Anything & Everything About Thailand

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494 words
27 January 2006
Thai News Service
English

Section: General News - The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the private sector are thrilling Thai wrestling fans by organizing WWE Smackdown Live Tour in Thailand 2006. It's not a very common occasion for this highly entertaining smack-fest to take place in Thailand. This year, the WWE, or the World Wrestling Entertainment, will only tour in Thailand and Japan.

The TAT is cooperating with RS Promotion, UBC, and Total Sport Asia in holding WWE Smackdown Live Tour in Thailand 2006. This exhilarating sport entertainment will set off on February the 2nd at Impact Arena Muang Thong Thani, starting 17.00 hours onwards. One of the objectives of the show is to celebrate His Majesty the King's 60th anniversary of his accession to the throne.

A press briefing on this wrestling tournament was held on December 7th last year at Dusit Thani Hotel, where TAT Governor Juthamas Siriwan chaired the event. The atmosphere was certainly lively as passionate Thai wrestling fans joined the press briefing to acknowledge the event's details.

The TAT Governor said this is a very fortunate time for the WWE to decide to hold an ultimate wrestling show in Thailand rather than other countries in Asia. And this will show Thailand's capability in organizing a world event, and in the long term, our kingdom's image will also be more positive. As a result, Thailand will welcome more foreign tourists from all over the world. About 3,000 people across Asia are expected to come into our kingdom to primarily see this wrestling extravaganza.

As for the highly-rated WWE wrestlers who will display their agilities and powers in Thailand, some of the names include Batista, JBL, and Rey Mesterio. And this is just to name a few.

Earlier on January 15th, an event entitled GET READY!!! SMACKDOWN TOUR IN THAILAND 2006" was held to acknowledge and heat up the Thai fans about the main event next month. Various fun activities were arranged on that day such as how to cheer for their favorite wrestlers during the actual show. Furthermore, famous Thai wrestling broadcaster named Na Ting also attended the event.

At the show on February 2nd, there will be many other entertaining activities apart from the wrestling brawl itself. There will be WWE Playground, sales booths, and other wrestling-related activities. In addition, singers from the RS Promotion record will hold a concert to entertain the crowd, and souvenirs will also be given to the participants as well.

Wrestling fans and devotees out there should not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Interested persons can reserve their seats at Thai Ticketmaster booths nationwide or simply call them at 0-2262-3456. The ticket prices are 5,000 baht, 4,000 baht, 2,500 baht, 1,500 baht and 1,000 baht.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Friday 27 January 2006 :-

CAPITAL INFLOW: Baht appreciates to a one-year high

The baht appreciated to Bt 38.80 to the US dollar yesterday in intra-day trading, a level not seen since January 14, 2005, with about US$3 billion (Bt116.8 billion) in capital having flowed into the stock market since the start of the year, according to the Bank of Thailand (BOT).

Yesterday’s currency surge was also due to importers purchasing dollars in preparation to buy oil, dealers said.

The baht opened at Bt 39.15-Bt 39.17 (offer and buy prices) and closed at Bt 38.87-Bt 38.89. Dealers said the baht could hover between Bt 38.50 and Bt 39 in the near future.They also said the Singapore dollar and the Korean won appreciated yesterday.

Of the $3 billion in capital inflows, more than $1 billion was used to buy Shin Corp shares in its buyout this week, said Mr Pridiyathorn Devakula, the BOT governor. He said the rest was due to foreign investors’ heightened interest in the economy.

The capital inflows for portfolio investment were $2 billion for all of 2005.

Speaking at the “ Economic Outlook and Strategies for Economic Management” seminar organised by the National Economic and Social Advisory Council, Pridiyathorn forecast that commercial banks’ lending this year would grow 10 per cent, the highest since the 1997 economic crisis, thanks to high industrial capacity utilisation.

Pridiyathorn said loans were likely to grow 10 per cent from 2005, compared to 8 per cent between 2004 and 2005. The double-digit growth is expected due to industrial expansion. Industry was running at an average 74 per cent of capacity in December.

In addition, listed companies, which reported an aggregate net profit of Bt279 billion for the first three quarters of 2005, will also be expanding this year, he said, adding that firms would plough their profits back into operations.

Credit expansion is expected to record double-digit growth for the first time since the 1997 financial crisis, when plenty of companies went bankrupt and the banking system’s non-performing loans skyrocketed.

Despite high capacity utilisation, investors during the last few years delayed their reinvestment plans because they lacked confidence in the economy and were concerned about political conditions, the violence in the deep South and increasing oil prices.

Pridiyathorn said the current-account deficit last year had grown to $3.7 billion. It could have been worse, save for the second half of the year, which saw a surplus of $2.2 billion, compared to a deficit of $5.9 billion in the first half.

He said the current-account deficit would be around $3 billion to $4 billion for some years to come because of high oil prices. But the deficit would not have much impact on the economy thanks to strong international reserves of $53 billion. In addition, capital inflows would help strengthen economic stability.

“The $3 billion-$4 billion deficit is acceptable even if there is no capital inflow at all. But, the deficit will not last for many years,” said the governor.

The governor said he would continue to gradually raise the 14-day repurchase rate, which is currently at 4.25 per cent, in a bid

to slow down inflation and encourage positive real deposit interest rates.

Anoma Srisukkasem
The Nation

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287 words
27 January 2006
The Nation (Thailand)
English

After 10 years of construction work, a new five-star hotel on the Chao Phraya River, the Millennium Hilton Bangkok, will be ready to open on March 1.

It is the first luxury hotel to open in the capital this year. The hotel was under construction during the 90s and was scheduled to open in 1996 or 1997 under the management of Accor's five-star brand Sofitel, but the economic crisis ground the project to a halt leaving the guts of the building unfinished. In 2003, a new investment company, Krungthep Rimman Co, with major shareholders US-based Westbrook Partners and City Development Limited of Singapore, took over the property and spent millions of baht on renovations.

General manager Frederic Lucron said the renovation would be completed before the opening date. The 32-floor hotel has 543 rooms and 10 restaurants as well as various meeting rooms.

Millennium Hilton Bangkok is the chain's third in Thailand, after Hua Hin and Phuket. "In the first year of operation, we hope to have a 50-per-cent occupancy rate. Major customers will come from Western countries [50 per cent], Asia [40 per cent] and Thailand [10 per cent], " said Lucron. Rate will be comparable to the Shangri-La and several other five-star hotels along the river.

The hotel said it would focus on both leisure and business travellers, particularly guests who are making their first trip to Bangkok. Hilton is installing a management team led by former general manager of the Hilton Nai Lert Park, Frederick Lucrom. Hilton has been expanding in the Asia-Pacific region, adding three hotels in Malaysia, Japan and Australia last year.

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476 words
27 January 2006
Business Day
English

HIS Majesty the King on Thursday presented the Prince Mahidol Awards to two professors for their dedication to medicine and pubic health during a ceremony held at the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall in Bangkok.

Professor Eugene Goldwasser, pictured right, of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology University of Chicago was honoured and awarded in the field of medicine while Professor Harald zur Hausen, pictured left, of the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg won the award in the field of public health.

Professor Goldwasser played a major role in the purification and characterization of erythropoietin, which has provided an effective therapy for severe anemia in kidney failure and cancer patients worldwide, and his work has proven to be beneficial to the health and quality of life of mankind throughout the world.

Professor zur Hausen played a vital role in research on cervical cancer, one of the major causes of death in women. Cervical cancer is the third most frequently occurring cancer in women, and afflicts an estimated 500,000 women each year.

His breakthrough discovery has had a major impact on the understanding of the causes of cervical cancer, and has led to the improvement of preventative measures and treatment as well as to the development of vaccines against skin wart viruses.

The Prince Mahidol Award was established in on January 1, 1992, by the Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, in commemoration of the centenary of the birth of Prince Mahidol of Songkla, the father of His Majesty the King who has been recognised as the “Father of Modern Medicine and Public Health“ in Thailand.

Prince Mahidol of Songkla, born January 1, 1892 to King Chulalongkorn and Queen Savang Vadhana, graduated in Medical Science from Harvard University in the United States. During the first period of his residence at Harvard, he negotiated and concluded, on behalf of the Thai government, an agreement with the Rockefeller Foundation for assistance in medical and nursing education in Thailand.

The Prince worked at Siriraj Medical School in Bangkok and McCormick Hospital in Chiang Mai and greatly contributed to the improvement of Thailand’s modern medicine and public health.

He once told his medical students that he did not wish them to be only doctors, but also human beings, and that true success exists not in learning but in its application for the benefit of mankind. The Prince Father died of a severe kidney disease at the young age of 37.

The awards are given each year to those whose works in the fields of medicine and public health have been internationally recognized as each award consists of a medal, a certificate, and a cash prize of 50,000 US dollars.

The Prince Mahidol Award is administered by the Prince Mahidol Award Foundation, with Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn as the chairperson.

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412 words
27 January 2006
Thai News Service
English

Section: General News - Thailand's Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Yongyut Tiyapairat played down fears that the Srinakarin dam would face major structural failure if a stronger earthquake were to hit Thailand.

The minister Wednesday morning met with agencies concerned -- including the Department of Mineral Resources, the National Disaster Warning Centre and the dam's owner-caretaker, the state-owned energy firm, EGAT Plc. -- following news by researchers that the Srinakarin dam was built above a fault and might fail structurally if an earthquake measuring 7.5- 8.0 on the Richter scale were to occur.

After the meeting, Mr. Yongyut told a press conference that the dam didn't lie on the fault zone which could trigger strong earthquake measuring over six on the Richter scale.

He said a 5.9 magnitude earthquake in 1983, 50 km distant from the Srinakarin dam did not damage the dam. The technical information could confirm the dam was strong enough.

According to Minister Yongyut, if the dam were to fail, it would not cause a flash flood as described in the media by a former engineer of EGAT.

Paiboon Thepthong, EGAT's vice president of power plant management, meanwhile, said that the agency has monitored and controlled the standard of the dam since it started operation.

The information given by the former engineer is not new and two vibration metres installed at the dam were improved two years ago, he said.

Prodprasob Surasawadee, director of the Natural Disaster Warning center, today ordered officials to use state-of-the-art equipment to increase efficiency in measuring the earth tremors at the dam.

He reiterated that Thailand's natural disaster warning system is advanced, and that it can report the warning via television and radio immediately. He said he is certain that people will be able to evacuate in time if the disaster occurs at the dam.

Meanwhile, Srinakarin dam manager Anuchit Asampinwong said the dam can sustain an earthquake of 7.5 magnitude not 5.9 magnitude at a 200km distance.

He added the dam is equipped with modern technology to monitor the earthquake and has an emergency plan if the disaster happens.

The news about possible earthquake threat on the Srinakarin dam followed a 5.7 magnitude earthquake which occurred in Myanmar's Shan state about 200km from the earthquake centre in Chiang Mai last night. It was felt throughout Thailand's northern region.

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779 words
27 January 2006
Bangkok Post
English

Atiya Achakulwisut

The first time I saw 200,000 baht in cash was 12 years ago, when my father was seriously ill and needed an emergency operation. The hospital asked that we pay for everything immediately, in cash. Since my mother had to watch over my dad, I was assigned the business duty. I withdrew the necessary amount from the bank, placed the two stacks of new, crisp bills with their distinct money smell, in a brown bag - our family's years of savings - to be handed over to the hospital, and thought... these wads, which were worth a lot to a middle-class family like ours, didn't look big at all.

But how about 73,300,000,000 baht? Can you imagine how many stacks would that be? Would the bills fill up a whole room?

The staggering amount is beyond my imagination. I bet this is so with millions of people in this country as well. Do we envy the Prime Minister for his wealth? Not really, Mr Prime Minister. It's beyond us. If anything, we are curious. Why someone like you, who has so much - I mean, such an unbelievable amount - must also try so hard to protect your every satang from returning to the state, the land, the resources, the people, among whom you have lived and made such a huge profit from?

This is perhaps not a question of legality. With that many zeros in his bank account, the PM can hire the most capable tax lawyers the world has to offer, who will bend all the rules to protect his best interests. Not just best, I suppose, but recycling-plant or black-hole best; taking everything, giving nothing.

This is a question of morality; that of a leader, to be exact.

Every year, at exactly this time of the year, an ordinary working citizen like myself receives that familiar form from the Revenue Department calling on me to do the duty of paying my taxes. And I comply. Dutifully, I fill out the form and let them take a chunk of the money I earn. There are certain means for me to reduce my tax burden, buy a tax-deductible insurance policy, long-term investment or other funds. But that's it. At the end of the day, I still pay. I might not agree with how the government goes about spending my hard-earned taxpayer's money, but I comfort myself that it is my obligation to the land and to my countrymen. We are in this together. Each person helps in ways that each person can.

But as I read on about the PM's gain, as many questions bubble in my head as those zeros. I wonder if it's fair for ordinary citizens like us to be paying in full this quota of what we earn - meaning, we have to do physical work, writing news, hawking food, designing clothes - while those who make a profit from trading stocks do not need to? If introducing a capital gains tax discourages the growth of the stock market, can we devise a system so that it only taps into large gains only possible among big-time investors, who can afford to pay it anyway? Why are we content with a system that only milks the earnings of small guys and lets the big ones get away with lots of zeros?

A good leader is one who does the right thing even if it is more difficult, even if it costs him more, financially, emotionally, physically.

He must be the one who shows the way. If he see holes in a system, he tries to fix them, not take full advantage of them.

But then again, our generous PM might have a grand merit in mind. Last week in Roi Et, he handed out nearly 200,000 baht to poor souls in At Samat district - farmers, dessert sellers, children. He loves doing charity, or so the reports said. The amount he gave was perhaps less than he would spend for a meal at the capital city's most elegant French restaurant.

In the spirit of the At Samat (meaning it might work or definitely maybe, take your pick) model of poverty eradication, I would suggest that our charity-loving PM take it another step further.

Why doesn't Mr Thaksin keep, say, 3 or 4 billion baht for himself and his family and hand out the rest to the poor in this country? That way, our poverty line might immediately move up one notch.

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690 words
27 January 2006
Bangkok Post
English

POST REPORTERS

Many of the nearly 1,300 foreign investors who gathered yesterday at Government House for a briefing on the state's 1.8-trillion-baht megaprojects expressed bewilderment at the lack of clarity of the massive plan.

Lothar Herrmann, president and chief executive officer of Siemens Limited in Thailand, said the government failed to clearly describe its proposals or identify the framework and specifications of the project development.

His colleague, senior vice-president Joern Grasse, added that such lack of clarity would make it hard for potential investors to evaluate investment costs.

For instance, he said, the government provided only minor details on the proposed 10 new mass transit rail routes without specifying the number of stations and trains for each.

Jean-Pierre Gollot, vice-president of Alstom Transport Asia-Pacific, expressed concern about the difficulty of gauging the government's expectations as investors were given only broad guidelines about the projects.

A Danish executive of a communication equipment company wondered whether all the projects, particularly those involving defence, have the government's full support in terms of funding. He said barter trade is impractical.

Investors at the workshop yesterday represented leading companies from 29 nations, mostly from Japan, followed by Singapore, Europe and the United States.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday briefed them about the government-supported megaprojects covering mass rail transit systems, water management systems, information networks, defence modernisation, agriculture, science and technology, culture and public health under the so-called Thailand Modernisation framework.

The government pledged to offer them flexibility and transparency with some regulations relaxed in the bidding contests.

The government set a broad guideline promising to give them freedom to design their proposals so they would be able to provide Thailand with the best technology and implementation methods.

Mr Thaksin said the process would enable the government to choose the best international expertise with the best offers.

"Generally, for large projects processed under tight state regulations, the opportunity is quite slim for us [the government] to get good things. This time we offer opportunities for those who know their industries well to come up with their proposals for us to choose," he said.

The government has set April 28 as the deadline for interested parties to put forward their technical proposals. About one to two months later, they will then be invited to tender financial proposals.

Screening is expected to be completed by September with the first project to be embarked on by the end of this year.

To ensure transparency, ministry-level committees would screen the tenders before submitting them to the policy committee chaired by Mr Thaksin and the cabinet would have the final say.

The government has promised to conduct all of the screening process publicly, such as through live television and radio broadcasts.

Mass transit projects alone attracted more than 400 interested developers and also drew the most critical comments.

An executive from a French consulting firm said Thailand's current mass transit system was "confusing" and the government's vague terms and guidelines did not help.

Denis de Baecque, chairman of the consulting service DB Impact, called on the government to sort out the problem of too many operators in the system.

"Whoever is entering the bid, they have to talk with at least three existing operators for the skytrain and the subway, and more players like the State Railway of Thailand for the airport link and even the former operator like Hopewell for the use of their huge poles," he said.

"It will not work to bring in new ideas as invited by the government under this complicated system."

He suggested that the government look to Hong Kong or Singapore for models of an efficient mass transit system.

Prommin Lertsuridej, the prime minister's secretary-general, said evaluation of proposals would take into account all aspects, such as technical expertise, financing, investment return and the repayment period.

Finance Minister Thanong Bidaya said for the financing proposals the ministry would take into account not only financial return but also economic return and net present value.

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343 words
27 January 2006
Bangkok Post
English

CHEEWIN SATTHA & PENCHAN CHAROENSUTHIPAN

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra backs the role of local bodies in fighting poverty whereas Chavalit Yongchaiyudh has other ideas, saying the At Samat model is less than ideal in solving the problem.

At a meeting of tambon administration organisations from across the country in Chiang Mai yesterday, Mr Thaksin stressed the importance of local bodies which he said were key to easing national poverty.

The grassroots bodies are the first to come into contact with ordinary people's problems and have insight into them, said the prime minister.

He said technological innovations would also be brought in to assist the TAOs' poverty eradication efforts.

The newly-established anti-poverty centre headed by Gen Chavalit will act as a coordinator in delegating authority and distributing resources to district chiefs who are supposed to work in partnership with the TAOs in tackling poverty.

Training for district chiefs would be modelled on the anti-poverty workshop which concluded last week in Roi Et's At Samat district.

Meanwhile, at a seminar on fighting poverty at Chulalongkorn University yesterday, Gen Chavalit said the At Samat reality workshop concentrated too much on the finer details of each troubled individual.

Instead, the government should set out long-term, sustainable development plans for the benefit of the whole community. It should also provide new technology while people should be encouraged to pool ideas and exchange knowledge and local wisdom.

He said success in overcoming poverty hinged on participation from grassroots people.

Local people should take centre stage in deciding their own poverty eradication plans. The state may also step in to support them financially.

Citing the merits of the Baan Mankong housing project, Gen Chavalit said he favoured the common use of land and sharing of resources over the "charity handouts" of land plots to each individual as witnessed in At Samat district.

However, he said he was eyeing the three southernmost provinces as the first location to try out his poverty-eradication campaign.

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209 words
27 January 2006
Bangkok Post
English

More than 3,600 policemen have taken a training course in counter-insurgency to enable them to operate in small teams against rebels in the troubled provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.

Lt-Gen Adul Saengsingkaew, Region 9 Police chief and commander of the Yala-based Forward Operation Centre of the Royal Thai Police Office, said that altogether 22 batches of police in the three province have undergone the training which is intended to make them able to protect the people and their operational bases more effectively as well as to launch counter-attacks when ambushed while on motorcycle patrols.

They have also been trained in laying siege to target areas prior to a search and giving chase on helicopters to capture fleeing targets.

Lt-Gen Adul said 58 police and soldiers were killed and 115 wounded in their operations against insurgents in the deep South in 2004. The casualties dropped to 45 killed and 92 wounded last year. About 90% of the casualties were caused by recklessness.

"The insurgents know the routines of government forces and their locations." In Yala, an engineer of the Provincial Electricity Authority was shot and seriously wounded in a gun attack yesterday.

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BANGKOK, Jan 27 (TNA) – Last Update : 2006-01-27 / 16:12:40 (GMT+7:00)

Bank of Thailand (BOT)’s Governor M.R. Pridiyathorn Devakula on Thursday expressed confidence that the Thai economy would grow up to 5 per cent, stimulated by many positive factors.

Delivering a special lecture to members of the National Economic and Social Advisory Council (NESAC) on “Economic Outlook in 2006,” he said the overall Thai economy would continue to grow this year since private investment had still expanded.

In December, the private investment grew 74 per cent with a production capacity increasing 85-90 per cent as could be witnessed by investment promotion figures.

In particular, foreign investment through the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) has continued to rise early this year.

So, he believed the consumption, export, and investment this year would outpace those of last year.

He said fuel prices would stay high, but not fluctuate like that of last year. So, it is necessary to continue to promote the energy conservation.

He conceded that the rising oil prices had fueled an inflation rates which had increased to 6 per cent on average in each month since October last year.

Although the rate had begun to decline late last year, he believed, it would increase by 3 per cent for the whole year and a core inflation rate would edge up slight to 3 per cent.

M.R. Pridiyathorn said what the BOT worries now is a gap of saving that needs to be closely supervised.

The central bank would not allow people to spend too high through credit cards because it would fuel burdens of household debts.

On interest rates, he said although the policy interest rate had increased to 4 per cent, it is still low when compared with the inflation rate, which stayed at around 5 per cent.

So, the BOT saw a need to increase deposit rates to encourage people to turn to save money.

But how much the interest rate will rise depends on the situation. (TNA)--E005

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Poojadkuan

Bangkok: Lots of people are amazed and go to see the money mountain that higher than the Golden Mount by many times. After Shin Corp was sold to Singapore for seven billion baht , the money mountain appeared near Jaransanitwong 69. It is expected that this will be a new favorite tourism place in Thailand that will go down in history.

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640 words
28 January 2006
Bangkok Post
English

POST REPORTERS

His Majesty the King has rejected the Senate's nomination of nine new graftbusters, which was submitted last month by Senate Speaker Suchon Chaleekrua.

The list of the nine nominees to the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC) was returned without royal endorsement, an unprecedented action which prompted calls for the senate speaker to take responsibility.

Mr Suchon admitted yesterday the list was returned by the Office of His Majesty's Principal Private Secretary on the grounds that the nominees had been picked from a group of 17 shortlisted candidates, instead of 18 as required by the constitution. The number of the candidates was reduced to 17 after former army commander-in-chief Gen Prawit Wongsuwan withdrew from the race, citing health reasons.

Mr Suchon said he would call a meeting on Feb 9 with his deputies, heads of all senate standing committees and the chair of the ad hoc committee on senate affairs to discuss the matter. He did not say how soon a new round of selection of NCCC nominees could take place. The upper house is now in recess.

The Senate's latest troubles come just weeks before its six-year term expires in March.

Earlier, the senate speaker submitted the nomination of Wisut Montriwat to replace Khunying Jaruvan Maintaka as auditor-general following a Constitution Court ruling that the selection process that led to her appointment was unlawful.

Khunying Jaruvan refused to step down. The nomination of Mr Wisut failed to get royal endorsement within 90 days, forcing him to withdraw his nomination.

Sen Chirmsak Pinthong yesterday called on Mr Suchon to show responsibility, saying the senate speaker had made repeated mistakes.

The Bangkok senator said he had opposed the submission of the list of NCCC nominees to His Majesty out of concern that it could be illegitimate.

He had suggested that the Senate pick 18 initial nominees from the 80 individuals who had originally applied to contest for the NCCC seats last year. Mr Suchon decided to go ahead with the final nomination process, however.

Mr Chirmsak said he then sought a Constitution Court ruling on the nominations via Parliament President Bhokin Balakula, but received no response.

He then sought intervention from the Parliament Ombudsman's Office, which refused to consider his petition.

"I almost gave up hope," he said.

According to Mr Chirmsak, five of the nominees did not meet the requirements. The constitution requires that the applicants hold a director-general post or an equivalent, but some were only C-10 officials without any experience in management.

"He [Mr Suchon] made a mistake in the case of Khunying Jaruvan. Won't he do something to show responsibility at all?," Mr Chirmsak said.

Sen Kaewsan Atipothi (Bangkok) said he considered the matter as an urgent one for which an extraordinary session should be called next month.

Sen Karun Sai-ngam (Buri Ram) said Mr Suchon should resign to show responsibility.

"We had warned that the selection process wasn't legitimate. But he never listened. This time he should quit," Mr Karun said.

Sen Maleerat Kaewkao (Maha Sarakham) said Mr Suchon should move up the planned meeting from Feb 9 to Feb 1 to show his sincere intention to resolve the problem.

Sen Niran Pitakwatchara (Ubon Ratchathani) called on the Senate to fix the problem while it could.

"This is its second chance. If the Senate doesn't take it, it will be condemned," he said.

Meanwhile, Surapol Ekyokha, designated chairman of the NCCC, yesterday thanked the Office of His Majesty's Principal Private Secretary for exercising discretion.

"After all, it's the Senate who faulted the selection process. I'd leave it to legal procedures," he said.

Mr Surapol was a Supreme Court judge before he resigned to become a corruption fighter.

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94 words
30 January 2006
Thai News Service
English

Section: General News - Thailand's Ministry of Defence has announced its plan to procure nearly 15 billion USD in foreign military hardware over a nine-year timeframe.

Thai Defence Ministry's Permanent Secretary Gen. Sirichai Tanyasiri said his ministry would open bids for the planned procurement of the military hardware, involving combat maneuver abilities, mobilisation of forces, firepower systems, communications and information technology.

The Defence Ministry's arms purchase plans would not be delayed by any budget constraints, Sirichai said.

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491 words
28 January 2006
Bangkok Post
English

UMESH PANDEY

Reuters, the world's leading information provider, plans to expand its operations in the Thai market and offer more variety to existing clients.

The information business in Thailand is improving as people can now make transactions and access news on their desktops, said Edward Haddad, managing director of the 10-member Asean arm of Reuters, adding that the company is increasing its market share in Thailand.

Reuters on Thursday announced plans to give customers using its top-end Reuters 3000 Xtra service access to the Thai-language news service provided by Reuters' local subsidiary BisNews.

"We have been looking to launch this product for some time now but due to the fact that the Thai fonts were not totally compatible, we had to wait," said Anurag Ruangrob, country manager for Reuters.

"Previously, people had to read the English news on one terminal and switch to another to see Thai news," said Mr Haddad.

He said the addition of the Thai news service would help investors analyse information and make decisions more efficiently, which would benefit the market.

Reuters, which currently employs 1,000 people in Thailand in various roles, such as news gathering and software development, said that it was looking to expand its Thai presence.

Having struggled against competitors, the company has made a remarkable turnaround and is looking to hire another 200 to 300 new staff in Thailand for its software-development business.

"Although India is more famous for software development, there's a problem of people jumping from one job to another, which is not the case in Thailand."

Reuters, he said, was looking to grow in the information market, which as of last year was worth around $10-12 billion.

"Today we are on a positive growth path and we hope to continue this in the future."

"Reuters is all about growth now, we are now a lot leaner, meaner and more competitive," he said.

As well as heavy investments to extend Thailand operations, Reuters planned to invest in growing markets such as China and India, he said. The information industry in these markets is expected to be worth more than $1 billion by 2015, from about $100 million currently.

As part of its efforts to further strengthen its presence in Thailand, the company was looking to offering greater access to electronic-trading platforms.

Electronic trading, which has become the key form of trading, rather than via face-to-face or phone, is one of Reuters' strengths. The company has an 18,000-strong trading community in inter-bank (dealer-to-dealer) foreign exchange, and plans to launch a multi-asset trading platform for markets including fixed income, derivatives, commodities and energy, Mr Haddad said.

Reuters has already started building its presence in these dealer-to-customer markets with the launch of four new systems this year, including Reuters Trading for Fixed Income.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Saturday 28 January 2006 :-

Delightful dragon :
Yaowarat Road will be decked in red and gold this Sunday as Bangkokians celebrate the Chinese New Year

Story by Karnjana Karnjanatawe


With Chinese New Year approaching, residents of Yaowarat, Bangkok's Chinatown, are scrubbing their houses clean to welcome the "Year of the Dog" that ushers in this coming Sunday when people will wear red, while all shops and buildings in the area will be decorated with paper and electric lanterns of matching colour themes.

But why red?

Preeda Parathachariya, who knows Yaowarat inside out and is a member of a cultural network group set up to preserve and promote traditional values of the largest Chinese community in Bangkok, said the colour is associated with good luck. He is reigning champion of the highly popular weekly Fan Phan Thae television quiz competition on Yaowarat.

Back in the old days, and that is going back several thousand years, it was believed that the red colour could ward off Nian, the mythical half fox half lion monster that descended from the hills every New Year's eve, the start of spring, and gorge innocent children in villages.

According to Chinese folklore, a wise man found that red-coloured symbols, noise and fire could scare the beast away. The villagers started pasting red emblems on their doors, beat drums and gongs, burned bamboo sticks and lit fireworks to frighten the ogre.

Since then Nian has become the Chinese word for new year and people celebrate its arrival by exploding firecrackers, pasting red inscriptions on their doors, and hanging bright red lanterns from their houses.

For the record, the Chinese community of Yaowarat dates back to the Rattanakosin period - to 1782 - during the reign of King Rama I. Then, Chinese people mostly lived in Sampheng area and by the bank of the Chao Phraya River.

By the time of King Rama V, the number of Chinese living in Yaowarat had grown substantially so he decided to build a road to improve access to the community and livelihood of residents there.

"The road that cuts through Yaowarat is not a straight one because the King didn't want to disturb the daily routine of its residents. The road was cut avoiding farms and houses," said Preeda who was born in Yaowarat.

As a result, the road we see today snakes past shops, houses and restaurants in a manner locals liken to the shape of a dragon whose head is at the red-and-gold plated Chalerm Phrakiat Gate built in 1999 to mark the sixth cycle of His Majesty the King's birthday, while the tail is at Chakkrawat junction.

The amazing thing is that the dragon's belly is where all restaurants and food shops are located .

High points

Yaowarat boasts of more than 100 gold shops along a 1.5-kilometre stretch. The oldest one is Tang To Kang on Wanit Road that's been operating for more than 130 years.

Land prices in Yaowarat are the second most expensive in Bangkok after Silom: one square wah costs 260,000-510,000 baht compared to Silom's 340,000-600,000 baht.

It holds within its embrace the oldest Chinese temple in Bangkok, Yong Hok Yhi, located in Trok Tao lane. Built more than 300 years ago, the temple's Thai name is Wat Bumphenjeenprot and it's regarded as one of the unseen attractions of Yaowarat.

It is still in good shape and according to Preeda, Sok Haeng, the famous Chinese monk-scholar visited the shrine in 1871. He renovated the place and began teaching Mahayana Buddhism. For his effort, he was held in high by the Chinese community. Later he started looking for a bigger site and built a second temple, Wat Mungkorn Kamalawas, on Mungkorn Road.

Unlike Wat Mungkorn Kamalawas, Yong Hok Yhi, meaning eternal happiness, is cute and neat, not covered in smoke from burning candles and incense sticks. Its main draw are of papier-mache images that visitors can easily mistake for bronze.

"Paper and cotton cloth were easy to get hold of in the old days," said Preeda, explaining that people who had strong faith in religion built a set of 18 images of enlightened monks and presented them to temples.

Sharing the same wall as Yong Hok Yhi is Wat Yuan, also called Wat Kusolsama, built by Vietnamese Buddhists.

Aungvinaithorn Pisit is a monk there. The temple offers classes in Buddhism. After the Chinese New Year, the temple will hold its traditional fair which now has become a model for seven other temples in the city built by Buddhists of Vietnamese ancestry. During the fair the temple donates sticky rice ordained by monks that's believed to bless recipients with children.

There is the Tien Fah Foundation which has provided free medical treatment to the poor since the days of King Rama V, and last but not the least, is the only rongtium in Bangkok, the traditional Chinese lodge, that will open next month under the name Hom Muen Lee.

The dragon's belly

Yaowarat is also famous for its countless hot and cold dishes available day and night. It has more than 50 ranking restaurants, not counting the roadside stalls.

One of the more popular dishes is the shark fin soup.

Preeda said Yaowarat's food culture began with two restaurants 50 years ago that made available cuisine straight out of the kitchens of former Chinese emperors to the ordinary people, which also explains the popularity of shark fin soup among local Chinese.

One of its other famous delicacies is the crispy sliced pork that has been accorded OTOP (one tambon, one product) rating by the government and is extremely popular among visiting Hong Kong and Taiwanese tourists, as are freshly roasted chestnut sold by the roadside.

Shopping paradise

Yaowarat is a one-stop shop for Chinese herbs and medicine like dried goat's tendon or dried slices of crocodile meat.

Fruit connoisseurs can enjoy shopping at Talad Mai, the new market on Itsaranuphap Road, while the old Talad Kao market on the same road that has been operating for more than 80 years offers a choice of recipes such as dried mushrooms, ingredients for making suki-yaki, dried fish maw, dried and raw holothuria, fish, chicken or roasted duck.

If thirsty, go for herbal drinks, or the milky almond and lotus root juices.

For home decoration there are a variety of items, as well as red dresses and T-shirts to go with the occasion.

Going to Yaowarat this Sunday wear the red T-shirt designed by Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. It's printed with her greetings for the Year of the Dog, wishing those wearing it luck and prosperity.

TRAVEL TIPS

To explore Bangkok's Chinatown, the best way is to take the MRT subway and get off at Hua Lamphong railway junction. From there it's a short walk to Yaowarat. Your first stop can be Wat Trimit Wittayaram, just 200 metres from the junction, that has a statue of Lord Buddha cast from gold.

Cross the street to Chalerm Phrakiat Gate and appreciate the art objects and inscriptions on show there.

Further up is Tien Fah Foundation where a golden statue of goddess Aryavalokitesvara Bodhisattva is kept. From the foundation just walk freely taking in the sight and sound of Chinatown. Also, don't forget to explore the sub-roads and sois that offer visitors a true picture of life in the largest Chinese community in Bangkok.