronicling the funeral of HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana last November has been completed and 10,000 copies of it will be distributed to libraries, public and government agencies as well as schools...

More younger people getting addicted.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Lax controls making drugs cheap; youngest addict only 10 The age of youths at risk of methamphetamine addiction dropped to as low as 10 years old due mainly to a failure in control measures that has made drugs...

My husband's not an arms dealer, bout's wife tells court.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The wife of alleged Russian arms dealer, Viktor Bout, told a Bangkok court on Monday her husband would not receive a fair trial in the US, where he is accused of trying to supply Colombia 's FARC rebels with weapons...

Hat Yai school swamped with applications.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Hatyaiwittayalai School is proving to be the most popular choice for students during the first three days of the admission period for schools under the Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec). Admissions started...

Help on its way.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The Social Security Office (SSO) will distribute its first batch of Bt2,000 welfare cheques from March 28 to April 8 to those made jobless since September 1 last year. Names of recipients and places to collect the...

Fair pay, please.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Minimum wage rates for skilled workers will be fully enforced next year, a senior official at the Department of Skills Development said yesterday. So far, rates for 30 out of some 100 occupations are in place. ...

No water shortage.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (MWA) yesterday said it was confident Bangkok would not suffer water shortages this drought season. MWA governor Charoen Chaikittisilp said that the Royal Irrigation...

Hi! Managers: Avoiding a distorted employee structure.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. While the whole company is bustling with cost reduction, downsizing or integrated marketing activities to survive the global economic crisis, new recruitment may be suspended to curb costs. This is not an unusual...

Focus only on what really matters.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Where should companies and marketers focus their efforts in this time of economic downturn' Prominent marketer Lackana Leelayouthayotin, who is chief executive of Cerebos for Thailand and Southeast Asia, offers some...

PM proposes spending Bt1.4 trillion over 3 years.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Borrowing to counter fall in FDI, exports Thailand plans to borrow Bt1.4 trillion to finance investment in infrastructure during fiscal years 2010-12, when foreign direct investment and exports will remain...

Cabinet nod to widen Bt2,000 programme.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The Cabinet yesterday approved an additional Bt1.07 billion to expand the Bt2,000 free-money programme to cover an additional 534,559 low-income people. The new recipients consist of 119,338 Local Administrative...

auto sales drop 30% in first two months.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Auto sales Auto sales in the first two months of the year dropped 30 per cent year on year to 66,446 units, according to data compiled by Tri Petch Isuzu Sales. This is despite the 7-per-cent month-on-month...

airport Study to Abhisit this week.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The Transport Ministry The Transport Ministry is conducting an urgent study into whether Bangkok should have a single commercial airport or operate out of both Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi. Results of the...

Five TAT deputies likely to run for governor.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Five deputy governors Five deputy governors of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) are expected to contest the race to head up the state agency. They are Juthaporn Rerngronasa, deputy governor for...

After ruling, PTT to review planned Bt100-billion project in Map Ta Phut.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. PTT might have to revise its plan to construct a seventh natural-gas separation plant and a related petrochemical project, worth a combined Bt100 billion, in Map Ta Phut in order to be in line with new environmental...

GPF directors, executives face probe.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The Office of the Auditor-General has launched an investigation into whether Government Pension Fund (GPF) directors and executives have their own share-investment portfolios, says a source. The move is aimed at...

Abhisit to propose liberal loans.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. PM says developing nations must get WB, IMF funding without conditions Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will be proposing to the G-20 Summit that both the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)...

The AIG bonus scandal and Americans' ambivalence.
March 18, 2009... Byline: The Nation. THE AMERICANS are very nice people, because if AIG were a Thai financial institution, its headquarters would have been burnt down already. Unless the so-called "public outrage" at the US$165 million (Bt5.9 trillion)...

TFEX relaxes onlinetrading regulations.
March 17, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The Thailand Futures Exchange (TFEX) has loosened its onlinetrading regulations in a bid to offer convenience to investors. Managing director Kesara Manchusree said the relaxed rules would take effect next Monday....

Guru Speak.
March 17, 2009... Byline: The Nation. At the company level, a controller as the chief of an accounting unit has basic responsibilities of ensuring the reliability of financial information and internalcontrol system effectiveness. However, accounting...

Treasury Outlook.
March 17, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Having been hearing a batch of measures to refrain global economy from slipping to recession, through not only monetary policy but also fiscal policy, we just start to learn the word "QE" more often. The doubt comes...

Home purchases lead to most consumer complaints.
March 17, 2009... Byline: The Nation. All cases allege companies' failure to honour contracts Thailand's property sector ranks No 1 in terms of complaints received by the Office of the Consumer Protection Board. In the fourth quarter of last year...

Applicants sought for govt training project.
March 17, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Unemployed workers, those facing layoff and fresh graduates can apply for vocational training and financial assistance through a government project. March 24 is the deadline for the first batch of applicants, who...

Arrested street racers to undergo 'shock therapy'.
March 17, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The Department of Juvenile Observation and Protection (DJOP) will have youths caught for racing on Bangkok's Kaset Nawamin Road on Sunday morning undergo "shock therapy", a senior official said yesterday. Relatives of...

Fair to help job seekers at Siam Paragon.
March 17, 2009... Byline: The Nation. More than 10,000 jobs with 150 companies will be available at a job fair organised by the Employment Department of the Labour Ministry during March 20-21. The event - taking place at Paragon Hall, Siam Paragon -...

Fugitive's phoneins will have only toxic repercussions.
March 17, 2009... Byline: The Nation. THE Abhisit government is completing its first 100 days in office following unrelenting pressure in and outside Parliament. The adversity will intensify in the coming weeks with more phone-in talks by fugitive...

Alcohol ban will not be effective.
March 17, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Education about responsible drinking and the dangers of driving when drunk is the only way to save lives this Songkran The government's national alcohol control committee will shortly consider whether to ban the...

Tug of war.
March 17, 2009... Byline: The Nation. A criminal court in Bangkok is expected to conclude its proceedings in the case of Viktor Bout, a Russian businessman dubbed by the media as the "Merchant of Death". Bout has been held in a Bangkok prison since he was...

Chalerm and Abhisit: A poor comparison.
March 17, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Re: "Imperfect David and Newbie Goliath," Editorial, 15 March. Never in my most lurid nightmares could I have imagined that a major publication would compare Chalerm Yoobamrung to David and Abhisit Vejjajiva to...

xxxMapMarch16.
March 17, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The National Environment Board (NEB) yesterday resolved to not appeal against the Administrative Court's designation of Map Ta Phut and nearby areas in Rayong as pollution-control zones. After chairing a meeting...

Firetruck scandal should be dealt with by August.
March 17, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra is expected to conclude negotiations over the controversial purchase of firetrucks from an Austrian supplier in the near future. "The case should be concluded by August,"...

Intel officially launches solid-state drives and special promotion.
March 17, 2009... Byline: The Nation. In response to increasing demand for high performance flash based solid-state drives suitable for notebook and desktop computer users, Sontiya Nujeenseng, Area Sales Manager Intel Microelectronics (Thailand) announced...

Personal-care products see slump.
March 17, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The economic downturn has already hit Thailand's overall demand for personal-care products, which is estimated to plunge by 3 per cent year on year in the first quarter. Somchai Nithisatienchai, director for...

Economic ministers can decide on move: THAI chief.
March 17, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Thai Airways International will leave the final decision on whether to move its domestic operations from Don Mueang to Suvarna-bhumi Airport to economic ministers, acting president Narongsak Sangapong said yesterday....

NTC seeks talks to settle long-distance call dispute.
March 17, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The national telecom regulator yesterday ordered CAT Telecom to talk to Advanced Info Service (AIS) and Total Access Communication (DTAC) to settle a dispute stemming from an overseas call service. Suranan...

Chery first Chinese brand in Thailand.
March 17, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Think it's too soon to see Chinese autos in Thailand' Well, Thai Chery Yarnyon has hooked up with Chery Automobile to launch the brand here. The company will take part in the upcoming Bangkok International Motor...

US envoy upbeat on thai economic potential despite state of politics.
March 17, 2009... Byline: The Nation. American companies happy here, urges investors to look at larger picture Thailand still has economic potential despite some governance-related issues that might deter new foreign investors, US Ambassador to...

Loans of up to Bt5,000 for taxis.
March 17, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The Commerce Ministry The Commerce Ministry is joining with the Government Savings Bank to offer loans of up to Bt5,000 to taxi drivers, to help them meet the rising cost of living. The loan carries...

COKE WANTS SODA taken OFF PRICE list.
March 17, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Coca-Cola Company, Coca-Cola Company, the global leader in beverage products, has expressed concern that Thailand's price-control policy could affect its business growth amid the economic slowdown. During the...

briefs.
March 17, 2009... Byline: The Nation. - The Nation PTT to cut back NGV station investment, allow private firms to invest in their own PTT has scaled down its investment in building natural-gas-for-vehicle stations to 595 from 700, in line...

'Upluz' looks to us and Europe to provide advertising boost.
March 17, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Bulk of current Refill Production revenue is from Australian ads The Nation Refill Production, the publisher of monthly student magazine Upluz, has approached universities in the United States and Europe to...

GPF CHIEF DENIES SECRET INVESTMENT ACCOUNT.
March 17, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Visit Tantisunthorn, secretary-general of the embattled Government Pension Fund (GPF), yesterday dismissed allegations the fund's top management ran a "secret" investment account. "All investment decisions must be...

Worried FTI presses for panel.
March 17, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Santi warns NEB decision not to appeal ruling will deepen uncertainty The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) yesterday called for the urgent setting up of a joint committee to solve environmental and investment...

Outside View.
March 16, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The news that China has aired its concerns on its investments in the United States gave me two different feelings, happy and sad. I am delighted simply because China is strong enough to show to the world that it can...

Stock Outlook.
March 16, 2009... Byline: The Nation. These are analysts' views about stock market this week Chaiyaporn Nompitakcharoen, Head of Research, Bualuang Securities Market should remain in chubby moves as investors are waiting for a result of...

Weekly TFEX summary.
March 16, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The SET50 Index last week edged up 1.69 per cent, or 4.92 points, to 295.42. SET50 Index futures, with the nearest contract month S50H09 expiring in March, rose 13.7 points or 4.88 per cent to 294. Sentiment in...

SSO this year allocates at least 85% in highly secured assets.
March 16, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Due to the gloomy global economy, Social Securirity Office (SSO) will adopt a more predent investment approach by allocate at least 85 per cent of its cash inflow in highly secured assets, Win Phromphaet, Fund Manager...

Career Juice: Managing your career through challenging times.
March 16, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Uncertainty about the economic downturn may make you nervous, but it could also represent an opportunity to step up and manage your own career. A key trend affecting workers is that employers are getting better...

Hi! Managers: Broadband, the new electricity and steam.
March 16, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Last month I mentioned the debate around CSR but concluded there were excellent examples of how CSR can benefit all stakeholders. An example has arisen which illustrates this perfectly. In these turbulent economic...

Police cycle smash:racer charged.
March 16, 2009... Byline: The Nation. A teenaged street racer has been charged with attempted murder after he crashed his motorcycle into a senior traffic policeman while trying to evade a crackdown in Bangkok late Saturday night. Captain Suraphol...

Interview : Mechai Viravaidya.
March 16, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Mechai takes sustainable rural development model to cambodia After 21 years of trial and error in more than 400 villages around the country, Mechai Viravaidya, founder and chairman of the Population and Community...

Call for agency to police rice imports.
March 16, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The Nation The Thai Rice Exporters' Association and the Board of Trade of Thailand (BoT) will soon propose that the Commerce Ministry set up a Public Warehouse Organisation as an "import agency" to oversee rice...

Protect yourself from ATM skimmers.
March 16, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The Nation The proliferation of "ATM-skimming" techniques for stealing money from bank accounts have prompted many people to be more cautious and learn some tricks to protect themselves from such fraud. ...

exporters urged to turn crisis into opportunity by exploring new markets.
March 16, 2009... Byline: The Nation. This is the time to focus on marketing and doing roadshows, says gift association chief The government should support established Thai exporters rather than newcomers during the economic crisis, Jirabool...

Ailing teen wishes to return to school.
March 16, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Pollution has taken a toll on the health of Supattra, 15, but she sees hope in the recent court ruling For the past year, says Supattra Toyam,15, has been suffering from severe allergic symptoms caused by air...

Map Ta Phut residents oppose appeal.
March 16, 2009... Byline: The Nation. A group of 300 residents from Map Ta Phut and nearby areas will today march 200 kilometres from Rayong to Bangkok to pressure the National Environmental Board (NEB) scheduled to meet at Government House not to appeal...

Literary legend Rong dies at 77.
March 16, 2009... Byline: The Nation. National Artist in Literature Rong Wongsavun died yesterday evening at the age of 77 at Chiang Mai's Theppanya Hospital after a serious illness. Rong, or Narong, was admitted to the hospital last Friday to treat...

Monthly allowance: 2.8m elderly register.
March 16, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Around 2.8 million elderly people, out of a total of four million eligible for the Bt500 monthly government allowance, have registered with authorities before the deadline ended yesterday. Pending a final count of...

Court decides bout's fate next week.
March 16, 2009... Byline: The Nation. US President George W. Bush's last meeting with the prime minister of Thailand was in August, a swan song moment before his departure. Yet he made time to bring up the issue of one man: Viktor Bout, also known as the...

Public debt will balloon, says top finance official.
March 16, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Public debt will swell quickly as the government has to inject massive liquidity into the economy, which will suffer badly from the global plunge, Suparut Kawatkul, permanent secretary at the Finance Ministry, said...

ATMs to get security boost.
March 16, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Banks act as fraudsters shake confidence; Bt100m stolen Is it really safe to use an automated teller machine' Probably not. According to police data, ATM fraud has caused an estimated Bt100 million in damage...

Is Thailand ready for its un human rights peer review'.
March 16, 2009... Byline: The Nation. THAILAND WILL MAKE its first appearance before the UN Universal Periodic Review panel in the last half of 2011 for its human rights record. It looks as if this gives a long lead-time. If past experience is any judge,...

Thaksin and his stark appeals from the archipelago of exile.
March 16, 2009... Byline: The Nation. EXILE HAS its own history. Over a century ago, the world's political fugitives were nationalists and revolutionaries, nursing the wounds of a failed endeavour, and plotting the overthrow of the oppressors. Shift...

In loving memory of Khun Siwawong Changkhasiri.
March 16, 2009... Byline: The Nation. IN THE WORLD of manufacturing industries, electricity generation, energy- as well as mining- the name of Siwawong Changkhasiri was well renowned. Khun Siwawong was a real talent who laid the groundwork for the...

Know Asian culture before judging its politics.
March 16, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Regrettably, Oxford's Lee Jones didn't do himself any good with his letter of apology stating that his "private" letter was written "in haste" and was not intended to be public: who would trust any research done by an...

Upcoming G-20 summit vital to world economy.
March 16, 2009... Byline: The Nation. But wide difference remains between Europe and US approaches on how to revive growth Gordon Brown, the UK prime minister, is drumming up his "global New Deal" as he prepares to host the G-20 Summit in London in...

Weather men say lie low as freak storms sweep by.
March 15, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The Meteorological Department yesterday warned of summer thundershowers over upper Thailand until today due to an intense high-pressure system from China. It advised remaining indoors and avoiding big trees,...

Writer Rong said on his deathbed.
March 15, 2009... Byline: The Nation. National artist Narong "Rong" Wongsawan is in so critical a condition that a full recovery is unlikely, Theppanya Hospital announced yesterday. The unconscious 76-year-old writer was admitted to the hospital's...

2 held for stealing Bt1.7m from Briton.
March 15, 2009... Byline: The Nation. A Thai graduate student and two female accomplices were arrested for allegedly stealing Bt1.7 million from a Briton via the e-banking system, police said yesterday. Tourist Police Division chief Pol Maj-General...

Deep South on high alert after insurgents go on the rampage.
March 15, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Authorities in the deep South ordered local officials to be on high alert yesterday after violent insurgent attacks left three soldiers dead and three others injured, including a nine-year-old boy. Narathiwat...

Imperfect David and newbie Goliath.
March 15, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Challenger Chalerm may be tainted, but the challenge is a job worth doing Superficially, the stage seems set for a David-and Goliath battle. With the planned censure debate to take place some time this month,...

A little background is of the essence.
March 15, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Dear Mr Jones, I suggest that before you write such a letter regarding the Thai Prime Minister and Thailand's current political situation you should do at least some research on both from some creditable sources...