The Nation (Thailand) articles from March 2009, page 7

The Nation (Thailand) archives from March 2009

Chavalit Thanachanan.
March 11, 2009... Byline: The Nation. I ran into Chavalit Thanachanan about three years ago. We were attending a swimming gala at Sukhumvit's Piyarom Sports Club. He was with his family and his grandchildren. We talked about kids and their education. He...

Italthai Marine looks to 200% growth.
March 11, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Italthai Marine, a local shipbuilder and repairer under the Italthai Group, is optimistic of achieving 200-per-cent revenue growth this year thanks to persistently high demand for offshore supply vessels in the...

Draft community-radio regulations for NTC board.
March 11, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Draft regulations governing the community-radio industry are expected to be submitted for consideration by the board of the National Telecommunications Commission by the end of the month. Natee Sukonrat, chairman...

Telenor determined to maintain high.
March 11, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Telenor Asia's business direction this year is to continue to provide high-quality networks and service levels in every country, despite the economic downturn. The head of Telenor Asia, Sigve Brekke, said that...

Slower growth in bank loans.
March 11, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Slower growth in bank loans in January - only about 10 per cent - led to a sharp drop in the loantodeposit ratio to 86.87 per cent. Bank of Thailand deputy governor Bandid Nijathaworn said yesterday the weakness...

How far will the govt really go to protect migrant workers'.
March 11, 2009... Byline: The Nation. "I have to apologise for meeting all of you in this condition," said Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya. His audience was a group of 22 out of 78 Rohingya people currently detained at the Immigration centre in this...

Protecting ATMs against Skimmers.
March 11, 2009... Byline: The Nation. A special device to prevent the theft of information embedded in ATM cards is being installed in more than 30,000 ATM machines nationwide, Phol Thanachote, chairman of the Automated Teller Machines' businesses...

Who to blame for the chamber of shame'.
March 11, 2009... Byline: The Nation. WE HAVE ALL been led astray. Army chief Anupong Paochinda is not the person to grill about the alleged secret US "torture chamber" in Thailand, and neither is Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. It doesn't matter...

Prosecutors' extra powers in death cases.
March 11, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The Cabinet yesterday approved in principle an executive bill requiring mandatory joint investigations between police and public prosecutors into deaths of suspects held in police custody or those resulting from...

Briefs:.
March 11, 2009... Byline: The Nation. TAT to join ITB in Berlin Tourism Minister Chumpol Silapa-archa will lead the Thai team to ITB Berlin, the world's biggest tourism event running from March 11-15, to draw back European vacationers with the...

Streetwise: Proper policing better than alcohol ban.
March 11, 2009... Byline: The Nation. With so many entertainment venues crying foul over the proposed blanket ban on alcohol sales during next month's Songkran festival, allow me to share my own experience with you. The Nation Multimedia Group once...

THAI rehab chief outlines rescue measures.
March 11, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Pichai Chunhavajira, head of Thai Airways International's rehabilitation committee, yesterday unveiled a set of short- and longer-term measures to rescue the financially ailing national flag carrier. THAI, which...

Piyasvasti tipped to lead THAI.
March 11, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Piyasvasti Amarananda, the former chief adviser to Kasikornbank, has the inside track to becoming president of beleaguered Thai Airways International because he has the full backing of Finance Minister Korn...

Jotan has no plan to cut production or workforce.
March 11, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Jotun Thailand has no plan to cut production this year even though several paint and coating segments are expected to shrink. Managing director Eric Mallace yesterday said the company had kept its paint and...

Community input on Map Ta Phut.
March 11, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The Joint Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JCCIB) yesterday met the representatives of 25 communities around Map Ta Phut to gather information on the results of the pollution-reduction plan that has been...

Food output needs to grow rapidly.
March 11, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Farmers, officials and companies involved in seeds, farm technology and trading have expressed concern over how to increase production to feed an estimated nine billion people in the next two decades, and the...

Zonning system eased for school milk.
March 11, 2009... Byline: The Nation. A Cabinet decision yesterday gave a major boost to milk suppliers who, regardless of their facilities' location, are now welcome to participate in the school-milk project. The business opportunity should be even...

Universal pension fund proposed to cover more elderly citizens.
March 11, 2009... Byline: The Nation. In a bid to cope with the country's growing elderly population, the Thai Gerontology Research and Development Institute is conducting a feasibility study on setting up the Kingdom's firstever universal pension fund....

Mazda, Hyundai drive up sales.
March 11, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Auto-makers confident market is out there While most auto-makers have a gloomy outlook on sales this year, some are optimistic about the market. Mazda and Hyundai unveiled new models yesterday with hopes of...

communities to have input on Map Ta Phut pollution progress.
March 11, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The Joint Committee The Joint Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JCCIB) yesterday met the representatives of 25 communities around Map Ta Phut to gather information on the results of the...

'Blue Cards' to offer 20% discounts.
March 11, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The Commerce The Commerce Ministry has earmarked Bt140 million to launch "Blue Cards", discount coupons designed to curb the high cost of living. The launch will coincide with the government's Bt2,000...

Govt revenues remain well off target across board.
March 11, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Government Government revenues last month and in the first five months of the current fiscal year missed the target by 22.2 per cent and 16.4 per cent, respectively. A combination of the global economic...

Cabinet approves seeking of $2-bn foreign loans.
March 11, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The Cabinet yesterday The Cabinet yesterday approved a draft framework that would allow the government to seek foreign loans worth US$2 billion (about Bt72 billion). The framework will be submitted to...

Feasibility study for first universal pension scheme.
March 11, 2009... Byline: The Nation. In a bid to cope with the country's growing elderly population, the Thai Gerontology Research and Development Institute is conducting a feasibility study on setting up the Kingdom's first-ever universal pension fund....

Piyasvasti tipped for THAI.
March 11, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Piyasvasti Amranand, a former chief adviser to Kasikornbank, is on the inside track to become president of beleaguered Thai Airways International, because he has the full backing of Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij,...

Rehab chief outlines steps to rescue ailing carrier.
March 11, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Surviving liquidity crisis, paying debt top priority Pichai Chunhavajira, head of Thai Airways International's rehabilitation committee, yesterday unveiled a set of short- and long-term measures to rescue the...

Hi! managers: Focus on Supporters as wealth creators.
March 11, 2009... Byline: The Nation. All wealth is created in one of eight ways. Today we look at the "Supporter" way. High-profile Supporters include Steve Ballmer, Meg Whitman and Jack Welch (when head of General Electric, he was voted chief...

Samitivej midway through IT transformation.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Karaoke for patients through to direct online consultation Using innovative information technology to transform both its business and its services, Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital expects to become a " Connected...

PM, Microsoft talk about investment.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. US giant confirms spending on three big projects Microsoft's top executive Jean-Philippe Courtois has had a meeting with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to confirm the multinational giant's commitments to...

Metro Systems broadens base.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. New firm expected to make 300mn in first year Local IT company Metro Systems has set up a new company called Metro Connect to provide hardware solutions to support system integrators and independent software...

LAIDOFF WORKERS AWAIT COMPENSATION.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Laid-off workers have been disadvantaged due to abuse of their situation by employers and inadequate unemployment compensation. Some laidoff workers have not received their severance pays due to their temporary...

IRPC's outlook rating downgraded to negative.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Fitch Ratings (Thailand) has revised the rating outlook on IRPC to "Negative" from "Stable". It also has affirmed IRPC's National Longterm rating and its outstanding senior unsecured debentures at "A(tha)" (A...

BOT sees continued baht volatility, 95% probability of contraction.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The baht will continue to fluctuate in the short run, while the Bank of Thailand now projects a 95-per cent probability that the economy will post negative growth this year. BOT Assistant Governor Suchada Kirakul...

Thailand helps to make a mine-free world.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Ten years after an international treaty, the world has seen a great reduction in deaths from landmines Today is the tenth anniversary of the historic treaty that banned the use of anti-personnel landmines. This...

For Abhisit the going gets much tougher than expected.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. WAS IT true grit, or just a public relations stunt when Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva braved abusive words, water bottles and shoes hurled at him by red-shirted hecklers during a visit to a health station in Lop...

The elderly deserve more support and respect.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. When Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva visited Lop Buri over the weekend, his presence drew strong attention from senior people in the provinces. During his meeting with local constituents, Abhisit entertained many...

Drunk cop almost causes carnage in Pattaya.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. After travelling in Thailand for the past two months and thoroughly enjoying all of the wonderful hospitality the country has to offer, I wish to bring the following occurrence to people's notice. I was returning...

Why it is vital that the world does not fall into the protectionism trap.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. AT the Asean Summit in Hua Hin, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva warned against trade protectionism. He has said he will carry the same message to the G-20 Summit in London as the Asean chair. He is absolutely...

Asia Metal facing revenue, profit plunge in 2009.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Asia Metal, a producer of steel pipes, steel sheets and U-channel steel bars, predicts its revenue will fall 30 per cent this year. Declines in both steel prices and sales volume have been blamed. Managing...

NPAS, npls promise good returns.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Demand growing during these tough times for residences from failed mortgages Bangkok Commercial Asset Management plans to buy non-performing assets (NPAs) and non-performing loans (NPLs) worth Bt15 billion this...

PM reaches out.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's visit to Lop Buri over the weekend was the topic of editorial pieces in several daily newspapers. Thai Post said in its editorial the prime minister's so-called "one minister-two...

House committee to rule on Thai Mobile-payment.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The House of Representative's communications and telecoms committee tomorrow will decide whether payment made by TOT to Samart I-Mobile (SIM) for overdue fees for state-run Thai Mobile was appropriate. Committee...

This economic crisis all boils down to a matter of trust.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. THE current crisis can be seen as four excesses - excess liquidity, excess credit, excess leverage and excess greed. Of course, there is a fashionable school of thought in Western academia that the current crisis...

Four Pattana launches 2nd residential development.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Modern tropical and modern oriental are the design themes for 43 detached houses at the Baan Bussaba Tiwanon project, by home-building firm Four Pattana, which has diversified its business to undertake residential...

Abhisit to discuss THAI's move from Don Mueang.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will today discuss with Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij and Transport Minister Sophon Saram the planned move of Thai Airways International domestic flights from Don Mueang Airport...

Exporters seek new markets.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. SCG subsidiary looking at Africa and Middle East Construction-material and furniture firms are looking for new markets as domestic spending and exports - especially to the US and Europe - both show significant...

Tisco Securities turns focus to wealthy retail investors.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Tisco Securities, a top-20 brokerage by trading volume, expects high-net-worth retail investors to help smooth its earnings this year, CEO Paiboon Nalinthrangkurn said yesterday. Since the eruption of the US...

Kbank approved to buy shares in Muangthai Fortis Holding.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Kasikornbank's board of directors yesterday approved the acquisition of 19.19 million shares in Muangthai Fortis Holding for not more than Bt7.24 billion to take greater control of Muang Thai Life Assurance. The...

Major to invest in three more multiplex cinemas.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Local leading cinema operator the Major Cineplex Group will spend Bt1 billion this year to open three new multiplex cinemas despite the economic downturn. Two of them will be the Esplanade Cineplex Rattanathibet...

Five BMA officials face discipline over Santika Club fire.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) yesterday announced the Santika Club fire probe had found three officials had committed serious disciplinary violations punishable by dismissal, because they had not...

Hmong accuse Army of trying to starve them out of camp.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Hmong refugees in Phetchabun's Ban Huay Nam Khao camp have accused Thai authorities of mounting more pressure to force 5,000 of them to return to Laos. They said the Thai military, who oversee the camp, have...

Court asks FM to issue statement about Bout.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The Criminal Court said yesterday that it would ask the foreign ministry to issue a statement about the ongoing trial of Victor Bout, before making a decision on whether the Russian national would be extradited to the...

Cabinet to decide Bill to safeguard adopted children.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The Social Development and Human Security Ministry will today seek Cabinet approval for the Children Adoption Bill. The bill proposes a maximum threeyear jail term and/or a fine of up to Bt60,000 for anyone...

Call for more female police investigators.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The country's police now have only 128 female investigators, a shortage which leaves many female victims too embarrassed to speak up about their ordeals. "In sexual-abuse cases, the female or child victims often...

alongkorn takes idea to Washington.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. New model for sustainable long-term growth To reduce intellectual-property (IP) violations and increase the value of Thai products, Thailand will ask for cooperation from US enterprises to shift away from...

ORIENTAL GM seeks TASTE OF SOUTH AMERICA AFTER retirement.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Kurt Wachtveitl, the outgoing general manager of the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, shared with The Nation's Achara Deboonme some of his retirement plans and what he planned to do in his remaining two months at the hotel....

SRT gets nod for two subsidiaries.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The State Enterprise The State Enterprise Policy Office yesterday granted approval to the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) to set up two subsidiaries. One will oversee rail operations, while the other will manage...

increase approved for 'adder' power tariffs.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The National Energy The National Energy Policy Council yesterday approved an increase in special tariffs on power generated by renewable energy, to highlight the government's focus on such sources. Chaired by...

Robinson reduces 2009 growth target.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The Nation Robinson Department Store has lowered this year's growth target, admitting this is the most difficult year in its business history. President Preecha Ekkunagul said the company was still committed...

Thai women shine in corporate world.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The Nation The extended-family culture and availability of "helpers" give Thai women an advantage in climbing up the corporate ladder compared with female executives in many other countries, says a partner with...

JASMINE AIMS FOR 1 MILLION USERS.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The Nation Jasmine International will spend about Bt1 billion of its more than Bt1.8 billion investment budget this year to increase its Triple T Broadband Internet subscriber base from nearly 400,000 users...

briefs.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. - The Nation Bangkok Bank wins bid to issue 5 million Bt2,000 cheques Bangkok Bank has won the bid to issue 5 million of the Bt2,000 cheques on behalf of the Social Security Office, with the lowest bid price...

foremost plans to double uht capacity.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Company focuses on increasing real milk sales, dumps soybean milk The Nation Friesland Foods Foremost (Thailand) hopes to persuade Thais to drink more milk as it invests more than Bt1 billion to double the...

JCCIB votes to appeal Map Ta Phut ruling.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The Joint Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JCCIB) yesterday voted in favour of appealing against a Rayong Administrative Court decision to turn Map Ta Phut into a pollution-control area. They said the...

preuksa targets chinatown's millionaires.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The Nation Selected and customised customer targets are the new marketing concept for Preuksa Real Estate's latest residential project, Ivy China Town in Bangkok's Yaowarat area. The developer is zeroing in...

Minor International puts two Anantara Resorts on hold.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Minor International, developer and operator of multiple hotel brands, has put two new projects worth a combined Bt6 billion on hold due to the global recession. They are the Anantara Resorts in Bangkok and Khao...

four tasks to ensure higher.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. UTCC tables plan to wean farmers off high crop subsidies The Nation To strengthen the country's competitiveness in agricultural goods, the government must carry out four priority tasks, which will ensure...

PM to push Asean point of view.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Abhisit to brief UK prime minister on Cha-am outcome and discuss bilateral relations G-20 meeting will be first global effort to tackle the economic crisis Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will represent...

One killed, six injured in Krabi gunbattle over land.
March 10, 2009... Byline: The Nation. One person was killed and six others injured in a gun-battle yesterday at Krabi's Khao Phanom district over a land-ownership dispute between two local palm plantations. One of the injured men, Sophon Treesong,...

uht milk won't tackle root of the problem.
March 9, 2009... Byline: The Nation. FDA backs change but worries grow about dairy farmers' huge surplus The Cabinet will decide tomorrow whether to raise the proportion of UHT milk supplied to the school-milk project, which entails Bt8 billion per...

garment exporters urged to look closer to home as us demand dries up.
March 9, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Thai garment Thai garment-exporters should focus on Japan and Asean to offset falling exports to the United States, which has been the country's main market. The Thai Garment Manufacturers Association will...

suppliers will be hit by decision.
March 9, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Most of the firms Most of the firms supplying to the school-milk programme will be affected if the Cabinet decides this week to increase the proportion of UHT milk in the programme, as they only produce...

Gang leader posed as monk for a decade.
March 9, 2009... Byline: The Nation. DSI says ring sold false identification to hundreds of illegal migrants The Department of Special Investigation has cracked a ring selling Thai ID cards to nearly 300 illegal Burmese and Lao migrants. "The...

Test draws young and old.
March 9, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The first-ever Professional Aptitude Test attracted not just secondary students but also people as old as 59. "Some older applicants are parents or teachers who want to know what the tests are like," Utumporn...

Muslim women take leading role, defying stereotypes.
March 9, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Muslim women are now taking a leading role in developing their communities along the southern boarder after sweeping away long-held beliefs of Muslims that women cannot work as a leader, but should take care of...

Gang used devices to milk ATMs.
March 9, 2009... Byline: The Nation. A Malaysian admitted to police yesterday that his gang siphoned money out of bank accounts by tapping ATMs in Surat Thani and Chumphon. "If they found a lot of money in the bank account of any ATM user, they...

Map Ta Phut: Stricter enforcement likely.
March 9, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The Rayong Administrative Court's ruling last week, declaring Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate a pollution-control area, will give local residents and authorities the opportunity to designate stricter enforcement of...

NTC may proceed with 3g licensing before new commissioners join.
March 9, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The telecom regulator might discuss this week if it should go ahead with developing the 3G licensing terms or wait for the four new commissioners to come aboard, a source from the watchdog said last week. The...

Street Wise: Hosting Asean Summit was money well spent.
March 9, 2009... Byline: The Nation. The total bill for Thailand's hosting of the 14th Asean Summit last week was expected to run into the hundreds of millions of baht, from the B130 million spent by the Highways Department to improve roads in Cha-Am and...

Special Report: National rice agenda needed soon to benefit all players.
March 9, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Low yields, high costs and subsidy programme undermining competitiveness Exporters in Thailand, the world's largest rice exporter, are worried about competitiveness as ignorance about the many support-ing factors...

Hi! managers: The recipe to achieve success.
March 9, 2009... Byline: The Nation. It is very easy to say that everyone wants to be successful. But how is a question that often follows. There is a recipe for success. It is definitely not a secret. The recipe has already been proved by many...

Banking on the brand to give consumers a high.
March 9, 2009... Byline: The Nation. Image a key factor in selling premium products, says Isaress of Diageo Moet Hennessy's whisky business After quitting to work for Pepsi bottler Serm Suk for three years, Isaress Sundravorakul returned to Diageo...

Covert CIA links stretch back to the Vietnam war.
March 9, 2009... Byline: The Nation. As often happens in such cases, the recent disclosure by the new US administration of a secret anti-terrorism holding facility on Thai soil has clouded murky waters still further. Caught on the hop, the...

Funding energy when higher oil prices return.
March 9, 2009... Byline: The Nation. LAST TUESDAY, I read an article by Khun Piyaswasdi Amaranand in Post Today concerning Small Power Plants. I am glad that Khun Piyaswasdi still maintains a close watch on the energy situation of the country and glad...