Thai Press Reports articles from February 2009

Thai Press Reports archives from February 2009

Thailand: Bank of Thailand cuts policy interest rate 50 basis points to 1.50%.
February 27, 2009... Section: Economy - In an effort to boost local spending as global economy continues severely affecting the country, the Bank of Thailand (BoT)'s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) on Wednesday (February 25, 2009) cut its policy interest rate by...

Thailand: 37% of Thai firms to skip pay rises this year, says Consultancy.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - The global recession is expected to hit hard on the Thai businesses in 2009 as 37 per cent of them are not going to offer pay rises to staff, while 32 per cent plan to keep salaries in line with inflation, said a...

Thailand: Economy likely to grow 0-1%, says Thai Chamber.
February 27, 2009... Section: Economy - The Thai economy is likely to grow only between 0-1 per cent in 2009 due mainly to the slump in exports, according to the Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC). TCC's Deputy Secretary-General Pornsilp Patcharintanakul said he...

Thailand: MPC expected to further cut policy interest rate by 0.50-0.75%.
February 27, 2009... Section: Economy - The central bank's Monetary Policy Committee is likely to further cut the policy interest rate by 0.50-0.75 per cent at its meeting Wednesday in a bid to shore up the sluggish economy, according to an informed source at the...

Thailand: Thailand considers extradition of fugitive ex-PM Thaksin from Hong Kong.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Thursday (February 26, 2009) that he is reviewing with concerned agencies the possibility of asking China to extradite fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to...

Thailand: UDD protesters shift protest aim to topple government.
February 27, 2009... Section: Government & Politics - Leaders of the anti-government United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) announced Thursday (February 26, 2009) they would intensify their protest to oust the Democrat-led government as their...

Vietnam: Stronger defence ties foster regional cooperation.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - A strengthening of national defence and security cooperation between Vietnam and its neighbours will have the knock-on effect of boosting their links in areas such as the economy, trade, investment and tourism, said a...

Vietnam: FDI influx rates stage recovery in February.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - Vietnam attracted over 5.3 billion USD in foreign direct investment (FDI) during the first two months of this year, according to the Department for Foreign Investment under the Ministry of Planning and Investment. ...

Vietnam: EVN urged to ensure sufficient electricity for development.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - The Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) must overcome difficulties to ensure a sufficient supply of electricity for the country's socio-economic development, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. At a working session...

Vietnam: German MP receives honourary doctorate in Vietnam.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - The Hanoi-based National Economics University (NEU) has awarded the title of honourary doctor to Jurgen Koppelin, member of the German Federal Parliament, for his contributions to Vietnam. According to Professor...

Vietnam: President says Ca Mau has great potential for development.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - President Nguyen Minh Triet has asked the southernmost province of Ca Mau to focus on economic development, particularly investment in transport infrastructure. He made the request during a working visit to the...

Vietnam: Firms urged to take advantage of EU preferential tariffs.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - The Ministry of Industry and Trade is targeting 15 percent growth in exports to the EU this year. The efforts to increase exports would focus on machinery, electronics, electrical equipment, processed food...

Vietnam: Banks vow to stand by exporters amidst downturns.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - The Vietnam Technology and Commercial Bank (Techcombank) has offered soft loans for import-export businesses to help them cope with global economic crisis. The offers were made at a workshop jointly held by the...

Vietnam: Vietnam experiences lowest CPI growth.
February 27, 2009... Section: Economy - The consumer price index (CPI) in February increased by 1.17 percent against January, the lowest rise during the past four years, the General Statistics Office (GSO) has said. The previous February indexes were 2.1...

Vietnam: Vietnam's road system needs 70 trillion VND a year.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - Vietnam's Transport Ministry has estimated an annual average investment of 66.8 trillion VND for the national road system from now to 2020 and beyond 2030 to further improve its transportation capacity. In its...

Vietnam: Vietnam's IT competitiveness ranking remains unchanged.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - Vietnam keeps its 61st place among 66 countries in the 2008 information technology (IT) industry competitiveness index, which was conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The index, which is outlined...

Vietnam: New decree facilitates overseas oil and gas investment.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - A new Government decree is expected to make it easier for local businesses to invest in oil and gas projects abroad once it takes effect on April 6. Under the decree, projects using State-owned capital are...

Vietnam: Vietnam's largest airplane maintenance company makes debut.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - The Vietnam Airlines Engineering Company (VAECO) made its debut on Feb. 24, becoming the largest aircraft maintenance service provider in Vietnam. The company was established by merging the A75 and A76 aircraft...

Vietnam: Index continues to plumb depths.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - The HCM Stock Exchange continued its downward slide on Feb. 23, with the VN-Index closing at 244.02, a loss of 3.39 percent. This market the 10th consecutive trading day of declines in the VN-Index. Losers...

Vietnam: Subsidised loans still out of reach for many.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - Although the Government's interest rate subsidy programme has been implemented for over two weeks, only a modest number of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have benefited from it. Under the Government's 17...

Vietnam: Hanoi injects 3.4 trillion VND into feasible projects.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - Businesses in Hanoi invested almost 3.4 trillion VND (194.3 million USD) in a range of feasible projects during the first two months of the year, equivalent to 12 percent of its annual target, amidst the backdrop of...

Vietnam: Deputy PM visits Nghe An province.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai paid a working visit to the central province of Nghe An on February 26 to examine its trade and industrial development. Phan Dinh Trac, chairman of the provincial People's...

Vietnam: Three ministers to be questioned at NA meeting.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - Three Cabinet members are expected to answer queries from legislators concerning pressing social issues at the National Assembly Standing Committee's one-day question time in March. The proposal was made by the...

Vietnam/Malaysia: Vice defence minister receives Malaysian naval chief.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - Vice Defence Minister, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Khac Nghien, on February 25 received the Royal Malaysian Naval Commnander, Dato Sri Abdul Aziz bin HJ Jaafar, who is currently on a visit to Vietnam. The...

Thailand/Vietnam: Vietnam, Thailand boost trade, economic cooperation.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - Vietnam and Thailand should increase cooperation, especially in economics, trade, investment, tourism, education, security and national defence to bring practical benefit to the two countries, said Prime Minister...

Vietnam/Cambodia: Vietnam, Cambodia discuss border marker planting.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - The Vietnam-Cambodia joint technical subcommittee for land border demarcation and marker planting convened its 8th session in Phnom Penh from February 23-25. The Vietnamese delegation was led by Nguyen Hong Thao,...

Palestine: Hamas and Fatah agree on Palestine conciliation talks.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - Senior members of Hamas and Fatah, the main rival Palestinian factions, have agreed to stop verbally attacking each other and release prisoners from both sides. The move was made following their talks in Cairo,...

United States/Cuba: US House eases trade, travel restrictions on Cuba.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - The US House of Representatives passed legislation on February 25, easing trade and travel restrictions on Cuba. The new provision allows Cuban Americans to return and visit their relatives in Cuba once a year...

United States: Recession may extend through 2009, says US Federal Reserve Chairman.
February 27, 2009... Section: Economy - The US economy is going through an extremely difficult period, said the US Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke. In his recent report submitted to the Senate banking committee, Mr Bernanke vowed to use every available...

Vietnam/Germany: Vietnam to join Drinktec 2009 in Germany.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - Vietnam will take part in the International Trade Fair on Beverage and Liquid Food Technology (Drinktec 2009) at the New Munich exhibition centre in Munich city, Germany from September 14-19. This is a good...

Vietnam: Building a new 105,000-tonne oil tanker.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - The Dung Quat Shipyard under the Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Group (Vinashin) began building a new 105,000 tonne oil tanker on February 26. This oil tanker will be installed with modern equipment to meet the...

Vietnam: Gold prices fall sharply, exchange rate remains stable.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - Late on February 25, the price of gold fell by VND220,000 per tael against the previous day as seen at VND19.55-19.61 million per tael in Hanoi's Bao Tin Minh Chau Company. Unlike the previous day when a large...

Vietnam: New rules for foreign securities rep. offices.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - The Ministry of Finance has issued rules on the establishment and operation of foreign representative offices that deal with securities in Vietnam. There are only about 10 international representative offices which...

Vietnam: Hanoi injects VND3.4 trillion into feasible projects.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - Businesses in Hanoi invested almost VND3.4 trillion in a range of feasible projects during the first two months of the year, equivalent to 12 percent of its annual target, against the backdrop of the global economic...

Germany/Vietnam: Germany considers ODA budget for Vietnam.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - The German parliament is to consider approving a budget for its continued provision of ODA to Vietnam, said a German senior official. Karin Kortmann, State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry for Economic...

Vietnam: National emulation congress on study encouragement to be held in 2009.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - The second national emulation congress on study encouragement will be held in Hanoi late September, according to a press release issued on February 26. The congress will be attended by about 500 organisations and...

Vietnam: Promotional programmes to attract tourists to Hoi An.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - Tourism agencies in central Quang Nam province are launching a variety of promotional programmes to attract greater numbers of tourists to the ancient city of Hoi An. From March 26 to early April, tourists, who...

South Korea/Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City, South Korea seek solutions to labour woes.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - Ho Chi Minh City authorities held discussions with the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea (RoK) on February 25 to discuss effective solutions to the wave of labour disputes that have rocked RoK-invested...

Vietnam: Party leader praises health workers' efforts.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh highlighted health workers' hard work in disadvantaged rural areas. The Party leader made the remark during a meeting with 455 outstanding local medical staff from mountainous,...

Vietnam: Raising the alarm over lax management practices.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - The quality of product is one of the leading concerns for consumers before they make a purchase. However, the recent discoveries of poor quality products has raised the alarm about the levels of responsibility shown by...

Vietnam: Non-residents to pay income tax.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - The Ministry of Finance yesterday issued new rules concerning delayed collection of taxes pursuant to the new Law on Personal Income Tax, which had been scheduled to take effect back on January 1. In previously...

Vietnam: Research firms to be self-supporting.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat has ordered all research institutes operating under the ministry to be converted into self-supporting enterprises by the end of the year. Phat said that...

Vietnam: Exchange rate to stay stable, says bank Governor.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - The Government of Vietnam had no plan to adjust the current foreign exchange rate, said State Bank of Vietnam Governor Nguyen Van Giau. The central bank had the capacity to balance supply and demand for the US...

Vietnam/Myanmar (Burma): Business meet promotes Myanmar, Vietnam trade.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - Two-way trade between Myanmar and Vietnam amounted to US$108.2 million last year, up 11 per cent over 2007, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The ministry presented the data during a meeting between...

Vietnam: Firm to offer employment services.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - Multinational corporation Manpower Inc has been licensed by the Hanoi People's Committee to provide permanent employment recruitment services in the country. The licence makes it the first 100 per cent...

Vietnam: CEOs look for breakthrough strategy.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - The International CEO Meeting & Gala 2009 will be held next week in Ho Chi Minh City. To mark the occasion, Vietnam News reporter Viet Thang talks to Nguyen Hung Manh, vice president and general director of An Binh...

Vietnam: Foreign securities reps get new rules.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - The Ministry of Finance has issued rules specifically for the establishment and operation of foreign representative offices related to securities in Vietnam. There are only about 10 international representative...

Vietnam: Index snaps 11-day losing streak.
February 27, 2009... Section: Stocks - The VN-Index yesterday (February 25, 2009) snapped an 11-day losing streak, regaining 8.83 points, or 3.75 per cent, to close at 244.33. Trading volume reached 9.2 million shares on a turnover of VND173.3 billion...

Vietnam: PM okays expenses boost for trade-promotion programme.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - The Prime Minister has approved an increase in expenses for the national trade promotion programme, including brand name promotion activities. Trade Promotion Agency director Do Thang Hai said the figure had yet...

Vietnam: Vinatex and Japanese group to produce anti-bird flu fabric.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - The Vietnam Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex) has co-operated with Japan's Shikibo Group to produce a fabric, called Flutect, which protects against the H5N1 virus. Shikibo Group transferred production...

Vietnam: Direct flights between capital and Shanghai to take off.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - Direct flights between Hanoi and Shanghai will hit the runway from March 27 with three Boeing 727-800 flights a week. Transviet Company has been appointed general agent by the carrier, Shanghai Airlines. To...

Vietnam: Vietnam law firm wins European quality and excellent recognition.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - The local law firm Vilaf-Hong Duc has received the International Arch of Europe (IAE) Award for Quality and Excellence in the Gold category. The award is presented to companies and organisations throughout the...

Vietnam: Thanh Cong Garments sees profits shrink.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - Thanh Cong Textile and Garment Co generated VND1.02 trillion (US$58.3 million) of turnover in 2008. The company also had an 88.36 per cent fall in after-tax profit, earning VND9.23 billion ($527,498). TCM yesterday...

Hong Kong/Vietnam: Hong Kong investment firm opens in City.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - Hong Kong-based Daiwa SMBC Capital Asia would open a representative office in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1, said the State Securities Commission. The office will focus on researching the Vietnamese stock...

Vietnam: Northern bourse welcomes new brokerage.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - Viet Thanh Securities has been recognised as a new member of the Hanoi Securities Trading Centre (HASTC). The company, with charter capital of VND35 billion (US$2 million), will provide investors with securities...

Vietnam: Firms hold 'open house' for investors.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - International Royal Securities and three firms newly listed on the Hanoi Securities Trading Centre will hold an open house to provide information about the firms to stock investors. The companies include Tien...

Vietnam: Nam Viet to open gold trading floor.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - Nam Viet Securities will launch a gold trading floor in co-operation with the Asia Gold Company on March 2. The floor will be an official location for investment and trade in gold, helping investors avoid risk...

Vietnam: Party leader meets with grassroots health workers.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - General Secretary Nong Duc Manh yesterday (February 25, 2009) met more than 450 distinguished health workers from remote and mountainous localities to celebrate the 54th anniversary of Vietnam Physicians' Day on...

Vietnam: President Triet urges Soc Trang to heed opportunity.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - President Nguyen Minh Triet urged authorities in southern Soc Trang Province to improve the local economy, prepare for coming investment opportunities and pay more attention to the poor. During a visit to the...

Vietnam: Stronger national defence fosters regional co-operation.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - A strengthening of national defence and security co-operation between Vietnam and its neighbours will boost ties in the economy, trade, investment and tourism, said a senior military officer. Vietnam's Minister of...

Vietnam: Vietnam, Cambodia speed up border marker planting.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - The eighth session of the Vietnam-Cambodia joint technical subcommittee for land border demarcation and marker planting was held in Phnom Penh from February 23-25. The Vietnamese delegation was headed by Nguyen...

Thailand/Vietnam: Vietnam, Thailand boost co-operation.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said he expected Vietnam and Thailand to further push up co-operation, especially in the areas of the economy, trade, investment, education and security and defence. Speaking at a...

Vietnam: Ex-PMU18 chief faces charges.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - Former director of project management unit (PMU) 18 Bui Tien Dung, who was sentenced to a 13-year prison term for bribery and gambling back in 2007, is now also facing embezzlement charges. Dung and his 10...

Vietnam: Ex-police officer prosecuted.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - Central Da Nang City's investigative police agency has decided to prosecute a former senior police officer on the charge of "abusing democratic freedom and rights to infringe upon the interests of the State and the...

Vietnam: Vietnam aims to make cities resilient to climate change.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - A World Bank project aims to make Hanoi, Can Tho and Dong Hoi the nation's first 'climate resilient cities' by reducing vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters. The World Bank launched its primer for...

Vietnam: Electricity cost increases push up city water prices.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - Tap water will get 3-4 per cent more expensive after electricity prices increase 8.9 per cent on March 1, according to Nguyen Ton, chairman of the Vietnam Water Supply and Sewage Association. At present, water...

Laos/Vietnam: Vietnam, Laos strengthen co-operation in education.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - Vietnam will provide short-term and long-term training courses for 245 cadres and students including off spring of Vietnamese expatriates in Laos this year. A co-operative agreement to this effect was signed by...

Vietnam: Economic crisis shrinks labour export demand.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - The economic crisis is expected to hit global demand for Vietnamese guest workers. The Vietnam Association of Manpower Supply (VAMAS) said not only small and medium-sized companies but also large ones in Japan,...

Vietnam: CPI in February up 1.17%.
February 27, 2009... Section: Economy - The consumer price index (CPI) in February increased by 1.17% against January and 1.49% over December 2008 and 14.78% compared to the same period last year, according to the General Statistics Office. The category of...

Vietnam: Prime Minister approves double taxation avoidance agreements with Maroc and Venezuela.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - The Prime Minister has signed the Decision No.25/2009/QD-TTg dated Feb 20th 2009 on approving an agreement on double taxation avoidance and fighting tax evasion regarding taxes levied on income with Maroc.The agreement...

Thailand/Vietnam: Vietnam, Thailand commit to a closer comprehensive and friendly cooperation.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - Vietnam and Thailand vow to spare no effort to promote their friendship and comprehensive cooperation for peace, development and prosperity in each respective country and in the region. Meeting PM Nguyen Tan Dung...

Vietnam: FDI exceeds US $5 bil. for first two months.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - Within the first two months, foreign direct investment (FDI) reaches US $5.328 billion, equivalent to 70% of the same period last year, said the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), attributing this to the new...

Vietnam: Swedish group wants to invest in express railway.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - Sweden's SkeriNova Holding group has proposed to build the North-South express railway. According to initial plan, the entire elevated railway will be built for five years. SkeriNova Holding group, which...

Vietnam: Hanoi selected to be climate resilient city.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - The World Bank (WB) and its UN partners on Tuesday released a handbook on climate resilient cities in Vietnam. Hanoi has been chosen to pilot a project to support mitigation, management and adaptation of natural...

Vietnam: Deputy PM Khiem receives int'l guests.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - Deputy PM, FM Pham Gia Khiem today (February 25, 2009) separately received Ms. Karin Kortmann, Parliamentary State Secretary to the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and Argentine...

Vietnam: Vietnam, Singapore signs financial MoU.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - Vietnamese Finance Minister Vu Van Ninh and his Singaporean counterpart Tharman Shanmugaratnam yesterday signed in Singapore a Memorandum of Understanding on governmental cooperation in finance. Accordingly, the...

Philippines: Documents to be signed or adopted during the 14th ASEAN Summit.
February 27, 2009... Section: General News - The 14th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and related meetings will be held here from Feb. 27 to March 1. A total of 24 related documents are expected to be signed or adopted by ASEAN leaders,...

Philippines: Business sentiment remains cautious in 2009.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - Business sentiment was broadly cautious in 2009 as the number of pessimists outnumbered the optimists. Survey conducted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to businessmen show the overall confidence index (CI)...

Philippines: Philippines resiliency plan will help attain positive growth, says Recto.
February 27, 2009... Section: Economy - Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ralph G. Recto in a recent press briefing said the country's economic resiliency plan (ERP) will help in attaining a positive growth in gross domestic product (GDP) in the first semester of...

Philippines: PNOC to build a 20-30MW hydro plant in Luzon.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - A 20-30 megawatt (MW) hydropower plant in Luzon will be developed by the Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC). PNOC president Antonio Cailao explained that the hydroplant is in line with the government's thrust...

Philippines: MoneyGram, M. Lhuillier bare agreement for global money transfer service.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - MoneyGram International, a leading global money transfer company, and M. Lhuillier Financial Services, Inc., an established non bank financial services company in the Philippines, announced Thursday an agreement to...

Philippines/Taiwan: MECO notes lull of OFW displacements in Taiwan this month.
February 27, 2009... Section: Economy - The Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taipei has reported of a lull this month on the displacements of OFWs and attributed this to Taiwan's economic stimulus program and an improvement in its export prospects...

Philippines: Galoc oil field resumes operations.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - After two months of technical problems, the Galoc oil field situated northwest of Palawan resumed it operations Thursday (February 26, 2009). Energy Undersecretary Ramon Oca said the initial flow rate of 15,000...

Philippines: US$ 120-M casino-resort project owner asks SBMA for alternative site.
February 27, 2009... Section: Business News - Korean firm Grand Utopia, Inc., who is investing some US$ 120-million for the controversial 15-story integrated resort-hotel has requested Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) for an alternative place to transfer...