The Nation (Thailand) articles from October 2006

The Nation (Thailand) archives from October 2006

The indomitable 'Mr D'.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The pre-teen set get their hip-hop idol - and the fact that he's 11 isn't an issue at all He may only be 11, but hip-hop artist Mr D has taken Thailand's musical playground by...

Queen of the catwalk shows.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Elle Fashion Week 2006 opens today at Central World. For the 12th outing of Thailand's first and longest-running fashion week, outfits from 17 top designers, plus the hottest three...

Bangkok Metro shares bought by underwriters.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Purchase represents 35% of IPO stock not taken up by investors last month Bangkok Metro's underwriters have bought 976 million initial-public-offering shares in the company,...

Stock focus :Amata Corp.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Capital Nomura Securities has put a "buy" recommendation on Amata's stock, with a fair price for 2007 at Bt21.25 per share. The underlying factors include the fact that Amata's...

Sufficiency economy difficult to swallow.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The new government's economic team may be finding it harder than expected to convince the private sector of the virtues of the sufficiency-economy philosophy. Recently jolted out...

Company reports.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. BANGCHAK PETROLEUM corrected its wrongly stated third-quarter net loss. The company lost Bt1.54 million in the period, not Bt1.54 billion as reported earlier. BANPU appointed...

TSD's securities lending service delayed.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The start of securities borrowing and lending services by the Thailand Securities Depository (TSD) has been delayed next year's third quarter, because a draft of the standard contract...

BBL changes executive team after Kosit's government move.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Bangkok Bank yesterday notified the Stock Exchange of Thailand about a minor restructuring of its executive team. In the reorganisation, which took effect last Thursday, the bank...

In brief : Pacific-Thai plan.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and Thailand last week signed a Development Cooperation Framework Action Plan for the provision of technical assistance to members of the forum in...

Shangri-La set for Bt200m upgrade.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. 24-hour butler service on agenda The Shangri-La Hotel is to spend Bt200 million renovating its four restaurants, spa and Krungthep Wing as well as becoming the first hotel in...

DTAC gets 1.5m new numbers.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) yesterday granted an additional 1.5 million mobile-phone numbers to Total Access Communication (DTAC). NTC chairman Choochart...

Invista to buy Honeywell assets.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. US-based Invista announced yesterday it had reached a definitive agreement to purchase the assets of Honeywell's nylon-6 bulked continuous filament (BCF) business in the Asia-Pacific,...

Policy on Burma needs an overhaul.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The overthrow of the Thaksin govt has created an opportunity to correct the flawed approach toward Rangoon The new government under Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont has not yet...

Australian jumps up rankings.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. [SNOOKER] Neil Robertson is up to seventh from 12th in the latest world rankings following his triumph in the Royal London Watches Grand Prix at Aberdeen last night. The...

Foreign stars set to hit beach.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. [BEACH VOLLEYBALL] Despite earlier reports about the event being cancelled, the US$200,000 Phuket Thailand Open will be held as scheduled on Karon Beach in Phuket from Wednesday to...

Further call to cut import duty.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Local manufacturers seek assistance in face of cutthroat competition The Thai Leathergoods Association will once again petition the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) to lower...

Late News :Thai Oil is oversubscribed.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The book-building process for Thai Oil's debenture issue has been completed, with demand worth Bt12 billion from domestic institutional investors - equivalent to 2.2 times the offered...

Yafriro focuses on 'young' luxury wrist-watches.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. While most retailers of luxury watches choose to market well-known brands to quickly attract customers, Singapore-based Yafriro International - owner of Yafriro Boutique Le Temps -...

Rail-line decision in 2 weeks.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The Transport Ministry will soon decide which electric rail routes will be first priority for construction under the new government. Deputy Transport Minister Sansern Wongcha-um...

GMO-rice ban should give Thai firms a big lift.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Thailand hopes to boost rice exports to the European Union by five to 10 per cent next year after imports of genetically modified (GMO) rice from the United States were blocked by the...

PTT to expand natural gas production in Burma.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Executives of PTT and its exploration arm, PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP), recently visited Burma to purchase natural gas. They were also there to confirm interest in...

No funds for Fashion City.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The Industry Ministry has announced it will not request more funds for the Bangkok Fashion City initiative. Deputy Prime Minister and Industry Minister Kosit Panpiemras said he...

Hotel reservations bloom.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Many hotels in Chiang Mai are fully booked for this week during the opening of the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2006, says the Thai Hotels Association (THA) northern branch. Sangworn...

Role reversal for PM Lee.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. In spite of his occasional eloquence, former US president George HW Bush has unfortunately been best remembered for his line, "Read my lips: no new taxes." It was a phrase he...

At least five contend for top position.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Mingkwan 'keeping his options open' At least five candidates are expected to contend for the job of governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), while Mingkwan Sangsuwan,...

Govt must grasp the nettle of TV reform.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Mingkwan Sangsuwan's decision not to join the race to become MCOT Plc's president is no surprise, given the circumstances of his being made the company's original president five years...

Chantra accepts posting.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Export Promotion Department director-general Chantra Purnariksha has changed her mind about resigning, and will accept the commerce minister's decision to transfer her to the...

Baht stable but still gaining.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Tarisa Watanagase, the Bank of Thailand's governor-designate, said yesterday that the value of the baht had been stabilised, because capital inflows had been slowed down. Her...

BOT hikes estimated GDP growth.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The Bank of Thailand (BOT) has revised upwards its estimates for economic growth, to 4.5-5 per cent for this year and 4.5-5.5 per cent for next year, while inflation is on its way...

NHSO backs plan to ditch Bt30 fee.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Mongkol to put proposal to Cabinet today despite Budget Bureau objections The National Health Security Office decided yesterday to stop collecting the Bt30 fee for hospital visits...

Bangkok in desperate race to ward off new inundation.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The Royal Irrigation Department is rushing to drain water out of water-retaining fields in Central Thailand in preparation for heavy rains expected to be brought on by approaching...

Incomplete floral exhibits to be hidden.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Some exhibits at the Royal Flora 2006 Ratchaphruek are incomplete and might not be finished by the time the horticulture show opens today, the director-general of the Department of...

Panel studying student loans.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. A working committee has been set up to study the planned merger of the Student Loan Fund (SLF) and the Income Contingency Loan (ICL) system for students. The panel is headed by...

Checks on new ambulances.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The Auditor General called on the Public Health Ministry yesterday to keep all 232 high-performance ambulances in their original condition, pending further checks into their alleged...

Syndicate member gets 3 years for scam.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The Criminal Court yesterday sentenced a man to three years' jail for his involvement in a lottery-gang scam. Thongsuk Chanakaree had pleaded guilty to being a member of an...

No room for political puppets in the police force.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. There has been much speculation about the fate of national police chief Pol Gen Kowit Wattana. Some insiders have even suggested that his days are numbered and it's just a matter of...

China-Asean FTA both necessary and beneficial.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Upon entering the 21st century, the Chinese government made timely diplomatic-strategy re-adjustments and started to push for better relations with its neighbouring countries, seeking...

Sitthi retains world crown.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. [BODYBUILDING] Sitthi Charoenrith, who last year won Thailand's first World Amateur Bodybuilding title, made it two-in-a-row on Sunday by winning the gold medal at the World Amateur...

What does Sufficiency Economy mean' ( II).
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The Sufficiency Economy offers a set or principles for planning and decision-making. Know what you're doing. Act honestly. Work hard. Exercise moderation. Apply insight. Build up...

Sonthi backs ending emergency in South.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. General Sonthi Boonyaratglin yesterday said he supported the idea of ending the emergency rule in the Muslim-majority South. "Based on information from both the Interior Ministry...

Four surrender in Koh Yao land-grab case.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Four more people, including a Malaysian national, allegedly involved in a major land-grabbing scheme on Koh Yao Island yesterday turned themselves in to the police to fight criminal...

BOT finds suspicious cheques.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Company paid Bt130m to two linked to major party; officials follow 'money trail' The Bank of Thailand has found that Golden Technology Industrial Park Ltd issued two cheques worth...

Maha Sarakham folk are the happiest.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The country's cheeriest place is Maha Sarakham in the Northeast, according to the Mental Health Department, while the least happy people in Thailand are the unemployed. Department...

Ban sought on young dancers.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Debate over how to prevent scantily clad girls working at public events The Culture Ministry is pushing for a new ministerial regulation that will ban students under 20 years of...

Thais eye 2 gold.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. [AEROBICS] Thailand has set its sights on two gold medals from the men's and women's individual categories at the Thailand Aerobics Open World Series from Friday to Sunday at the...

Chicken Club sets out to challenge superstores.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. In its biggest move yet to compete with large superstores, Yingcharoen Fresh Market has established a central market for chicken, which it calls the Chicken Club, so that its vendors...

Court to rule on Shin deal, PM tells Lee.
October 31, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Surayud rules out govt interference as Singaporean prime minister urges a solution during Asean-China meeting Prime Minister Sura-yud Chulanont yesterday told his Singapo-rean...

What does Sufficiency Economy mean'.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The Surayud government says it will follow the "Sufficiency Economy". That commitment is written into the preamble of the Interim Constitution. So what is the Sufficiency Economy,...

Pojaman'in trouble' over prized land.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Question of legality in buying govt property may haunt ex-PM's wife State experts are poring over the legality of Khunying Pojaman Shinawatra's controversial Bt772-million...

Toilet worries for organisers.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Tickets for the opening of Royal Flora Ratchaphruek are sold out. Bonjira Bhuthisiri, a public-relations officer for the horticulture exposition, said yesterday that the organiser...

Honorary-consul pair released on bail.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. A Malaysian honorary consul to Morocco and his Thai wife, an honorary consul to Djibouti, who were arrested on allegations of encroaching on a vast plot of public land on Koh Yao...

'Citizen' Mahathir renews running spat with PM Abdullah.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Mahathir Mohamad levelled fresh criticism at Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in an open letter to the media on Friday. The two-page letter, headed "Why did I criticise the...

Investment in marketing cut.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Firm cites downturn for 50% budget reduction Minor Group has slashed this year's marketing budget for fashion clothes and accessories by half, mainly due to the economic...

Bangkok Metro seeks HK's advice.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Bangkok Metro Plc has contracted Hong Kong-based MTR Corp to study whether a Blue Line extension would affect the company's operations. "We want to get ready in case the...

Rules must be fair to all, plead purveyors of alcoholic drinks.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Thai Beverage, which sells not only booze but non-alcoholic products like sodas and bottled water, seems to be the only player smiling after new ad rules were announced by the Food and...

Marsh PB sees green opportunity.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Companies are spending millions to reduce environmental damage from their activities as well as sprucing up somewhat grubby green images. One broker has seen a niche in which it...

Move to let BOT pick own chief.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Pridiyathorn wants politics kept out of the central bank, says source Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula will push for the amendment of laws...

TOT's union to sue NTC over licensing.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. TOT's labour union will this week sue the telecom regulator for hurting state telecom agencies with its licensing policy. Nukul Bawornsirinukul, head of the union, claimed last...

Strategy aimed at more efficiency for small enterprises.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. With the increasing demand for IT among small and medium-sized enterprises, Hewlett-Packard has developed an smart office strategy to help SMEs utilise new technology to improve their...

Storage products get virtualisation built in.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Having last month celebrated the 50th anniversary of disk data storage systems, IBM plans to develop the next generation of virtualisation for its storage products. Jai Menon, IBM...

Ten years on, Thais are now hot eBay sellers.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. From jewellery, clothing and accessories to handicrafts, Thai products have become hot sellers in the eBay market-place. The first eBay user from Thailand registered in 1996, and...

Matching fund to encourage local skills.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The Market for Alternative Investment (MAI) is setting aside Bt1 billion to join with local and foreign venture capital funds to set up an MAI Matching Fund project to develop the...

PDA phone prepared for high-speed connection.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The Dopod 838 Pro is a PDA phone which is ready for the next high-speed wireless connection. The phone, which runs on Windows Mobile 5.0, comes with HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink...

Midtown units for families.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Developer builds large units at Soi Kluay Nam Thai Issara@ 42 is one of three new projects to be launched by Charn Issara Development in the final quarter of the year, managing...

Nine types of bacteria remove garbage odours.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. If don't like the smell of garbage, you will now be able to breathe easier using a new technology that destroys the odour and turns rubbish into fertiliser. By combining...

Woods Bagot office to boost Samui's realty.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Island's real estate industry leaders welcome quality builder-designer Woods Bagot's opening of its Koh Samui office last week marks a positive turn for the island's property...

A question of misjudgement.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Temasek's attempt to try and peddle influence in Thailand by hiring a former royal employee has backfired The scandal involving former royal aide MR Tongnoi Tongyai, accused by...

Three in a row for Sudket and Saralee.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. [BADMINTON] Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thungthongkam yesterday retained their mixed doubles title for the third time after winning the final of the Bt250,000 SCG All Thailand...

New use found for rice starch.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. It was a lucky coincidence that, during an experimental process, Saiyavit Varavinit, an organic chemist from Mahidol University, discovered a new property of Thai rice, which can be...

Hospitals file lawsuit against SSO.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The Association of Private Hospitals yesterday filed a lawsuit against the Social Security Office (SSO), demanding it subsidise the cost of infant care, in addition to the flat rate of...

Alarm over new typhoon.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Officials discuss measures to deal with storm building up off Philippines coast; two more drown as flood waters recede Local authorities and relief agencies yesterday held an...

Chiang Mai hosts world food meet.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. The world food standards conference starts in Chiang Mai today - the first time it has been hosted outside the European Union. Close to 300 experts from 61 countries were expected...

Alcohol ad ban 'not enough'.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. A blanket ban on alcohol advertising alone will not halt the steady growth in consumption, the Kasikorn Research Centre said yesterday. Measures to control the sale and consumption...

DOMESTIC ABUSE.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Woman hospitalised after being set on fire by drunk husband A woman was admitted to hospital yesterday morning after allegedly being set on fire by her drunken husband, police said....

Rose upbeat despite 20% dip in demand.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Video disk sales hit by floods, uncertainty The local film market has seen a 20-per-cent plunge in revenues this year, due to widespread piracy, recent heavy flooding and political...

We've no business connections with Shinawatras: 124.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Despite a mountain of criticism surrounding Temasek Holdings, 124 Communications chief Nimit Mondrakee feels confident his long-time expertise can help improve the tainted image of...

Soammapat innovates for high-rise revolution.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Dynamic and with a fast decision-making style is how land-developer Soammapat Traisorat, deputy chief executive officer of TCC Capital Land, describes his business. TCC Capital...

Can't stop loving Elvis.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Roll that rock from the tomb and witness the resurrection I've never been an Elvis fan, and since he's been dead for 29 years, I doubt I'll ever be one. In fact I'm a staunch fan...

Symphony.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Who says Thai people are musically impaired when it comes to classical sounds' For years, DJs Seesom Eamsunpang and Sadabpin Ratanaruang have been guiding listeners through the daily...

Challenges shouldn't be so handsome.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. When it comes to having a relationship, there are two categories of attraction. First, you're physically attracted by that "look" or "personality" you've always yearned for. It...

Sonthi tries for a public relations coup.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. CNS concerned at lack of progress being reported to the people under its leadership Having fought a rearguard public-relations battle for more than a month, the leaders of the...

Ratchaburi generates 21 per cent more profit in the third quarter.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding has announced its unreviewed consolidated operating performance for the third quarter with a net profit of Bt1.79 billion, equating to...

Wrapped up in tradition.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Thai devotees descend on Wat Saket to fulfil one of Bangkok's revered ceremonies Devout Buddhists yesterday bore a giant red sash to the top of the Golden Mount at Wat Saket in...

Queen voices concern over lewd dancing.
October 30, 2006... (From The Nation (Thailand)) Byline: The Nation. Prompted by television images of female dancers in provocative dresses at a Buddhist charity session during the annual sighting of the Naga fireballs, Her Majesty the Queen has issued...