ADVANCE - June 2009 by AustCham

AustChamThailand

A MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE AUSTRALIAN-THAI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE AUSTRALIA THAILAND BUSINESS COUNCIL

www.austchamthailand.com

June 2009

Melbourne’s 6th Annual Thai Culture and Food Festival IN THIS EDITION

Emerging Asia: Nearing the Bottom? Australian 2009 Budget Highlights for Australian Expats Trans-Asian Railway Australia’s Toll Group to Put Cambodia and Thailand on Track

EMBASSY NEWS Australia’s New Strategy to Tackle HIV in Asia and the Pacific

JFCCT Your Questions Answered: Benefits of Being Involved

community services Wat Putakian Kindergarten Visit on 24 April 2009

PATRON His Excellency Paul Grigson Australian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand PRESIDENT Andrew Durieux Coverage Portfolio: Key Links

Contents 6

Business Briefs Emerging Asia: Nearing the Bottom? 10 Australian 2009 Budget Highlights for Australian Expats 12 Australian Taxation Advice

ATBC Section 22 Normality Returns? 24 Melbourne’s 6th Annual Thai Culture and Food Festival

AEI Updates 19 Thais Encouraged to Apply for the Australian Endeavour Awards JFCC in Thailand 20 Your Questions Answered

26 COMMUNITY SERVICES 26 Baan Haad Ngiew School Visit on 24 April 2009 chamber Events 28 2009 Thailand Economic Outlook 29 Joint Luncheon: Sustainable Buildings, Sustainable Workplaces 29 Business Short 28 April 2009 29 AFG Meeting 24 April 2009 30 Bangkok Sundowners at Grand Millennium Sukhumvit New Members 32 New Members and Changes

John Anderson Meinhardt Portfolio: Strategic Reviews; AFL TREASURER Nigel McKinnon Boral Thailand Portfolio: Treasury DIRECTORS David Armstrong Post Publishing Portfolio: Marketing and PR; SME Services Achara Boonyahansa Grant Thornton Portfolio: Alumni

TRANS-ASIAN RAILWAY 14 Bridging the Gaps in Asia’s Rail Network: Australia’s Toll Group to Put Cambodia and Thailand on Track EMBASSY NEWS 18 Australia’s New Strategy to Tackle HIV in Asia and the Pacific

VICE-PRESIDENTS Sutipong Ittipong Siam City Bank Portfolio: Community Services

From the Chamber Office 34 Message from the ED

Cover Photo: At the Melbourne Thai Cultural festival, the Thai kick boxing tournament proved to be a real crowd pleaser...

Amanda Canavan Energi Design Asia Portfolio: Business Awards; Australia Day Anne Lewinski AL Consultancy Portfolio: Sundowners Bangkok Chatrutai Masue Raimon Land Portfolio: Regional Sundowners; Alumni Belinda Skinner The Capstone Group Recruitment and Consulting Portfolio: Communications Ben Yong Baker & McKenzie Portfolio: Governance; JFCCT and Policies Saeed Zaki dwp Portfolio: Industry Groups; Regional Sundowners Ex Officio Maurine Lam Trade Commissioner, Austrade

From the Board

And the hits keep coming… COORDINATORS Paul Whyte Tinfish (Thailand) ESB Coordinator Email: esb@austchamthailand.com Paul Wilkinson AGS Four Winds International Moving ESB Coordinator Email: esb@austchamthailand.com Steve Brajak Raimon Land Phuket Coordinator Email: phuket@austchamthailand.com Harry Usher Lady Pie Phuket Coordinator Email: phuket@austchamthailand.com Executive Director Brett Gannaway Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce 20th Floor, Thai CC Tower 889 South Sathorn Road Bangkok 10120 Tel.: +66 2 210 0216 Fax: +66 2 675 6696 execdirector@austchamthailand.com www.austchamthailand.com

ast month we had the coloured shirts rampaging here, there and everywhere, the financial crisis appears far from over with forecasts of negative growth, and now we are potentially facing an Influenza Pandemic. Does it never end? There are some positives of course in all of this. One of these is that the Joint Foreign Chambers (and AustCham by extension) have been invited to table issues at an upcoming meeting with the National AntiCorruption Commission. This is a positive for Thailand, and also for AustCham and our members – we have the chance to have our voices heard. The JFCCT now has a series of standing committees (ICT, Property, Customs, Taxation and Labour) and has invited AustCham to provide representatives to any or all of the committees. We now have the AustCham SME sub-committee up and running to provide input to these and other areas – so contact the office or a director if you would like to be involved in any of the activities. Other positives include some advice provided to us at our recent breakfasts and lunches including opportunities that expat Aussies have. Please check the latest budget news for those who still have investments or income in Australia – there may be more reasons than ever to make the commitment to Thailand.

Editorial Committee Andrew Durieux, Belinda Skinner, Robert Taylor, Gary Woollacott, Gregers Moller Marketing & Production Scand-Media Corp. Ltd 4/41-42 Moo 3, Thanyakarn Village Ramintra Soi 14, Bangkok Tel.: +66 2 943-7166/8 Fax: +66 2 943-7169 scandmedia@scandmedia.com

Those of you who know me personally will know that I am by nature a positive person, but I also look to the risks and try to prepare as best I can….

infections in more than 40 countries. This is not yet as serious as 1918, or even the less lethal 1956 and 1982 influenza outbreaks but I can report that I have met personally with the WHO and Red Cross people and they are certainly worried, and preparing for worse to come in the Northern Hemisphere Winter. You can be confident that our Information Bite breakfasts and lunches, our ever popular Sundowners, other upcoming major events and various other activities will continue on through all these problems and still provide many opportunities for our members to network, obtain necessary information and find new opportunities for growing our businesses. We welcome your feedback and ideas on how we can help at any time.

If, by the time you are reading this article, the WHO has upped the Pandemic Alert of the H1N1 Influenza Virus to Phase 6 (the highest) then rest assured that AustCham already has in place a system to address this, and we would encourage all of our members to consider taking some steps in this direction. At the time of writing there are already over 10,000 cases, almost 100 dead and

Andrew Durieux President, AustCham Thailand www.austchamthailand.com

Advertising Finn Balslev Email: finn@scandmedia.com Opinions expressed in Advance do not necessarily reflect the views of the Chamber.

June 2009

Business Brief

The following article is an excerpt from the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group’s ‘Economic Outlook (June Quarter 2009)’. The full article (plus past and future reports from ANZ) can be found on the AustCham Thailand website (www.austchamthailand.com) under ‘Reports and Updates’.

Emerging Asia: Nearing the Bottom? By Paul Gruenwald and Tamara Henderson Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited

he pace of activity is still declining across much of emerging Asia. The Newly Industrialised Economies (NIEs) continue to be hit the hardest by the crisis. Meanwhile, growth in parts of the ASEAN group, while below trend, looks somewhat more robust. China and India enjoy the highest growth rates in the region, although growth is well below precrisis levels. Our Asian split call therefore remains valid. Moreover, this pattern looks set to continue throughout 2009, or as long as the weakness in advanced country demand persists. China is a key exception to current regional trends, as we note below. No consumption, no growth Excepting China, data in the first quarter of 2009 have showed little or no improvement from the fourth quarter of 2008. Exports and imports continue to contract at double digit rates and manufacturing activity is in sharp decline. More generally, activity seems to still be losing momentum. The only expenditure component showing resilience in some economies is consumption. Indeed, “no consumption, no growth” would seem to be a fair characterisation of the region at the current juncture.

sumption is holding up better in some economies but not others. Consumption growth does appear to be negatively correlated with the openness of the economy and the level of per capita income, but that remains a conjecture. Given the “one pillar’” nature of growth in these economies, the sustainability of short-term momentum remains a risk in our view. China is stabilising, but not yet recovering The emerging Asian economy showing the clearest signs of stabilisation is China. Following the announcement of the authorities’ stimulus plan in November 2008, a number of key indicators have turned around in recent months.

“no consumption, no growth” would seem to be a fair characterisation of the region at the current juncture. First, government and private sector purchasing managers’ indices (PMIs) currently show that business conditions in China across a number of metrics are close to neutral. (Export orders are a notable exception.)

China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam would all appear to have a degree of consumption momentum in early 2009 and these are the best performing economies in the region.

It is important to underscore that while PMIs have increased from their late 2008 lows, they are still at or below the 50 level. Thus, the recent improvement in PMIs should be interpreted as showing that business conditions are no longer deteriorating, but not yet improving.

Given the sharp deterioration in trade performance and manufacturing noted above, it is not entirely clear why con-

An array of additional indicators also suggests that the Chinese stimulus plan is gaining traction. Bank lending has picked

June 2009

up sharply, reflecting loans for working capital as well as medium to longer term loans to state owned enterprises (SOEs). Also, government fixed asset investment has picked up, electricity and steel production have turned around and the importation of base metals is beginning to rise. In order to reach its 8% growth target, China will need to increase growth from about zero in the fourth quarter of 2008 to 2% per quarter. This challenge will, ironically, be aided by the quasicommand structure of the economy (large state owned banks and enterprises). We expect GDP growth rate to reach the 8% level (YoY) during the second half of the year, but retain our call for 2009 year-average growth to be in the 6½ to 7% range. Policy: Fiscal centre stage Policymakers in emerging Asia have responded aggressively and, for the most part, appropriately to the crisis so far. Going forward, we expect a further easing of policy stances, with more reliance on fiscal policy. Monetary policy was the first line of defence for many policymakers in the region. Policy rates were lowered, often aggressively as in Korea and Taiwan, to help ease financial conditions and alleviate pressure on bank balance sheets. However, as we have seen elsewhere, monetary policy may not be the best tool to address a widespread lack of aggregate demand. Fiscal stimulus plans in the region appear to be well structured. The focus is appropriately on generating new expenditure either through infrastructure spending or targeted tax and transfer plans. Most governments in the region (India being the main exception) have adequate fiscal space in which to manoeuvre. The key will be to implement the plans in a timely

AustChamThailand Advance

Business Brief

manner and for those economies that need the largest fiscal boost to actually spend (e.g. Korea). Well positioned for a recovery Emerging Asia cannot resume trend growth absent a recovery in foreign demand. As this crisis has taught us, the region to varying degrees remains dependent on exports and the associated manufacturing activity for growth. Independent domestic demand has been shown to be more modest than anticipated and the related notion of “decoupling” in our view was a bit oversold. Overall, the region is well positioned for a recovery. The productive capacity for servicing external demand remains intact, corporate balance sheets appear to be in good shape and bank balance sheets (excepting Korea) look relatively strong given what has happened elsewhere in the global economy. Loan-to-deposit ratios are well below unity, emerging Asia largely avoided toxic assets (and holds less than 2% of the global total) and nonperforming loans remain quite modest, although these would be expected to rise reflecting the sharp growth slowdown. Nonetheless, the supply of funds from banks should not be an impediment to growth once the demand for credit recovers. Currencies and rates Risk appetite is in the driver’s seat for currencies and rates in emerging Asia excluding Japan (AXJ), with individual country fundamentals providing limited diversion. Risk appetite recovered in March, sparking an 8.5% rally in the S&P500 (18% from the March low), and a 2.8% rally in AXJ currencies versus the US dollar. However, risk appetite can be quite fickle — begging the question, where do we go from here? Range trading seems a likely scenario for emerging Asia in Q2. On the one hand, sporadic cracks in the “ice” are appearing both in the financial sector and in the data for the real economy. As fiscal stimulus programs gain more traction, there will be more signs of stabilisation, if not outright improvement. This will buoy the optimists, capping fears to the downside. On the other hand, global economic activity remains quite “frozen”, many challeng-

June 2009

ing hurdles remain in terms of getting the private sector back to “normal,” and further fallout is likely. This will buoy the pessimists, capping hopes to the upside. Altogether, such mixed signals should trap markets in a range—albeit a wide range given the high degree of uncertainty that persists. The outlook for range-bound trading in equity markets in Q2 suggests that USDAXJ will re-test recent cyclical highs. As the more liquid vehicle for expressing general fear (and most recently, hope) in emerging Asia, the Korean won (KRW) should continue to lead the way in terms of volatility. Ultimately, we expect the Korean won to outperform AXJ in 2009, although the ride lower in USD-KRW will be bumpy. At the other extreme in terms of volatility, the Chinese renminbi (CNY) has been rock steady since the middle of 2008. Meanwhile, speculation surrounding a possible devaluation has evaporated amid signs that China’s economy may have bottomed, along with a revealed preference (in terms of actions, not just words) on the part of authorities to keep USD-CNY stable — as our calculations suggest that the authorities were having to sell USD to

maintain stability. We maintain the view that USD-CNY will remain in a holding pattern until Chinese authorities are confident that sufficient growth momentum has been restored (although this is unlikely to materialise in 2009). Range bound activity in equity markets would suggest similar conditions in emerging Asian rates markets, many of which are significantly affected by risk appetite. Asian rates already face cross winds from the likelihood of further central bank rate cuts in emerging Asia combined with concerns about digesting extra supply from fiscal stimulus programs. However, such conditions are mutually supportive of curve steepening. Quantitative easing has flattened the US and UK Treasury curves, but unlike the Federal Reserve and the Bank of England, most emerging Asian central banks have plenty of remaining ammunition to cut interest rates further, if necessary. Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited 14th Floor 100 Queen Street, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia Telephone: +61 3 9273 6224 Fax: +61 3 9273 5711

AustChamThailand Advance

Business Brief

Australian 2009 Budget Highlights for Australian Expats

ustralian expats should note that from 1 July 2009, those who remain a tax resident of Australia will no longer be exempt from tax in Australia on their foreign employment income, and tax allowable concessional superannuation contributions will be halved. Foreign employment income Currently, there is an exemption from tax in Australia on foreign employment income that is earned whilst overseas by an Australian tax resident, provided that the foreign employment period is over 90 consecutive days and the employee is subject to tax in the foreign country. From 1 July 2009, this tax exemption will be removed and will only be available for income earned by: • An aid or charitable worker employed by a non-government organisation; or • A government aid worker; or

• A government employee (e.g. defence or police force personnel deployed overseas). Australian expats who remain Australian tax residents and earn overseas employment income will be taxed on the foreign employment income in Australia at the person’s marginal rate of tax and entitled to a foreign income tax offset for the foreign tax paid. Employee share options The current taxation treatment of shares and options under an employee share scheme will change from Budget night 2009. Currently, if an employee is granted shares or options under a qualifying share scheme, the employee may elect to defer the taxing point until the cessation time (such as when the employee disposes of the shares). If the employee is granted options or shares under a non-

Member Get Member AustCham Thailand has introduced a scheme for members to introduce new members. If a new member is recruited, the existing member will receive one lunch ticket, two Bangkok Sundowners tickets, two ESB Sundowners tickets and two Phuket Sundowners tickets which, at non-member prices, have a value of around Baht 6,000. So now you can help friends and colleagues reap the benefits of joining AustCham Thailand and be recognised for your help in expanding the AustCham community! The tickets will be given to the introducing member – evidenced by that member being recorded in the new membership application as the first named referee. Each existing member may receive these reward tickets for up to three new members in any one membership year.

AustChamThailand

June 2009

qualifying share scheme, the employee is taxed in the year of grant. From 7.30 pm on 12 May 2009, all employee options and shares under an employee share scheme will be taxed in the year of grant. The current $1,000 tax exemption will be limited to employees with adjusted taxable incomes (that is, taxable incomes after adjustments for fringe benefits, salary sacrifice and negative gearing losses) of less than $60,000. Superannuation From 1 July 2009, the government will reduce the tax allowable superannuation concessional contributions cap to $25,000 per year (reduced from $50,000) and the transitional concessional contributions cap for the over 50 year olds will be $50,000 per year (reduced from $100,000). The transitional arrangements will cease from 1 July 2012 and for the over 50 year olds, a cap of $25,000 per year will apply (or the indexed equivalent). The non-concessional contribution cap will remain at $150,000 per year for the year beginning 1 July 2009, and will not be indexed until after 30 June 2010 when the cap will be linked to six times the indexed value of $25,000. The information herein was contributed by Craig Cooper, Head of Tax, RSM Bird Cameron. www.rsmi.com.au RSM Thailand and RSM Bird Cameron are members of RSM International, the 7th largest worldwide affiliation of accounting, audit and tax consulting firms, operating in more than 70 countries, and bringing together the talents of more than 30,000 professionals in more than 700 offices. www.rsmi.com

AustChamThailand Advance

Note: ______

Business Brief

Australian Taxation Advice By Steve Douglas End of financial year checklist and tax tips for each type of expat New Expatriates Depending on what time of year you left Australia you could be due a substantial refund on the tax paid on your Australia-based salary. Make sure you have received your Statement of Earnings so you can get your refund back early. Ensure you claim all the expenses incurred for your employment prior to departure, you will not be able to claim them afterwards. Assess whether you are resident or nonresident, and consider the Capital Gains implications on your share portfolio if applicable, and affect on your overseas earnings. If you had a home which has now been rented out, ensure you claim all interest, maintenance, rates, and costs for the period of rental. Remember you can claim annual costs, like insurance, that were paid prior to renting the property on a pro rata basis.

Make sure you have a property depreciation schedule if the property was built or substantially improved since 1985. Continuing Expatriates Undertake all required maintenance on the property prior to 30 June if you are concerned that there may be a surplus rent against other expenses. If a property has been sold, assess the potential capital gains tax before the year end as you can use expenses on another property to offset and reduce the tax payable, this may include prepaying some interest on the other properties kept. You can also make a tax deductible contribution to superannuation in or to reduce or extinguish the tax if appropriate. If you acquired a property during the year, confirm any depreciation entitlement, loan set up costs and other incidental expenses. Have your receipts ready for reference, including travel costs which you are entitled to claim. Returning Expatriates Value all non-Australian property assets at the date of return by a suitably quali-

fied valuer or other appropriate source. This will ensure you do not pay tax in Australia on any profits achieved whilst you have been overseas. Only include income from investments from the date of return onwards, not during the period you lived abroad. Ensure you properly claim any built up tax credits from property investment while you have been overseas to reduce the tax payable on your Australian salary. Steve Douglas is the co-founder and Managing Director of Australasian Taxation Services (ATS), established in Singapore in 1995. ATS provides specialist taxation services to people of any nationality investing in Australian property, as well as Australian expatriates living overseas. Areas of specialisation include the Australian taxation aspects of property investment, as well as expatriate and migration planning. Australasian Taxation Services Pty Ltd 300 Beach Road, #14-07 The Concourse (S) 199555 Tel: 6293 3858 Fax: 6293 4332 Email: tax@smats.net Web: www.smats.net

AustCham Thailand Business Awards 2009 Open to Australian and Thai companies and to other companies that can demonstrate a contribution to the Thai and/or Australian economies. Nomination forms and guidelines for nominees can be downloaded at: www.austchamthailand.com Nominations due by 3 July 2009. If you have any questions please contact: Brett Gannaway, Executive Director, Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce at: tel 02 210 0216 or email execdirector@austchamthailand.com

Take the first step and apply or nominate now.

June 2009

AustChamThailand Advance

Trans-Asian Railway

Bridging the Gaps in Asia’s Rail Network: Australia’s Toll Group to Put Cambodia and Thailand on Track By Christopher Bruton

he dream of a Trans-Asian Railway linking ASEAN countries with Europe will come a step closer soon, with the signing of an agreement bringing together the Government of Cambodia, the Asian Development Bank and a new consortium linking Toll Holdings of Australia with the Royal Group of Cambodia. This agreement would be the final stage in a long series of negotiations, whereby the Cambodia Government would issue a 30 year concession to a Toll-Royal Joint Venture to develop and operate a rehabilitated Royal Cambodian Railway network. This state-of-the-art new transport and logistics facility, replacing the ageing 80

year-old Cambodian Railway will provide a vital new linkage to enable freight and people to move safely, conveniently and cost-effectively between the main population centres of Cambodia. But the plan is, even more ambitiously, to link Cambodia with the Thailand railway system on the west, and the Vietnamese railway system on the east, by the construction of new rail tracks. This could enable both freight and passenger traffic to pass between the three countries, facilitating freight movements between Thailand’s Laem Chabang, Vietnam’s Port of Saigon, and the Cambodian hinterland. More significantly yet, these border link-

ages between Cambodia with Thailand and Vietnam will bring Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore into the Trans-Asian Railway System, affording direct rail linkage with China, Central Asia, and all the way through to Europe. Railway Dreamtime The Trans-Asian Railway was conceived, alongside the Trans-Asian Highway, in the 1960’s by Asia’s very own dream-works, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). The concept was, nearly a half-century ago, to provide a continuous freight rail container service throughout Eurasia,

Waiting for the good times: Phnom Penh Central Railway Station.

June 2009

AustChamThailand Advance

Marshalling yards at Phnom Penh.

all 114,000 kilometres of it, offering an alternative land route from Singapore via Russia or Turkey to the shores of the Mediterranean and the North Sea. In the early days, the dream seemed impossible, because of political barriers between many countries. Most of these political barriers have now eased, although the imperfections in customs union creation, and in-bond transport across multiple countries, have hindered progress. Moreover there are also problems of rail gauges, since obstinate rail builders never thought of adopting a single, worldwide rail-track width. So we have a metre gauge, but also a broad gauge (1,676 mm), a standard gauge (1,435 mm) and a jumbo-size gauge beloved by Russia and Finland (1,520 mm). Some countries, notably India, use more than one gauge and Thailand has threatened to modify some of its own track from metre gauge to standard gauge, to add to, rather than reduce, the complications. However, containers can be moved from one flat-bed rail wagon to another, of different axle gauge, while some wagons can also change their axle width to adjust to changing track dimensions.

AustChamThailand Advance

Once developed and integrated, the Trans-Asian Railway would offer two alternative routes: a Northern route, and a Southern route. The Northern route would wind its way from Europe across Russia and China, thereby accessing Vietnam. The Southern route would travel through Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India to Bangla-

... this rail route will certainly offer interesting prospects for freight movements between ASEAN and China ... desh. Eventually, if linkages were effected into and out of Myanmar, this route could access ASEAN countries via Thailand. For Trans-Asian Railway linkages with Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, there are three possibilities: the Myanmar border crossings with Thailand and Bangladesh (unlikely any time soon), a linkage across

Laos to Yunnan and the China railway system (somewhat tortuous) or the linkages across Cambodia to Vietnam and on to China. It is this latter linkage which is now gradually coming into reality. The probabilities of moving large quantities of goods overland between ASEAN and Europe, in preference to sea freight, seem somewhat remote. But this rail route will certainly offer interesting prospects for freight movements between ASEAN and China, especially for the vast and developing Chinese hinterland. For freight movements between Thailand and Vietnam, the trans-Cambodia rail route will become the obvious logistic solution. The Trans-Asian Railway opportunity has itself just taken a great leap forward. The Intergovernmental Agreement on the TransAsian Railway Network comes into force on 11 June 2009, with China becoming the eighth member to ratify the Agreement. The other countries are Cambodia, India, Mongolia, South Korea, Russia, Tajikistan and Thailand. Altogether 22 countries have signed the basic agreement and are expected soon to proceed to ratification. The presently conceived Trans-Asian Railway Network covers 114,000 kilometres of existing track linking 28 countries.

June 2009

Trans-Asian Railway

Cambodia: the Missing Link With all these very important developments taking place on the international front, it is essential for Cambodia to get on with the job of modernising its own rail system. This is vital, not just for Cambodia, but for its neighbours Thailand and Vietnam as well. Large and increasing amounts of freight are moving between the three countries, including heavy cargoes of cement and oil, and lighter but more valuable cargoes of consumer and durable goods. Much of this traffic currently travels by road transport, and some of it has a tendency to go missing in transit. The remainder goes by sea, often with transshipment via Singapore. More significantly, much of the consumer goods traffic into Cambodia from both Thailand and Vietnam, is actually unaccounted for. Put simply: it is smuggled. With AFTA tariffs being steadily eliminated, there are hopes of a comprehensive ASEAN customs union becoming effective during the next decade. However, a well-managed rail and logistics system will become increasingly valuable. Goods will reach their destinations, undamaged, fully-documented and generally in good order, as well as being much more competitively priced, thanks to the lower costs of an efficient rail system. People too, can move by rail and, as in Europe, may choose to do so, if rail is efficient, safe, rapid and cost-effective. With increasingly efficient budget airlines already operating between ASEAN countries and in particular between Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, it is unlikely that passenger traffic will become a major feature of the new rail links. However road transport already offers a highly competitively-priced service between Thailand and western Cambodia and between Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City. This suggests that passenger rail services have the potential of also becoming important for regional tourism movements. Of the two linkages, the Thailand-Cambodia tie-up will be the most immediately realised. This used to exist, even with a Bangkok to Phnom Penh passenger train service, until political differences and domestic Cambodia security concerns closed down the entire Cambodian network at the end of the 1960s. The Khmer Rouge, for whom linkages were anathema, and isolation was the ideal, carefully and thoroughly removed 48 kilometres of

June 2009

Locals providing refreshments at Moueng Russey station on the 10km per hour 272km trip from Phnom Penh to Battamnbang.

track from the Thailand border to Sisophon. This step backwards in history left an empty pathway, devoid of sleepers and rails. This rail linkage is to be replaced by new track, as a top priority, part of the upcoming renovation process. The other linkage, a completely new route from Phnom Penh to the Vietnamese railhead at Loc Ninh, will be a more challenging task, not yet part of the new renovation project. To make this part of the system a reality, the China Railway Group recently signed an agreement to conduct a full feasibility study for construction of

With AFTA tariffs being steadily eliminated, there are hopes of a comprehensive ASEAN customs union becoming effective during the next decade. the 255 kilometre stretch of missing line between the existing railhead at Phnom Penh and the Vietnamese border, a short distance from the Vietnamese railhead at Loc Ninh. The US$2.5 million study is to be fully funded with Chinese government grant aid. Construction of the line, which will also necessitate a bridge over

the Mekong River, may also be funded by the Chinese government. China is a large donor to Cambodia, with a strong strategic interest in funding and developing infrastructure linkages. The feasibility study alone is reported to require up to two years, with several years of construction beyond that. However the important thing is that the project is under way. The Royal Cambodian Railway does not have a long history, but it certainly has a chequered one. The story began with the construction of the 385 kilometre Northern Line, from Phnom Penh to Poipet on the Thailand border, starting in 1929. The line reached Battambang in 1932 and finally Poipet in 1942, just in time to be halted by the Second World War. The Southern Line, from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville, 254 kilometres in length, commenced construction in 1960 and was completed in 1969. This time it was the Lon Nol coup dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;etat against Head of State Prince Sihanouk in 1970 that brought the railway to a grinding halt. The ensuing civil war made train travel too dangerous. Then came the Khmer Rouge, in 1975, who were keener on pulling tracks up, than laying them down. This left the Royal Cambodian Railway in a sorry state at the time of the post Khmer Rouge Heng Samrin government, from 1979 until formation of the Supreme National Council in 1990, giving way to the United Nations Transitional Authority for Cambodia

AustChamThailand Advance

Trans-Asian Railway

(UNTAC). After the restoration of democracy by the elections of 1993, there have been various sporadic attempts to patch up the tracks, and to keep the locomotives, freight and passenger cars on the rails. But at the present time, the entire system is virtually a scrap heap. Enter ADB The Asian Development Bank has a major commitment to infrastructure finance and a particular concentration on the development of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), of which Cambodia forms the heart and, historically, even the soul. The survival and revival of the Royal Cambodian Railway has therefore become a project of particular concern for the Asian Development Bank mandate in the region, especially because of the potential international rail linkages with the rest of the GMS. In furtherance of this commitment, the Asian Development Bank will conclude an agreement with the Cambodian Government to provide finance for work on 652 kilometres of the Northern and Southern lines, along with reconstruction of 48 kilometres to connect to the Thailand railway system. The European construction

group TSO is to be selected to undertake the rehabilitation engineering work, with a ground-breaking inauguration on 18 February 2008. The operating concession for the renovated and reconstructed railway is under negotiation to be awarded to Toll Group of Australia, in joint venture with the Royal Group of Cambodia. The concession is to award a 30-year exclusive right to operate, maintain and develop the railway, with sole responsibility to determine tariff, rules and conditions. The concessionaire will also be required to provide passenger services under agreed conditions, and to employ more than 600 existing employees. The entire project, including workshops and additional facilities, will require financing of some US$148 million, planned to be provided mainly by Asian Development Bank, plus US$3 million from Malaysia, US$13 million from OPEC and a substantial funding from Cambodia itself. The Australian government has been particularly supportive of this substantially Australian project, with enthusiastic backing from Trade Minister Simon Crean and Ambassadors Margaret Adamson in Phnom Penh and Paul Grigson in Bangkok.

Another Great Leap Forward for Australia’s Toll Group Achieving realisation of the Cambodia Railway project will be another significant advance for Australia’s Toll Group, which has committed to becoming a major transport and logistics leader for the Asian region. Already a major player in China, with a range of activities elsewhere in Asia, the takeover of the entire rail system of Cambodia will represent a significant step forward for Toll, which could offer a precedent for continued Asian expansion, especially once the system integrates into the Trans Asia network. Although a small country, with dramatic growth in recent years, but now held back by the present world economic downturn, Cambodia has exceptional medium-term growth potential. Entering the transport and logistics sector of Cambodia at this stage, will enable Toll to complete the groundwork in good time for a post 2011 economic recovery. Seeing opportunities where others see challenges appears as Toll’s corporate characteristic – and never more so than in Cambodia. Christopher Bruton, Dataconsult Ltd, may be reached at Tel 02-233-5606 or Email: chris@dataconsult.co.th

Near Takeo station, awaiting a derailment repair.

AustChamThailand Advance

June 2009

Embassy News

Australia’s New Strategy to Tackle HIV in Asia and the Pacific • review and improve laws and policies to ensure people know their HIV status, receive treatment, and can access condoms and clean needles.” Australia’s major HIV commitments in Asia include support for: • Indonesia’s HIV Cooperation Program to combat HIV focusing on capacity building, prevention and care. • HIV/AIDS Asia Regional Program, which supports the delivery of harm reduction services in the Greater Mekong Sub-region. • HIV Prevention among Drug Users in South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Countries (SAARC) Countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. • Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative programs in China, Vietnam, Indonesia. The launch in Asia of the Strategy by Bob McMullan follows the global release of the Strategy by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Stephen Smith, on 7 April 2009. The new strategy is available at www.ausaid.gov.au.

ustralia’s new strategy to tackle HIV in the Asia Pacific region was recently launched in Bangkok by Bob McMullan, Australia’s Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance. “HIV remains a serious threat to the health of our region. Five million people in the Asia-Pacific region live with HIV” said McMullan. In Asia, HIV is the single largest cause of death from disease among people between the ages of 15 to 44 years. “Australia will provide an additional $640,000 to the International HIV/AIDS Alliance to help build the capacity of civil society organisations working in the regional response to the epidemic.” Countries like Thailand and Cambodia have demonstrated that prevention works. Australia’s new Strategy – Intensifying the response: Halting the spread of HIV – maintains a strong focus on prevention. “The Strategy sets priorities to guide Australia’s assistance to tackle the epidemic in the Asia-Pacific region” Bob McMullan said. “We will help our regional neighbours to: • increase and better target HIV prevention activities, particularly in high-risk groups; • integrate HIV services into primary healthcare facilities; • improve their capacity to fund and deliver services; and

June 2009

Bob McMullan, Australia’s Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance.

AustChamThailand Advance

AEI Updates

Thais Encouraged to Apply for the Australian Endeavour Awards

he Australian Government is pleased to announce that the 2009 application round for Australian education scholarships – the Endeavour Awards have now opened for Thais. The Endeavour Awards is an initiative of the Australian Government to promote sustainable development and excellence in education in the Asia-Pacific region. The Awards demonstrates the high value which the Australian Government places on building lasting relationships with countries in the region, including Thailand. The Endeavour Awards is an internationally competitive, merit-based program available to Thai citizens.

• Postgraduate study (postgraduate and postdoctoral) • Research fellowships (short-term research) • Executive programs (professional development) • Vocational education and training (occupational or work-related knowledge and skills development).

The closing date for applications is 31 July 2009. For more information on how to apply, value of the various Awards, eligibility criteria, and application forms, please visit the Endeavour Awards website at: www. endeavour.deewr.gov.au

Australian Education International (AEI), Australian Embassy Bangkok strongly supports the Australian Government Endeavour Awards program and encourages researchers, academics, students, administrators and managers to consider the Endeavour Awards as a way to improve academic qualifications, facilitate collaboration between Australia and Thailand, and to undertake professional development. Awards are available for:

Sundowners Across Asia When travelling regionally, keep in mind these other AustCham networking events: Bangkok

First Wednesday

Hanoi

First Thursday

Ho Chi Minh

First Thursday

Hong Kong

Third Thursday

Jakarta

Third Wednesday

Kuala Lumpur

Last Thursday

Manila

Second Tuesday

Phnom Penh

Third Wednesday

Shanghai

Every Friday

Singapore

Third Friday

Vientiane

First Thursday

AustChamThailand Advance

June 2009

Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce in Thailand

Your Questions Answered Have you ever wondered what the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce Thailand does? AustCham members may have heard about the JFCCT from time to time in the newspapers and so on. Below is a brief explanation on what it is and how members can enjoy the benefits of being involved.

What is the JFCCT? The Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce in Thailand (JFCCT) is the umbrella body for the various foreign chambers of commerce or business associations operating in Thailand. The JFCCT has 30 chambers and business associations representing some 9,000

companies. Mr. Nandor von der Luehe was elected as the Chairman in 2008. What is the JFCCT’s role? The JFCCT’s mission is to promote trade and foreign investment, encourage skills development and transfer with the overall

aim of contributing to the Thai economy. The JFCCT works with the Royal Thai Government and various government agencies, such as the Board of Investment, for the benefit of the Thai economy. The JFCCT also works in alliance with private sector representatives, such as the Board of Trade/Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Thai Industries to ensure that the voices of the private sector are heard. What are the JFCCT’s achievements? In recent years, the JFCCT has stood firmly for its members against the proposed amendments to Thailand’s foreign investment laws that would have severely jeopardised existing and future investment in Thailand, by actively making submissions to the government and the parliament. Even after the proposed amendments were abandoned, the JFCCT has continued to advocate for liberalisation by meeting with the Ministry of Commerce and Fiscal Policy Research Office. Starting in 2008, the JFCCT has engaged in regular consultative meetings with the Ministry of Industry and the BOI, which have resulted in increased services for investors, such as the BOI’s One Start One Stop Centre. The JFCCT has been involved with significant investment seminars and has hosted luncheons with Prime Ministers, the most recent one in February 2009 with H.E. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. AustCham has regularly supported and contributed to the JFCCT’s activities, whether by way of preparing submission papers, attending the JFCCT’s monthly meetings and committee meetings, or covering the cost of hosting the JFCCT’s website. How can I contribute? The JFCCT contains a number of committees, which are designed to work on issues of common interest to chamber members, with the view to advocating

June 2009

AustChamThailand Advance

Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce in Thailand

of interest to other members. What benefits can I get? By contributing to a committee, you can obtain exposure of yourself and your company to the wider business community. You can also meet people in the same industry or who face similar issues as yours. You can also get a direct line of communication with minister and highranking officials within the relevant government department or agency, which you might not otherwise get by working alone.

H.E. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva; JFCCT Chairman Nandor von der Luehe.

improvements in the business environment for members. Those committees currently are: ICT, Employment, Customs, Tax and Property.

AustChamThailand Advance

New committees may be formed as the need arises. The JFCCT is always open to members who are willing to contribute knowledge and resources on issues

To find out more? More information on the JFCCT can be found at its website http://www.jfcct.org. The JFCCT can also be contacted via Khun Noppamas, Secretary (secretary@jfcct. org). If you are willing to get involved on behalf of AustCham, you can contact either Andrew Durieux, President (adurieux@coverage.co.th) or Benedict Yong, Director (ben.yong@bakernet.com). Benedict Yong, Consultant, Baker & McKenzie, and AustCham Director.

June 2009

ATBC President’s Column

Normality Returns? PATRON His Excellency Mr Bandhit Sotipalalit Ambassador, Royal Thai Embassy, Canberra

he events in Thailand over the past few weeks certainly caught the eye of the Australian media and caused some short-term angst amongst tourists and business people. Street clashes, troops, protests and the postponement of the ASEAN summit was not the best way to start Thai new year.

ATBC – Australian Section NATIONAL PRESIDENT Robert Taylor AusThai Connections president@aust-thai.org.au IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT John Connor Karjura Pty Ltd

However an interesting outcome has been a heightened awareness of Thailand as a destination! Just as the number of Australians visiting Thailand continued to increase over the past four years despite Australian Government travel advisories, we have seen in recent weeks an emerging growth of interest in Thailand as a business destination. And now that the Thai Government is putting the plans in place for the re-scheduled ASEAN summit, we have also seen the first visits of Thai Government Ministers to Australia for some considerable time. Another sign of normality returning is the re-opening of the Board of Investment office in Sydney. The Australia Thailand Business Council as supporting partner, facilitated a Melbourne BOI seminar on 28 April where the Thai ViceMinister for Industry, Khun Sorayut Phettakul, outlined the $61.8 billion economic stimulus package whereby the Thai Government offers exemptions and tax breaks on investment in infrastructure and the introduction of new technology. At the ATBC-supported seminar in Sydney on 1 May 2009, the Thai Minister of Industry Khun Chanchai Chairungruang also met with members. We know how much our members appreciate meeting with senior representatives of the Thai Government. On 8 May 2009, I was invited to a luncheon in Perth in honour of Thailand’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Khun Kasit Piromya, hosted by Stephen Smith, Minister for Foreign Affairs. The luncheon followed the inaugural meeting of the Australia-Thailand Joint Ministerial Commission on Bilateral Cooperation.

FOUNDING PRESIDENT Charles Battersby Intelmar Australia Pty Limited VICE PRESIDENTS Chair of the New South Wales Chapter Tamerlaine Beasley Beasley Intercultural nsw@aust-thai.org.au Chair of the Queensland Chapter John Cockburn jkcockburn@hotmail.com

opportunities with Thailand through a better understanding of its culture is a really important foundation. We look forward to continuing to be of service to our members and I remind you that you can contact our Executive Director Colin Mackenzie through secretariat@austthai.org.au should you have any queries or require any assistance on your endeavours in Thailand. We experienced some difficulties with our website hosting over the past month or so but hopefully by the time you read this our website will be up and running again. We have plans in place over the next quarter to make the site more interactive and informative in order that it provides our members with key and timely information on Thailand. Please remember to bookmark: www.aust-thai.org.au Regards,

More details on these meetings will be provided in the July edition of Advance. In this month’s edition we provide an insight into the successful Sixth Annual Thai Culture and Food Festival held in Melbourne of which the ATBC is pleased to be a supporting partner. Reinforcing the business

June 2009

Chair of the Victorian Chapter Graham Sherry Baker & McKenzie vic@aust-thai.org.au NATIONAL TREASURER Douglas Blunt Centrelease Australia Pty Ltd EXECUTIVE MEMBERS Clare Florence Glen Robinson ASEAN Focus Group Pty Limited Gavin Thomas Kingsgate Consolidated Ltd Director - Thailand Liaison Graham Storah storah@loxinfo.co.th SECRETARIAT Colin Mackenzie Australia Thailand Business Council PO Box 6005 KINGSTON ACT 2604 Tel: +61 2 6273 2311 Fax:+61 2 6273 3196 colin.mackenzie@acci.asn.au www.aust-thai.org.au ATBC – Thai Section

Robert Taylor - National President – Australia Thailand Business Council: www.aust-thai.org.au

Chairperson Khun Barbara Buranasilpin

Est. 1957 Bangkok Patana School maintains the highest standards of the British curriculum, offering a fulfilling educational experience to children of all nationalities from Nursery age to 18+ Contact us for more information: 643 Lasalle Road (Sukumvit 105), Bangna, Bangkok 10260 Tel: 02 398 0200 Fax: 02 399 3179 Email: registrar@patana.ac.th

ATBC Section

Melbourne’s Sixth Annual Thai Culture and Food Festival

he Australia Thailand Business Council is pleased to be a supporter of this annual event in Melbourne’s multicultural and festival calendar. Through its association with the Festival, the ATBC is able to reinforce the importance of understanding culture when considering investment or trade with Thailand. The Festival attracted sponsorship from Singha, City of Melbourne, Thai Airways, Australia Thailand Institute, Victoria Multicultural Commission, Tangola, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Isuzu Ute, Thai Trade Centre and other local businesses. The Sixth Annual Thai Culture and Food Festival, held at Federation Square, on Sunday, 22 March 2009 was another

June 2009

resounding success with a reported crowd of 45,000 people. A traditional Buddhist Monks’ Ceremony kicked off the day of festivities drawing visitors to the main stage at 10.00am. Robert Taylor, National President of the Australia Thailand Business Council and co-founding member of the Thai Culture and Food Festival invited Lord Mayor Robert Doyle, the Thai Ambassador to Australia HE Bandhit Sotipalalit, Honorary Thai Consul General in Victoria Dr Simon Wallace and The Hon. Hong Lim representing Premier John Brumby to cut the ribbon declaring the Festival celebrations to begin. International dance group, Sbun-Nga

from Chiang Mai in Thailand, entertained visitors throughout the day with colourful and innovative performances based on traditional Thai dance. The ever popular Miss Songkran beauty contest did not fail to once again impress the gathered followers with the entrants parading in traditional Thai costumes and answering questions in the hope of being crowned the Festival’s ‘Miss Songkran’ 2009. Mingling through the crowd were the colourful ‘mascots’ – Pee Ta Khon – from Loei Province with their wonderful masks and costumes. Adding to the colour of the festivities was the drum parade welcoming visitors to the Festival. The Thai kick boxing tournament proved

AustChamThailand Advance

ATBC Section

to be a real crowd pleaser with people packing the main square to watch the tournament rounds during the afternoon, culminating in the trophy presentation at the end of the day. Product, information and travel stalls provided visitors with a colourful display of Thai products from silks to trinkets and cosmetics; Tourism Authority of Thailand and Thai Airways were on hand to give travellerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s advice. Thai massage proved extremely popular soothing the muscles from head to toe. The River Terrace was a sea of people sampling delicious Thai dishes from the many restaurant stalls; cooking demonstrations gave the food lovers an insight into the art of Thai cooking. The Singha Beer Garden was abuzz all day providing live entertainment from local artists of jazz/ blues to rock, with the finale of the Tiffany Show, the crowd was left wanting more. The Festival, once again provided a day to showcase Thailandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s culture, wonderful food and beautiful country to the wider community of Melbourne. The Thai Culture and Food Festival is proud to have been part of Cultural Diversity Week and help in bringing communities together in celebration of the many different and rich cultures in Victoria. More information on the Festival including photos can be found at: www.thaifestvic.com

AustChamThailand Advance

June 2009

Community Services

Wat Putakian Kindergarten Visit on 24 April 2009

rior to Anzac Day, AustCham staff, members and friends visited Wat Putakian Kindergarten, close to Hellfire Pass. The children enjoyed a show by Clown Eckie, followed by lunch and ice-cream provided by AustCham. AustCham would like to thank those attending for generously donating bicycles, whiteboards, tables and stationery. The children will certainly benefit from these useful items. AustCham would also like to thank the Sutlet Group for supporting Clown Eckieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance. The children enjoyed the performance immensely. Thanks Clown Eckie. Community Services Project AustCham is working to help children at

June 2009

Wat Putakian Kindergarten. AustCham Thailand is calling for donations to complete our Kindergarten Project. The desperately under-resourced kindergarten needs your help. At present the kindergarten is overcrowded and under-resourced, with kitchen and toilet facilities in very poor condition. We need pledges of cash or donations of goods such as roofing, electrical wiring and/or fittings, PVC piping/fittings for water or drainage, as well as assistance to provide a clean drinking water supply for the children. If you are able to assist or need further information on this worthy project please contact AustCham via email execdirector@austchamthailand.com or by phone 02 210 0216.

AustChamThailand Advance

Chamber Events

Gary Woollacott, Mark Phillip Devadason, Leigh Scott-Kemmis, Dr Bandid Nijathaworn, Khun Sutipong Ittipong, Angus Kent, Andrew Durieux.

2009 Thailand Economic Outlook

n Friday 3 April 2009, AustCham Thailand was delighted to invite members and guests to attend a Luncheon Briefing at the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok. The guest speaker was Dr Bandid Nijathaworn, Deputy Governor, Financial Institutions Stability, Bank of Thailand. The topic for Dr Bandid’s brief was “2009 Thailand Economic Outlook”. Before taking up the present position of Deputy Governor (Financial Institutions Stability) in November 2006, with responsibilities for financial policy and Bank supervision, Dr Bandid Nijathaworn was Deputy Governor for Monetary Stability and from January 2004 his responsibilities included monetary policy,

June 2009

financial markets operation, reserve management, economic research and the international side of the bank. Before that, he was Assistant Governor and head of Bank of Thailand’s Monetary Policy Group, the position he took up after his assignment as the Bank’s spokesperson when he headed the Bank’s Information and Public Relations Group as an Assistant Governor.

Dr Bandid holds a PhD in Economics from La Trobe University, Australia, where he was awarded a La Trobe University Research Sc holarship. He graduated with a Masters Degree in Economic Policy and Planning from the same university and earned a BA (Hons.) in Mathematical Economics from the University of Essex, England.

Dr Bandid joined the Bank of Thailand in 1992 as a deputy director of the Economic Research Department. Earlier in his career, he worked at the International Monetary Fund where he joined as an economist in the IMF’s Economist Program. Prior to that, he was an assistant professor of economics at Thammasat University, Bangkok.

AustChamThailand Advance

Chamber Events

Joint Luncheon: Sustainable Buildings, Sustainable Workplaces on 8 April 2009 On Wednesday, 8 April 2009 AustCham Thailand and the BCCT were pleased to invite members and guests to attend a joint luncheon meeting. The guest speaker was Suzette Jackson, Senior Associate with the Sustainable Futures Unit, HASSELL (Thailand) Company Limited. The topic for this luncheon was “Sustainable Buildings, Sustainable Workplaces - Our Future”. Suzette discussed initiatives for sustainable buildings, workplaces as well as client and community outcomes that can easily be implemented by anyone.

Business Short 28 April 2009 On 28 April 2009 the AustCham SME Sub-committee in conjunction with Servcorp was proud to host the inaugural Business Short evening at the Servcorp Boardroom, The Offices at Central World. Peter Walker from Grant Thornton gave an informative ‘Recession Guide’ talk. Bangkok Business Shorts provides an information evening and a local networking opportunity for like-minded business professionals within the luxury of a smaller environment. Held quarterly, guest speakers and professionals covering a range of business domains are invited to share their business knowledge, advice and helpful commercial information.

Breakfast Briefings at AustCham Held on Tuesdays, usually twice a month, from 7.30am till 9.00am at AustCham’s office in the Thai CC Building on South Sathorn Road. Our breakfast briefing programme is complimentary to members only and is designed for members to present succinctly for 30 to 40 minutes their company’s services or products (or a topic of interest) to other members of the Chamber in a convivial networking breakfast setting.

AFG Meeting 24 April 2009 On Friday, 24 April 2009 the Auto Focus Group (AFG) held a meeting followed by networking at Bangkok Hospital Pattaya. James Beeson of Kulthorn Metal Products gave a presentation on “Business Development in Tough Times” and Mike Usher of Thai German Institute (TGI) explained how TGI can help train staff. Both topics were particularly relevant to these tough economic times.

AustChamThailand Advance

Just visit the Events Calendar page on our website at: www.austchamthailand.com to find out about forthcoming breakfast briefings. Members wishing to make presentations (there is no charge) should contact: execdirector@austchamthailand.com

AustChamThailand June 2009

Chamber Events

Sundowners is AustCham Thailandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s monthly business networking function. It is a great opportunity for members and guests of the Chamber to meet, network and exchange views in a social environment.

Bangkok Sundowners at Grand Millennium Sukhumvit on 6 May 2009 On Wednesday, 6 May 2009, Bangkok Sundowners was held at Grand Millennium Sukhumvit. We thank Standard Chartered Bank (event sponsor) and Grand Millennium Sukhumvit (catering and venue sponsor) for their generous support.

1) Ben Yong - AustCham Director, Baker & McKenzie; David Armstrong - AustCham Director, Post Publishing; David Bell - Crestcom. 2) Peter Bouras - Meinhardt Facade Technology; Phillip Hannaford - HASSELL; Douglas Ozanne - Grand Millennium Sukhumvit. 3) Douglas Ozanne - Grand Millennium Sukhumvit; Alexander Schillinger Grand Millennium Sukhumvit; Andrew Durieux - AustCham President, Coverage; Mark Devadason - Standard Chartered; Belinda Skinner - AustCham Director, Talent Plus Recruitment. 4) Lee Guan Liu - Standard Chartered; Khun Pornchai Padmindra - Standard Chartered; Khun Narumon Rodsiravoraphat - Colliers International; Mark Devadason - Standard Chartered; Charly Madan. 5) Khun Areerat Krissanasmit - The Swatch Group Trading; Paul Patelis - Kimberly Clark; Khun Siriwan Krissanasmit -

June 2009

AustChamThailand Advance

Chamber Events

Standard Chartered; 6) John Pollard - Meinhardt; Craig Blackie - HASSELL; Peter Skinner - HASSELL. 7) Trent Whatley - Venezia Louise Taylor - Servcorp; Peter Taylor - Baker Tilly Thailand; David Lain. 8) David Paterson - PFJ; Donald Matheson - PFJ; Ross Paterson - PFJ; Warwick Baglin - Meinhardt. 9) Khun Ramida Khon Khong - Travel Tech; Khun Supeepun Pooripanyawanich - Qantas/British Airways; Khun Kanjana Jonjanawan - Qantas/British Airways; Khun Wanvisa Chantrasmi - Travel Tech. 10) Jay Cammack - IAG Insurance (Thailand); Gary Woollacott - Past AustCham President, Opus Recruitment; Marc Spiegel - Global Catalyst Consultant. 11) Eddie Haworth (Clown Eckie); Khun Anjarat Suthat Na Ayuthya - dtac; Khun Thitakorn Ussayaporn - dtac.

AustChamThailand Advance

June 2009

New Members and Members’ Changes

New Corporate Ordinary Members

The Australian Pub and BBQ 37 Sukhumvit Soi 11 Klongtoey Nua, Wattana Bangkok 10110 Tel: +66 (0) 2651 0800 Fax: +66 (0) 2253 1356 Email: info@theaustralianbangkok.com Principal: Mr. Max Goonan Alternate: Ms. Dhapananya Assawisaraporn Eclipse Management, which currently own and operate more than 20 bars and restaurants around the region including Coyote, Molly Malone’s and Tropical Murphy’s here in Thailand, are pleased to announce the opening of their latest venture – The Australian Pub & BBQ. The Australian is just as it says. With an Australian designer, Peter Harper from Melbourne, an Aussie contractor, and both the manager and the chef from down under, this unique pub is everything antipodean. Located on Sukhumvit Soi 11, this new Aussie pub will add some fresh competition to the numerous Irish and Pommie pubs that pervade the city. The Australian interior comprises many materials familiar to anyone from down under such as corrugated iron and weatherboards in natural pine finish. A 15 metre long bar downstairs will surely be one of the longest in Thailand and a second bar upstairs will cater to the pool players. Eight flat screen TVs and two big screens will keep the Aussie sports nuts happy. A large patio area at the front allows for al fresco dining and just watching the world go by.

Halcrow (Thailand) Limited 28 Mahatharadol Building, 3rd Floor Soi Mahatharadol Naradhiwasrajanagarindra Road Thungwatdon, Sathorn Bangkok 10120 Tel: +66 (0) 2676 3790/2 Fax: +66 (0) 2676 3800 Email: PienchobW@halcrow.com; AdamAS@halcrow.com Website: www.halcrow.com

Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit 189 Sukhumvit Road Soi 13-15 Klongtoey Nua, Wattana Bangkok 10110 Tel: +66 (0) 2126 9999 Fax: +66 (0) 2126 9998 Email: H5213@sofitel.com Website: www.sofitel.com

Principal: Mr. Gilles Cretallaz Alternate: Mrs. Joanne Chung Principal: Mr. Wiriya Pienchob Alternate: Mr. Ali Adam Halcrow is an independent provider of infrastructure-based business solutions. Specialising in the transport, water, maritime and property sectors, we offer professional consultancy resources for the planning, design and supervision of development on a global basis. With over 8,500 employees, and an annual turnover in excess of Pounds 480 million, Halcrow has a global network of 70 offices and is currently undertaking projects in over 70 countries. Owned by a private trust and an ever-increasing number of employee shareholders, Halcrow has grown into one of the largest independent consultancies of its kind. The edge of flexibility and freedom this brings – added to our financial strength and service delivery – is helping to make us a firstchoice partner for clients across the world.

Positioned on lively Sukhumvit Road, Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit sits comfortably amongst the very best Bangkok has to offer. Flanked by the commercial and entertainment district and prime shopping areas, this stunning five star hotel boasts tremendous city views and features 345 exquisite rooms and suites in a range of refined options. Immerse yourself within the elegant Spa, Health and fitness area or just laze by the outdoor swimming pool. Modern and opulent, Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit offers a truly luxurious experience, exceeding the expectation of the most discerning traveller with a Grand Ballroom and 10 breakout rooms. Located just 30 kilometres from the airport and within walking distance of the skytrain and underground.

Weekender Resort & Spa (Koh Samui) 124/19 Moo 3, Lamai Beach, Koh Samui, Suratthani 84310 Tel: +66 (0) 77 424 012 Fax: +66 (0) 77 424 011 Email: mikey@weekender-samui.com Website: www.weekender-samui.com

Principal: Phadet Mesild (Mikey)

June 2009

AustChamThailand Advance

New Members and Members’ Changes

Established in 1978, Weekender Resort & Spa has gradually grown to be one of the most beautiful owner-operated beach front properties in the area. Weekender Resort & Spa is located on the southern tip of Koh Samui, approximately 24km from the airport and 19km for the town proper (Nathon). It has 135 rooms available. Being in the heart of Lamai beach – renowned for its clean white sand, allows you to relax away from the main crowded area (Chaweng Beach). It is truly a place for those seeking ultimate privacy and unspoilt nature.

Change of Representative Mr. Mark Wood, Trade Commissioner – is a new representative of Australian Trade Commission. Ms. Trixie Scully, Director of Sales and Marketing is a new representative of The Westin Grande Sukhumvit, Bangkok.

Change of Company Details TRANSEARCH Wright Company changed company name to TRANSEARCH. NCI Packaging (Thailand) Ltd. Level 32 Interchange 21 399 Sukhumvit Road, North Klongtoey Wattana, Bangkok 10110 Tel: +66 (0) 2660 3700 Fax: +66 (0) 2660 3881 State Government of Victoria Tel: +66 (0) 2652 0269

Regional AustChams and Related Business Associations • • • • • • •

AustCham Beijing www.austcham.org AustCham Shanghai www.austchamshanghai.org AustCham Guangzhou www.austcham-southchina.org AustCham Hong Kong www.austcham.com.hk Australian Business Association of Cambodia (ABAC) www.abac.com.kh Australia East Timor Business Council (AETBC) www.aetbc.net Indo-Australian Chamber of Commerce in Chennai

AustChamThailand Advance

www.indoaustchamber.com • Indonesia Australia Business Council (IABC) www.iabc.or.id • Australia & New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ANZCCJ) www.anzccj.jp • Australia New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ANZCCK) www.anzcck.org • Australia New Zealand Business Association – Laos (ANZBA – Laos) www.anzba.org • Malaysia Australian Business Council (MABC) www.mabc.org.my

• • • • •

Australia-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce Philippines (ANZCham Phillippines) www.anzcham.com AustCham Singapore www.austcham.org.sg The Australian and New Zealand of Commerce in Taipei (AnzCham Taipei) www.anzcham.org.tw Australian Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AusCham HCMC Chapter) www.auschamvn.org Australian Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AusCham Hanoi Chapter) www.auschamvn.org

June 2009

From the Chamber Office

Message from the ED

n this month’s issue of Advance you will find some useful information regarding the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce including its role, achievements and details on how to become more involved through its committees, currently: ICT, Employment, Customs, Tax and Property. If you would like to participate in any of these committees and assist the JFCCT in its mission to promote trade and foreign investment, develop skills and transfer them with the aim of contributing to the Thai community please feel free to contact me directly at: execdirector@austchamthailand.com The first of our major events for this year, the Australian Business Awards is just around the corner and time is running out to send in your application, or nominate a business for one of the six category awards. The nominations are open to Australian and Thai companies and to other companies that can demonstrate a contribution to the Thai and/ or Australian economies. Nomination forms and guidelines for nominees can be downloaded at: www.austchamthailand.com Nominations are due by 3 July 2009. Your company could be the Business of the Year. I would also like to remind everybody to make sure that you regularly visit the AustCham website. We are constantly updating information and for those who can’t attend our breakfast briefings or lunches in person, a copy of the presentation from our guest speaker is uploaded for your convenience. Our members’ notices page also provides updates on members’ events and functions, members’ news and special offers.

As always the Chamber is working hard to prepare a selection of events that will provide you with interesting business updates as well as good networking opportunities. Some you may wish to diarise:

WEDNESDAY, 3 JUNE Commonwealth Sundowners

• Commonwealth Sundowners – Wednesday, 3 June at the Pan Pacific hotel, sponsored by Hassell Thailand. This will be the fifth year that we have held this event where we invite members of the other thirteen chambers with a Commonwealth heritage to network with us. AustCham will also be conducting a new members briefing prior to this event.

FRIDAY, 12 JUNE ESB Sundowners

• Eastern Seaboard Sundowners – Friday, 12 June at the Varuna Yacht Club, sponsored by TICON Industrial Connection. • AustCham Thailand Business Awards 2009 – gala black tie dinner on Wednesday 26 August 2009. Time to apply for one of the prestigious awards or nominate a company you know. Make sure that you download the simplified, easy to fill in application form from our website.

June 2009

18.00 – 21.00 Corporate Sponsor: HASSELL Catering & Venue Sponsor: Pan Pacific Bangkok

18.00 – 21.00 Venue: TBC SATURDAY, 13 JUNE Voluntary English Teaching

Venue: Baan Khao Din School, Chonburi THURSRDAY, 25 JUNE NZTCC Networking

Venue Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit (Please contact NZTCC) WEDNESDAY, 1 JULY Sundowners

18.00 – 21.00 Venue: TBC FRIDAY, 10 JULY ESB Sundowners

18.00 – 21.00 Venue: TBC SATURDAY, 11 JULY Voluntary English Teaching

Venue: Wat Pra Pathranporn School, Sri Ra Cha Brett Gannaway Executive Director, AustCham Thailand www.austchamthailand.com

Thank you to all May event sponsors

Calendar of Events