Anything & Everything About Thailand

[U-Need]

BANGKOK, Feb 22 (TNA) – Last Update : 2006-02-22 / 08:09:31 (GMT+7:00)
Oil prices, overseas interest rates, dollar fluctuation, the United States economy and local confidence will become five risk factors to the Thai economy this year, according to the Bank of Thailand (BOT).

Bandid Nijathavorn, the BOT’s Deputy Governor supervising the Financial Stability Group, said on Tuesday that the Thai economy is likely to expand 4.75-5.75 per cent this year, boosted by an increase in exports.

He projected that next year the Thai economy would re-enter a cycle of investment with higher capacity utilization in the industrial sector and better performance results of listed companies on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET).

Local interest rates are unlikely to increase considerably, which could contribute to higher investment.

The private consumption is expected to continue to grow since the employment rate is high.

It shows incomes earned by consumers are still sound.

On the current political tension arisen from anti-government rallies, he said the BOT would closely monitor the situation and see how economic figures at the end of January are.

It could reflect whether the demonstrations would have an impact on the Thai economy, he noted.

He said there are five risk factors to the country’s economy this year.

Firstly, fuel prices would continue to fluctuate highly. Secondly, the US and European Union interest rates would fuel inflationary pressure.

Thirdly, the US dollar and foreign capital would remain volatile. Fourthly, the US economy might grow lower than expected at 3.3 per cent since property prices had dropped.

Finally, local confidence needs to be boosted because it could be used for the economic growth drive.

Mr. Bandid reiterated that the BOT would continue to implement the monetary policy with caution.

The policy would focus on maintaining the economic stability and supervising inflation rates to ensure they would not increase considerably, he said.

Of late, the general inflation rate stayed at 5.9 per cent and is expected to stay at 3.5-5 per cent for the whole year.

He said what the central bank worries most now is higher household debts.

Proper understanding on debt repayment with hefty interest rates must be given, particularly to low-income earners, he suggested. (TNA) – E005

[U-Need]

SONGKHLA, Feb 21 (TNA) - Last Update : 2006-02-21 / 17:53:05 (GMT+7:00)

Thai authorities are interrogating six Malaysian commandos who crossed the border into the Thai territory Monday, according to military sources.

The commandos were detained by Thai police in Sukirin District of the southernmost province of Narathiwat Monday evening.

They claimed that they have lost their way, and that they wandered across the border into the Thai territory by accident.

On Tuesday all the detainees were taken to the Thai-Malaysian Border Coordination Centre in Songkhla Province for further questioning on security issues by the local authorities even though the initial investigation by Narathiwat police had proved they were the Malaysian soldiers as they claimed.

The Thai army has coordinated with the Malaysian authorities at every stage of the interrogation process, the sources said.

When the investigation is complete, the commandos will be sent back to Malaysia. (TNA) E009

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday 22 February 2006 :- : Group forecasts 11% revenue rise this year

Negotiations on a new lease for the 47.22-rai site now used by the Central Lat Phrao shopping compleSx and the Sofitel Central Hotel have yet to begin, said Transport Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal. But executives of the Central Group of Companies, the country's largest retail chain, are optimistic that it will receive a renewal to use the land that now houses the group's most profitable shopping mall.

The 30-year lease will expire at the end of 2008.

Central Group executives discussed the issue yesterday at a briefing at which they announced a revenue target of 96 billion baht for this year, up 11% from 2005.

Mr Pongsak said he had directed the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), the owner of the plot, to hire an appraisal company to assess the value of the property to find an appropriate rate to charge private concession holders.

He said it was highly possible that the SRT would call open bids to maximise returns, adding that payments to the state should be at least 10 billion baht over the length of the contract.

Suthichart Chirathivat, the Central Group's executive director who is in charge of negotiations with the SRT, said the state agency would probably allow Central to renew the land lease contract for its Lat Phrao shopping complex.

He said the group was negotiating with the SRT about rental fees and other conditions, with a conclusion expected within one year.

Central Group leased the site from the SRT in 1978 to develop a hotel and shopping complex. Under the 30-year contract, it has the first right to renew the lease after the contract expires on Dec 18, 2008.

SRT deputy governor Yuthana Tapcharoen admitted that the agency had held several informal talks with Central but had yet to reach any conclusion. Central has made proposals but the SRT says it needs to wait for the appraisal process.

However, Mr Yuthana said that under the current contract, the incumbent developer had the first right to renew the lease for at least 10 years depending on the profits it offered the SRT.

Suthichai Chirathivat, the Central Group's executive chairman, said the company should be first on the list. ''We were the first to develop this land. It's only fair that we get a chance to do it again,'' he said.

Viewing political uncertainty as short-lived, Mr Suthichai said the group had not revised its investment plan this year.

Central Group plans to spend about 16 billion baht to expand its five core businesses this year - retailing, real estate, trading and marketing, hotel and food.

7.75 billion baht will be spent to expand CentralWorld, on three new malls in Chaeng Watthana, Pattaya and Rama IX, and on renovating existing stores.

About 5.3 billion baht will be used to add new outlets of Tops supermarket, HomeWorks and Power Buy, and to renovate the Zen department store at CentralWorld. The remaining 2.9 billion baht will be used to expand the Central hotel and restaurant chains and the trading and marketing businesses. Half of the funds will come from company cash flow and the balance from a property fund.

Mr Suthichai said that the investment budget did not include an overseas expansion plan. ''We will focus on land leases for our retail projects in Vietnam and Indonesia as the first step in order to avoid a long-term commitment if [business] is not as good as we expected.''

He expressed confidence that the group's total sales this year would increase by 11% to 96 billion baht thanks to a host of positive factors such as the 5% GDP growth and government spending on megaprojects.

''What we are concerned about are persistently high oil prices and the southern violence,'' he said.

Sales of the group last year grew by 12.4% to 86.44 billion baht despite various negative factors ranging from the tsunami to bird flu, natural disasters, rising oil prices and southern violence.



The lease on the Lat Phrao site, Central's biggest earner, expires at the end of 2008.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/Business/220206_bus01.jpg

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday 22 February 2006 :-

Chamlong: We'll carry on till PM quits : 'Dharma Army' to join Sanam Luang protests

Chamlong Srimuang has announced that members of his ''Dharma Army'' foundation nationwide will be mobilised to hook up with the anti-Thaksin rally planned for Sunday at Sanam Luang and will continue the campaign until Mr Thaksin steps down. The former leader of the Palang Dharma party made it clear his alliance would not settle for anything less than Mr Thaksin's resignation.

A House dissolution would be out of the question because it could bring Mr Thaksin back to power, he said.

Maj-Gen Chamlong said he had introduced Mr Thaksin to politics, an act he likened to releasing a troll from a dungeon. The time is now ripe to bring the giant back to the den and lock him up, he said.

Maj-Gen Chamlong, the former mentor of Mr Thaksin who has turned against him, said the prime minister's lack of legitimacy makes it pointless for him to cling on to power and for him to try to stage a come-back.

He insisted that the only option now was for the prime minister to tender his resignation letter to end all the problems besetting the country.

For the upcoming rally, a large crowd of Santi Asoke members from nine main networks in Si Sa Ket, Ubon Ratchathani, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Sawan, Chiang Mai, Trang, Nakhon Pathom, Chaiyaphum, and Bangkok are scheduled to arrive at the rally venue in the early afternoon of Sunday.

Vegetarian kitchens will be set up to facilitate the lengthy demonstration. Only Maj-Gen Chamlong will be on stage while the members will be told to gather in a peaceful and humble manner.

Maj-Gen Chamlong is known to enjoy close ties with the Santi Asoke, a Buddhist sect, which claims to have followers in many provinces.

Suriyasai Katasila, secretary-general of the Campaign for Popular Democracy, said: ''All parties agree to create a new chapter in mass rallies. Sunday's demonstration will be staged peacefully.''

He said he expected no less than 200,000 people to join the gathering.

Chief of Sima Asoke, Samana Srangtai Paneetoh, said members of the Sima Asoke, a branch of Santi Asoke so named from the province where it is located, will make an early journey to Santi Asoke on Friday in two busloads.

Bangkok City Clerk Nathanon Thavisin said the demonstrators are allowed to occupy Sanam Luang only on Sunday, but if the protest continues, City Hall may let the timing slide. Protesters are asked to gather peacefully.

Puthipong Poonakan, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration spokesman, said Sanam Luang could accommodate only around 30,000-40,000 protesters.

Sirichai Mai-ngarm, secretary-general of the State Enterprise Labour Relations Confederation and representatives of the Thai Sports Association which will share Sanam Luang with the anti-Thaksin rally, said the association would occupy the ground from the morning to the afternoon. It will clean up and hand over the venue to the rallygoers in the late-afternoon.

From Sunday morning to afternoon, half of Sanam Luang on the Temple of the Emerald Buddha's side will be reserved for the National Cooperatives Day's event and that on the Pin Klao Bridge's side for the final round of the sepak takraw competition of the Thai Sports Association.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday 22 February 2006 :-

Bomb blast at Santi Asoke Centre

A bomb was thrown at the Santi Asoke centre early this morning, causing minor damage. Speculation was immediate, that the blast could have been intimidation or rage against Chamlong Srimuang, spiritual leader of the group, who is to lead an anti-government rally on Sunday.

Interior Minister Kongsak Wanthana said he believed the bombing was perpetrated by "a third party who want to create a situation."

No one claimed responsibility for the blast.

Pol Lt-Col Phirom Chantaphirom , commander of the Bueng-koom police station, said he was alerted to the last at about 2:20 a.m. He went personally to inspect the crime scene and found that the garden in front of the centre was bombed and damaged. Nearby areas, including about eight houses, were also damaged.

Ven Bhodhirak, the founder of Santi Asoke Centre, said he heard the bomb around 1.55 a.m. He came out and found that the centre’s front area had been damaged.

Residents living nearby said that they had heard motorcycles, but did not see who the driver was.

The Santi Asoke Centre has been operating for 30 years. It welcomes all who want to practise Dharma, and the compound is open at night.

ACM Kongsak linked the bombing to the planned rally on Sunday. He insisted that the government is not involved in the attack, and urged all sides to exercise judgment. He added that a peaceful demonstration will demonstrate that the people understand democracy.

"I expect the attack was carried out by a third party to create a situation," he said.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday 22 February 2006 :-

Man hacked into KTB card base – DSI

The Department of Special Investigation arrested a Malaysian man yesterday for allegedly stealing credit-card information from Krung Thai Bank by using telephone wiretaps to hack into its database.

Director-general Sombat Amornwiwat said Lee Kian Sin had caused more than Bt100 million in damage to the bank, which had kept the information theft a secret to avoid causing panic among its cardholders.

Sombat did not say how the hacking or phone bugging had been carried out but warned that people using KTC cards in the region south of Hat Yai district in Songkhla were at risk of having had their credit-card details stolen.

Sombat said bank customers who regularly ran up card balances of more than Bt100,000 were prime targets of the Malaysian suspect, who, he said, was part of a racket operating in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. The ring included store clerks who took down shoppers’ credit-card numbers and others who then sold items obtained through payments charged to an unsuspecting shopper’s credit card.

The DSI chief added that the Malaysian suspect had also sold at least one fake credit card with a ready-to-use number for Bt10,000.

He said Lee could face a prison term of up to seven years and six months as well as a fine of between Bt30,000 and Bt150,000 under a new anti-cyber-crime law.

Colonel Yannapol Yangyuen, chief of the Police Information Technology Centre, said gang members sometimes put fake cards back in place of the real ones they stole in order to stave off the cancellation of the card.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday 22 February 2006 :-

Chinese firm to make Thai power play

TCL already sells air conditioners, televisions and computer peripherals in Kingdom

Chinese electronic-appliances maker TCL is planning to become the top brand on the Thai market by the time the Thai-Asean free-trade agreement results in zero tariffs in five years’ time and is preparing to launch all its product lines here before early next year.

TCL, in which the Chinese government holds a substantial stake, entered the Thai market late last year by setting up TCL Electronics (Thailand) Co Ltd to import products from its two exiting factories in China.

It has three products available in Thailand: television sets, air conditioners and communication devices, including cell phones and computer peripherals for connecting to the Internet.

However, TCL Electronics (Thailand) deputy marketing manager Metha Rojanachaichanint said yesterday that by the end of the year, it would add home appliances, including microwave ovens, washing machines and irons, as well as commercial air conditioners.

Metha said the free-trade agreement between Thailand and China was his company’s main reason for aggressively penetrating the Thai market. Currently, import tax on household electronic equipment is 30 per cent, but the duty is being decreased under the free-trade pact by 5 per cent each year, so that it will reach zero in about five years.

TCL will therefore be able to decrease the prices of its products each year, leading to price competitiveness. It plans to invest in research and development, giving its products even greater advantages over competitors from Japan, South Korea, and other local manufacturers.

By the time Thailand’s import duty reaches zero, TCL expects to have achieved wide brand awareness in the market and it will then aim for market leadership, which will be easily within its reach because of its lower prices, Metha said.

He said he expected many other Chinese manufacturers to chase the benefits of the free-trade agreement, and those to suffer will be local manufacturers whose production costs are significantly higher than the likes of TCL, particularly following recent rises in oil prices and the costs of raw materials.

To build brand awareness, TCL has set aside about Bt100 million for advertising and marketing campaigns this year. It will launch television advertisements in the second quarter.

At present, TCL Electronics (Thailand) is concentrating on its range of air conditioners, with six wall-type models to be launched by next quarter. They come in three sizes – 9,000, 12,000, and 18,000 BTU, with prices of Bt12,900, Bt14,900, and Bt20,900, respectively.

It plans to grab a 10-per-cent share of the Bt1.25-billion air-conditioner market and become the fourth-largest player by the end of the year. Its plans are supported by a Bt50-million marketing budget and a chain of 100 dealers and service centres around the country.

Currently, Mitsubishi leads with a 25-per-cent market share, followed by Panasonic with 15 per cent, LG with about 14 per cent, and Saijo Denki with 9 per cent.

Last year, TCL generated sales worth Bt2 billion from its current product lines in the Thai market. It aims to double its sales this year.

Nitida Asawanipont
The Nation

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday 22 February 2006 :-

Chatuchak rent to be paid this week

Overdue rent for Chatuchak market would be paid to the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) this week, Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin said yesterday.

Apirak said the Bangkok Metropolitan Adminis-tration was not holding up payment of rental fees for the market area. The problem was caused by not being able to reach agreement with the SRT over the rental fee.

The BMA would pay the SRT rent for 2005 and 2006 at the old rate of Bt32 per square metre – or about Bt3.4 million a year – within this week, he said.

Apirak said he would negotiate tomorrow with the SRT governor about rental fees including State Rail’s required rate of Bt397 per sqm from 2007 to 2012 and about future contracts, after the lease expires in 2012.

[U-Need]

[QUOTE=KatoeyLover69]Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday 22 February 2006 :- [QUOTE=KatoeyLover69]

Government was not behind Santi Asoke bombing, confirms Interior Minister
BANGKOK, Feb 22 (TNA) - Last Update : 2006-02-22 / 12:30:41 (GMT+7:00)
Interior Minister Air Chief Marshal Kongsak Wanthana believes that a bomb blast early Wednesday morning at the Santi Asoke Buddhasathan, a leading Buddhist activity centre in Bangkok, was the work of persons who are trying to sow further discord in an already difficult political landscape.

Marshal Kongsak said that the bomb was not very powerful; and so he speculated that it was not the bombers' intention to take innocent lives, but rather that political messages are being sent to make competing groups more distrustful and fearful
of each other.

He stressed that the government and the 'Dharma Army' were not behind the bombing, as neither of the both sides agree with violence to bring about peaceful change.

The Dhamma Army has been protesting peacefully, Marshal Kongsak said, adding that the provocateurs intending to provoke violence are likely to have been involved in the bombing at Santi Asoke.

The interior minister said that the Dhamma Army should consider this reasonably and understand that the government would definitely not instigate violence against its political adversaries in this time of conflict.

Marshal Kongsak said that government officials and security units would do their best to protect all those who join this coming Sunday's anti-Thaksin rally at Sanam Luang.

Security will be tightened to prevent interventions on the part of ill-intentioned people.

The interior minister said he believed that the bomb planted at Santi Asoke was aimed to instigate members of the Santi Asoke Buddhist sect to join the rally on February 26.

The bomb occurred after Prime Minister Thaksin's former political mentor Maj. Gen.Chamlong Srimuang announced last weekend that he would lead his so-called Dhamma Army to join the rally at Sanam Luang next Sunday. (TNA)-E004

[taurus75]

Tropical Malady is essentially a gay love story sort of, a ghost story, maybe and an allegory, to what I am not sure, all rolled into one, well actually two, movies. It’s the story of Keng, a Thai soldier played by Banlop Lomnoi on forest patrol in a northern province of Thailand who meets Tong a simple country boy played by Sakda Kaewbuadee while Keng and his army patrol stay with Tongs family. Throughout the first half of the film Keng and Tong begin an interesting relationship which you’re never really sure is a courtship or just your typically close Thai male friendship. Eventually it is clear that Keng is in love with Tong but you just don't know if Tong feels the same way or even notices!

I have to admit as a westerner I like my movies pretty simple and to the point. I like movies that make you think sometimes but I'm not into movies that you have to make up the story for yourself. There are scenes where Kengs feelings are achingly apparent and so, it would seem are Tongs feelings but they are never consummated at least in the sense that we are used to in your usual boy-meets-boy type movie. Tong is very much the sweet simple country boy with a self effacing and disarmingly honest manner. Keng you can tell is the lonely heart looking for the one to make him complete and before you know it you’re hoping along with Keng that Tong is the one who finally shares his lonely heart.

Earlier gay films from Thailand have all been about tolerance and accepting those that are different. 'Iron Ladies' did that quite successfully with comedy and Ladyboy stereotypes. 'Beautiful Boxer' was on the same subject of gathoeys and learning tolerance but with a more serious intent. Tropical Malady takes another look at gay relationships in modern day Thailand but from a totally different perspective in the films first half before completely jumping the track in the films second half.

The film in many scenes is sparse with dialog and instead lets the visual atmosphere soak into your brain. It's a lush visual landscape that envelopes you and seems so real that you swear you can smell the street vendors cooking their foods or feel you're in the crowded night bazarre or sitting at a table listening to Thai pop songs sung by a lounge act on stage. In this scene Tong the simple country boy is coaxed on stage to sing a duet and shows he has a surprisingly good voice, one of the films many small gems. During this half of the movie I was aching to be there too it felt so real and so right. As Thailand with a capital 'T' feels all the more like the love I want to find for my own heart.

But the direction of Keng and Tongs friendship slash courtship is so non-chalant it doesn’t faze anyone least of all Keng and Tong. There were times when they were so coy and slow going about it I just wanted to yell at the screen ‘For Pete’s Sake just kiss him already!’

The most frustratingly scene in the movie is when they are riding home one night together on a motorcycle and have to make a roadside pit stop. Keng takes Tongs hand and begins to kiss and nuzzle it in a way that is sexy and romantic. If Tong doesn't get the hint by now theres just no hope but then he takes Kengs hand in return and does the same thing and you’re thinking yes, finally! However Tong just stops and smiles like he was just playing along with a game then he simply turns and walks away, presumably walking the rest of the way home until he disappears into the dark leaving Keng alone. This is also the last scene that they are together, at least as Tong and Keng, in the movie.



Shortly there after the movie appears to end and another one begins. Tong disappears as the villagers talk about a monster beast in the jungle preying on people and animals. In fact the movie opens with Keng's patrol reporting a male body found near the jungle, is it connected? You just don't know since it is only the beginning of a whole bunch of unanswered questions.

This new movie is played out like a modern Thai fable. A soldier (Keng) goes off into the jungle alone to search for a villager (Tong) who has disappeared. The soldier begins tracking the footprints of the missing villager but then makes a startling discover that the human footprints morph into tiger prints (Tong again?) There is almost no dialog in this second movie within the movie and everything is narrated by scene cards. They tell the story of a powerful shaman who has the ability to turn into animals and prowl the forest looking for prey and playing tricks on villagers.

As Keng the soldier tracks the 'monster' he finally comes face to face with Tong running around the jungle completely naked his body covered in exotic tattoos. You keep expecting a big scare scene to come up but it only comes close when Keng is asleep and Tong the Shama/Beast/Missing Villager discovers him and is intrigued with Kengs squawking army radio. You only jump a little when Keng wakes up and is staring face to face with Tong. They fight and you think Tong kills him by throwing him down a cliff but he's not dead yet.

The most dialog you hear is from a talking monkey, yes a talking monkey that tells Keng he is hunting the ghost beast who is hunting him in return and that only by killing him can he free him (Tong) from the ghost world or instead become devoured and become part of Tongs ghost world.

From here on out it just gets weirder and I don't know if I can do any justice to explaining it. Is the beast actually Kengs passion that threatens to consume him? Is this a parable of the nature of man that our story as is has not yet written? I won't spoil the ending because frankly I don't think I could explain it to spoil it! All I kept thinking was how this reminded me of Joseph Conrads 'Heart of Darkness'. If you remove man from his man made habitat and return him to back to nature does he still remain man or turns back to being the beast. A thought that has crossed my mind a lot watching the news about New Orleans this week.

Leaving the theatre I was shaking my head trying to make sense of it all. I'd have to watch the movie several times to understand each nuance enough to maybe 'get it' completely. As I made the trip home I had more questions than answers. It may be one strange trip into the heart of one (maybe two) mans darkness (meant to mean love, maybe?) but it's a lush visual landscape in the films first part I would love to visit time and time again.

Tom Yum Goong may steal the Thai box office thunder but Tropical Malady proves that is way more to what Thailand can offer as an independent film that shares a rare and truly unique, if not totally understood, glimpse behind the famous smile and into the real Thai heart and mind.

All I can say is, Amazing Thailand.

[taurus75]

-Deleted-double post

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Wednesday 22 February 2006 :-

Bangkokians an unhappy lot

Bangkok residents profess themselves to be the “least happy” of Thais, citing family problems, excessive materialism and a lack of kindness in their communities as the main factors in their unhappiness.

So says a joint poll by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation and Abac Poll Research Centre of residents of 20 provinces between January 14 and 22.

A sample of 4,416 respondents aged between 15 and 60 was categorised into five geographic areas: Bangkok, the Central region, the North, the Northeast and the South.

“The findings came as no surprise because Bangkok residents face fierce competition as well as environmental and housing problems,” said Deputy Prime Minister Suchai Charoenratanakul, who chairs the Thai Health Promotion Foundation.

“We will use these findings in planning relevant policies,” Suchai said.

Only 18.5 per cent of Bangkok residents were optimistic that they would be happier soon, compared to 52.9 per cent of respondents in the South, the most cheery lot of all sample groups.

Asked the major cause of their despondency, many Bangkokians complained of family problems and a lack of good role models and political leaders. They also faulted neighbours for being unkind and unhelpful, saying people in their community were generally sour and disrespectful.

“Bangkok residents also complained about materialism, selfishness, shamelessness, lack of conscience, lack of religious morals and emotional solace, as well as the high rates of crime and drug abuse in the city,” Suchai said.

Poverty, however, featured most prominently among respondents in the Northeast.

Nevertheless, Suchai said the emotional well-being of Thais seemed quite sound overall.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Wednesday 22 February 2006 :-

Swish watch boutique opens at Siam Paragon

Jaeger-LeCoultre, a high-end Swiss watchmaker founded in 1833, together with its Thai partner Cortina Watch yesterday officially opened the brand’s first store in Bangkok.

Located on the first floor of Siam Paragon shopping complex, the boutique, which covers 80 square metres, will carry the brand’s full collection of timepieces.

“The Thai watch market is diverse and booming, with retailers experiencing very positive year-on-year growth,” said Maxime Labey, managing director of Richemont Luxury (Singapore) Pte Ltd. “The market here is very advanced in its understanding of fine watch-making, and clients in Thailand seem to have developed a strong affinity for the Jaeger-LeCoultre brand and collection of timepieces.”

He said Jaeger-LeCoultre’s store is the brand’s first in Thailand and only the 10th in the world.

In addition to Bangkok, Jaeger-LeCoultre has outlets in Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh City,

Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Shenyang and New Delhi.

“Thailand’s watch market has good potential. We can develop our business by three-fold in three years,” said Labey, adding that the brand’s sales grew by 30 per cent last year and the same is expected for 2006.

“There are three major magazines dedicated to watches in Thailand,” he said, “There are about 500 core watch collectors and another few thousand people who love watches in Thailand.”

The import duty for watches has been reduced from 40 per cent in 2001 to 5 per cent and has encouraged Thais to change their shopping habits from buying luxury watches in Singapore, Hong Kong or Switzerland to local retail shops. Stores have improved a lot and well-heeled shoppers can afford to buy exclusive and limited timepieces in Thailand.

“More than 100 different timepieces are on display with prices ranging from Bt180,000 to over Bt5 million. About 10 of them are limited versions,” said Krist Chatikaratana, general manager of Cortina Watch (Thailand) Co Ltd, which distributes Jaeger-LeCoultre watches and operates the outlet in Siam Paragon.

Labey said that the price of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s limited collections would range from about Bt500,000 a piece to Bt32 million.

He cited the Master Minute Repeater collection, of which only 200 pieces have been produced, and each one priced at Bt8.4 million.

“Our customers will be local watch collectors, expatriates and tourists,” said Labey, adding that three to four new watches and new movements would be launched every year.

Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn
The Nation

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Wednesday 22 February 2006 :-

Change of image for brewer of Singha

Boon Rawd Brewery, Thailand’s oldest brewery, has freshened up its image by changing its name to Singha Corporation, to cash in on the global reputation of its flagship lager.


Piti Bhirombhakdi, advertising manager of Singha Corporation, said the change in moniker came after a survey showed that more people are aware of Singha beer than Boon Rawd, the name of the company since its inception in 1933.

“We think the word Singha is better known and should help support our products and our organisation’s image as we prepare our company to become a leading beverage company,” he said.

The privately held company produces extensive product lines and markets its products under the Singha, Leo, and Thai Beer brand names.

Piti said that in the future, overseas clients should be aware that Singha products come from Thailand.

However, the company’s hotel and golf course businesses will be kept under the Boon Rawd name.

The renaming coincides with the company’s planned launch of Singha Light, aimed at foreign markets. The company is preparing a Bt150-million marketing blitz.

“Singha Light will be our flagship brand to penetrate foreign markets in response to consumer behaviour in the United States and Europe. It goes well with Thai food because its alcohol level is a bit higher than the local beers in Western countries,” Piti said.

The company is preparing to test Singha Light overseas in London, Los Angeles, New York and Las Vegas before making final flavour adjustments prior to the official launch in April.

Besides beer, the company produces other beverages, including soda water, bottled drinking water, bottled green tea and canned coffee.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Wednesday 22 February 2006 :-

Change of image for brewer of Singha

Boon Rawd Brewery, Thailand’s oldest brewery, has freshened up its image by changing its name to Singha Corporation, to cash in on the global reputation of its flagship lager.


Piti Bhirombhakdi, advertising manager of Singha Corporation, said the change in moniker came after a survey showed that more people are aware of Singha beer than Boon Rawd, the name of the company since its inception in 1933.

“We think the word Singha is better known and should help support our products and our organisation’s image as we prepare our company to become a leading beverage company,” he said.

The privately held company produces extensive product lines and markets its products under the Singha, Leo, and Thai Beer brand names.

Piti said that in the future, overseas clients should be aware that Singha products come from Thailand.

However, the company’s hotel and golf course businesses will be kept under the Boon Rawd name.

The renaming coincides with the company’s planned launch of Singha Light, aimed at foreign markets. The company is preparing a Bt150-million marketing blitz.

“Singha Light will be our flagship brand to penetrate foreign markets in response to consumer behaviour in the United States and Europe. It goes well with Thai food because its alcohol level is a bit higher than the local beers in Western countries,” Piti said.

The company is preparing to test Singha Light overseas in London, Los Angeles, New York and Las Vegas before making final flavour adjustments prior to the official launch in April.

Besides beer, the company produces other beverages, including soda water, bottled drinking water, bottled green tea and canned coffee.