AustChamThailand
A MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE AUSTRALIAN-THAI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE AUSTRALIA THAILAND BUSINESS COUNCIL
www.austchamthailand.com
September 2009
Is Workplace Hotelling Just the Tip of the Iceberg? IN THIS EDITION
The Outlook for the Bangkok Condominium and Office Market minister for trade “Partners in Recovery: Australia and Singapore Working Together”
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Embassy news Tropfest Returns to Thailand
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community services Voluntary English Teaching on Saturday, 11 July 2009
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chamber events All Chambers Sundowners at Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok
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Contents AUSTCHAM BUSINESS AWARDS 2009 22 AustCham Thailand Business Awards Finalists 2009 COMMUNITY SERVICES 26 Voluntary English Teaching on 11 July 2009 CHAMBER NEWS 28 AustCham SME Subcommittee
6 Business Briefs 06 Is Workplace Hotelling Just the Tip of the Iceberg? 08 Thailand Tax Updates 12 The Outlook for the Bangkok Condominium and Office Market
16 Trans-asian railay 16 Cambodian Railway Concession Agreement minister for trade 18 “Partners in Recovery: Australia and Singapore Working Together” EMBASSY NEWS 20 Tropfest Returns to Thailand
chamber Events 30 AustCham Thai Australian Alumni Night on 29 July 2009 at Coyote Bar & Grill
PATRON His Excellency Paul Grigson Australian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand PRESIDENT Andrew Durieux Coverage Portfolio: Key Links VICE-PRESIDENTS Sutipong Ittipong Siam City Bank Portfolio: Community Services 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
31 31 Thai Australian Alumni 31 Alumni Focus: Life as an international student in Melbourne, Australia 31 Luncheon Meeting with the Board of Investment on 29 July 2009 32 All Chambers Sundowners at Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok on Wednesday, 5 August 2009 34 Breakfast Briefing on 21 July 2009 34 Breakfast Briefing on 28 July 2009 35 Members’ Offers New Members 36 New Members and Changes From the Chamber Office 38 Message from the ED
Cover Photo: HASSELL navigates dtac through the workplace icebergs
Achara Boonyahansa Grant Thornton Portfolio: Alumni Amanda Canavan Energi Design Asia Portfolio: Business Awards; Australia Day M.L. Laksasubha Kridakon Baan Laksasubha Resort Hua Hin Portfolio: Sponsorship; Alumni Anne Lewinski AL Consultancy Portfolio: Sundowners Bangkok Belinda Skinner Talent Plus 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
v From the Board
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
Of Progress and Stalling
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t’s full steam ahead for AustCham as we move from August into September. It’s a pity other areas of the world cannot keep up. We started last month with another successful All-Chambers Sundowners. It was hosted by the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in their new venue, The Campus, located downstairs, with support from our friends at DTAC. When we invite members from other Chambers to our events, we never know how many will want to attend. From the sell-out crowd, it appears other Chambers are seeing the benefits of attending our networking events!
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
August also saw AustCham Sundowners in Phuket and the Eastern Seaboard. Both were well-supported by the local business interests, together with some travelling members. It was great to see the Ambassador in Phuket once again: we truly appreciate his support.
Editorial Committee Andrew Durieux, Brett Gannaway, Belinda Skinner, Robert Taylor, Gary Woollacott, Gregers Moller
We finished August by showing how Australians have been leading by example, through our annual Business Awards Gala Dinner, also held at the Grand Hyatt Erawan. My congratulations to the winners and, indeed, to all participants. To make it as a finalist is a significant achievement that should be recognised. These awards show the progress being made by AustCham Member Companies.
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 Advertising Finn Balslev Email: finn@scandmedia.com Contributions to Advance magazine are welcome. Please submit content to david@austchamthailand.com by the first day of the month for publication in the following month’s magazine. Opinions expressed in Advance do not necessarily reflect the views AustChamThailand of the Chamber. Advance
Also increasing in popularity are our new Business Shorts events, hosted by Servcorp. These evenings focus on networking and the interests of our SME members. This month we were told how to better manage and utilise talent and how some much-needed stress relief can assist our business efforts. These events are limited to 50 people. So get your tickets early for future Business Shorts.
Another area of progress has been our involvement with the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce and our recommendations to various government departments on improving business conditions in Thailand. I am happy to
report that improvements that will benefit our members are on the way in some key areas – Property, Customs, Taxation, Labour and ICT. In the midst of all this clear progress, it is still a pity for Thailand that the various political groups cannot resolve their differences for the benefit of all Thais, their guests and the foreign investors. Protests are ongoing and all parties seem to focus on one-upmanship rather than genuine change for the better. I guess this happens in all areas of life …. even in AustCham from time to time. So I don’t end on a low point, I would like to remind you we have more networking events planned, information to provide and people for you to meet in September. Of course, the last Saturday of September is well-known to all Aussies: get your tickets early to the biggest AFL Grand Final event outside of Australia. Will your team be there?
Andrew Durieux President, AustCham Thailand www.austchamthailand.com
September 2009
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Business Brief
Is Workplace Hotelling Just the Tip of the Iceberg? By Alison Terry HASSELL (Thailand) Ltd.
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he convergence of events and technologies will have a profound effect on the way our office workplaces are designed in the future. While the global financial crisis (GFC) has accelerated the demand for business agility and cost constraint there are wider and more compelling arguments for changes in the way office accommodation is provided and how it is used. Hotelling is just the tip of the iceberg. It is clear that business success is reliant on a globalised perspective and agility. Agility is reliant on innovation and creativity. This pressurises the demand for knowledge generation and knowledge capital. In turn, this has recalibrated the value of human capital and cultivated the knowledge work genre. These factors, in combination with a better educated workforce, are changing the nature of work – escalating its capacity for complexity, decelerating the top-down command model and throwing greater reliance on work enablers like ‘always on’ communication, diverse technologies, collaborative interaction and team work. Technology is clearly now a cornerstone of the workplace. Workplace tools, which were once (by necessity) fixed, are now available in wireless and portable options and supported by mobile communication in the form of email-enabled mobile phones and internet protocol phones (IPT) and video presence. While greater mobility (in principle) is created, perhaps a deeper benefit of the technology is its capacity for knowledge management (storage, access and retrieval, distribution and manipulation). This has both space saving and productivity benefits which can only be fully realised when IT, knowledge management and communication are fully synchronised. Having said this ITbased knowledge management is not yet common across organisations. Human capital is a traditional cornerstone of the workplace. To foster and retain talent in a knowledge economy demands changes in the existing framework of people management, training and reward.
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Kevin Wheeler (a US human capital expert) demonstrates this in the statement that the traditional ‘fiefdoms’ of recruitment, training and development and human resources need to be integrated into a broader people management program to optimise human capital management – demonstrated via recent IBM and Cisco initiatives and in the cultural shift for the new dtac workplace. The global environmental crisis (GEC) is another compelling reason for a workplace (r)evolution. As an external pressure to business success it is perhaps more intractable than the economic blunder we are currently facing. Intergovernmental
protocols and requirements for corporate social responsibility will demand reductions in the carbon footprint of business activity thus bringing the spotlight firmly on the workplace as a prime mitigation point. The process of greening the workplace has already started but there is a long way to go before we see life cycle thinking behind all decision-making, product stewardship and takeback programs for all furniture, equipment and fittings, green leases for all buildings and onsite energy generation and waste recycling. Workplace sustainability, workforce recalibration, knowledge management reengineering and technology mobilisation
AustChamThailand Advance
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are a significant cluster of co-factors and events which are irritating the workplace (and business) like sand in an oyster shell. For the outcome to be manageable the workplace also needs new work protocols and practices. To make these changes happen requires a serious revision of existing management silos so that knowledge and people management are given a seat on the board, a voice in capital expenditure and, importantly, the veto to reframe workplace criteria to support these new ways of working. Sustainability needs to be a core principle across the board underpinning all decision-making. How do we make this new workplace? What will it look like? And what are the pitfalls on the way? To demonstrate the piecemeal, buildingcentric and cost-focused approach to workplace reform to date we can point to the discussion around workplace utilisation. The shift towards team work and collaboration has downgraded the emphasis on static, individualised, task-based work and the need for one desk per employee. Studies show that utilisation rates in some sectors and some workplaces are now remarkably low - DEGW’s Andrew Harrison stated in 2007 that 95% of organisations have only 35% space occupancy at any one time during the day. A similar story emerged in Hewlett Packard’s utilisation studies in their widely distributed 2008 Balancing Cost and Sustainability document. A simple number crunching exercise shows that if you reduce the number of workpoints to equate actual usage then buckets of capital and carbon can be saved … hence the new war cry for hotelling, hot desking, non-territorial and distributed workplaces. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. The first thing to consider is that when someone is not working at their desk, it’s generally because they are working somewhere else. Space and energy are still being consumed but it’s not necessarily registering on the company accounts – and it is false accounting to ignore it! The real question is – if employees are not at their desk, what are they doing? How are they doing it? And are they doing it productively? What is clear is that emerging workplace behaviours are starting to clash with existing open plan layouts. These behaviours include the growing emphasis on team work and collaboration, impromptu (knowledge-sharing) interaction and the contrasting need for distraction-free workspace
AustChamThailand Advance
for individual work. Collaboration is shifting space demand from individual space to shared space. While it can take many forms collaboration, by nature, is impermanent, polymorphous and noisy, with taskdependant tool demand. In a cost-cutting paradigm how do you justify setting aside a larger proportion of space, technology and comfort for unplanned use? Another escalating workplace demand is associated with the rise of knowledge work. Although essentially a collaborative workstyle it requires periods of individual work requiring uninterrupted concentration and focus. Again, the cost-cutting paradigm finds it hard to justify the provision of quiet, distraction-free space for ad hoc use in an open plan setting? Overall, it is also clear that the traditional, static, building-centric space analysis method is no longer appropriate. Work is shifting toward tasks which are diverse, complex, collaborative, technology reliant and fast dematerialising. For some, work is also an evolving entity, particularly in development and frontier areas. To understand how to comprehend escalating diversity it becomes necessary to focus on the work and what is needed to support it. This then informs appropriate ways to carry out work (people and protocols) and the appropriate tools to support it (technology). Once this point has been reached space needs can be discerned. Understanding the work and technology requirements requires analysis on a number of fronts. A core insight is analysis of employee work patterns and work styles. This includes building a core profile which is monitored and modified over time to keep staff and work relevant to market dynamism. Augmenting this is analysis and mapping of key collaborative relationships (which shift as work changes). This includes identifying key interaction modes (face-to-face and virtual, formal and informal) and their relative importance to communication, knowledge transfer and organisational cohesiveness. PTTEP have adopted this approach for their new workplace to encourage collaboration hubs around knowledge sharing. This type of enquiry is organisation-focused, not building-focused. Due to the unique and sensitive nature of the data it should also be organisation-generated as it can also be linked to core business and productivity strategies. Human resource management already generates much of this type of information and they already
use (or are familiar with) many of the statistical tools and social science-based methodologies required for workstyles analysis. Hence the relevance of an executive presence for this management group. The insurance company Interpolis is a very good example of how re-engineering a business (by taking control of the information and the process) can result in significant and enduring culture change and improved profitability. Their landmark headquarters in Tilburg is now over ten years old. Its fitout has outlived the typical seven year churn rate and, by all reports, it is still working well. But how many organisations (and design companies) have taken up the mantle and ventured beyond hotelling which is essentially a gate-stepped modification to an outdated behaviour? Another compelling discussion to have is “do design firms and design consultancies have the right tools and design strategies to identify and effect organisational needs?” Are organisations sufficiently enlightened and determined to stretch themselves into a more elastic way of working? Importantly, are all workplace stakeholders – organisations (inclusive of a facilities, IT, HR and employee presence); workplace consultants and designers; building owners and managers; and the workplace supply chain, able to effectively reframe relationships to enable closer predesign collaboration, information sharing and feedback to facilitate appropriate and perpetuating capital and carbon savings through the designed life of a workplace? Organisations need to identify, and initiate, their cultural reinvention BEFORE they go shopping for a new workplace. This shouldn’t be done in conjunction with the design process. It should be initiated prior, via a consultancy phase where workplace consultants and workplace designers work collaboratively with organisations to optimise core knowledge and confer how best to operationalise it. Experience has shown that space built on one set of criteria (and limitations) is less able to accommodate cultural revisions based on another set of criteria. That’s why hotdesking flags only the tip of the iceberg and why hull design was radically revised after the Titanic! Alison Terry, Researcher HASSELL (Thailand) Limited Tel: +66 2207 8999 www.hassell.com.au
September 2009
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Business Brief
Thailand Tax Updates By Steven Herring RSM Advisory (Thailand) New Tax Regime Coming for Jewellery Manufacturers
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s most foreign business managers in Thailand know only too well, VAT refunds are the “Achilles Heel” of the Thai VAT system. The system is burdensome with extraordinary administrative practices, and is a cause of never-ending tension between the Revenue Department officers and the business sector, especially the export business sector. Revenue Department and Finance Ministry officials are very quick to point out that the burdensome administrative practices are required because of fraudulent scandals committed by companies exporting container loads of rubbish and purchasing fake input VAT invoices, etc. But legitimate exporters point out that the Revenue’s time-consuming practices, which, in many cases, takes years to pay VAT refunds, deprives their businesses of their working capital and adds considerable costs to their businesses. After a long battle, jewellery manufacturers in Thailand will soon be relieved from the VAT refund system as a result of the Revenue Department’s agreement to exempt jewellery manufacturers from payment of VAT on their import of goods and equipment used for the production of jewellery. As jewellery manufacturers will be permitted exemption from VAT on import of goods and equipment used for their manufacture of jewellery products, then since no VAT is paid on such imports, jewellery manufacturers shouldn’t therefore incur excess input VAT and thus, there shouldn’t be a requirement to submit a claim for refund of VAT from the Revenue Department. It is important to note that the Revenue Department’s announcement is just that, an announcement, which will not be effective until completion of the legislative process, which, in this case, would ordinarily require the issue of a Royal Decree law under the Revenue Code.
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But whilst it’s not difficult to predict a Royal Decree, it’s dangerous to pre-empt what the Revenue Dept officials will stipulate as the rules and regulations for manufacturers of jewellery under the Royal Decree law. Jewellery manufacturers should keep a vigilant lookout for the release of these rules and regulations. If you are a BOI-promoted jewellery manufacturer, you should note that the above VAT changes should not impact your business, as your BOI-promotion should already provide you with exemption from VAT on your imported goods and equipment. But beware, when a taxman give-eth, he also taketh! All jewellery manufacturers (both promoted and non-promoted) should take particular note of a change to the withholding tax rules that is due to happen at the same time as the above VAT change. Revenue Department officials have announced that a 1% withholding tax will apply to payments made to jewellery manufacturers, meaning that Thai corporate customers of jewellery manufacturers will be required to withhold 1% tax from their payments, and remit the withheld tax to the Revenue Department. The imposition of this withholding tax on corporate customers of jewellery manufacturers is similar to the treatment that the Revenue Department stipulated for payments made by corporate customers to transport operators back in 2001, when they imposed the same rate of 1% withholding tax on those payments.
service provider, jewellery manufacturers will therefore have a different “tax point” to what they had before. The tax point for sellers of goods arises when goods are delivered to buyers, but for service providers, the tax point arises at the later time when the buyers pay the seller. Accordingly therefore, from the start of the withholding tax regime, jewellery manufacturers may be required to change the issue date of their tax invoices (to the date of receipt of payment from the customer) and also, change their PP30 VAT return filings. Additionally, jewellery manufacturers, as manufacturing services providers, would be subject to 0.1% stamp duty tax on the value of their manufacturing services, because as service providers, they would be deemed to have entered into a “hire of work” contract with their customers. Finally, BOI-promoted jewellery manufacturers would have to manage their withholding tax deductions very carefully. As such withholding tax deductions are an advance payment of corporate income tax liability, a BOI-promoted jewellery manufacturer (which is exempt from corporate income tax) could end up with excess corporate income tax payments, which could have to be claimed back from the Revenue Department (in much the same way the VAT had to be claimed back from the Revenue Department before the VAT change). Foreign Public Entertainers Need to Check their Thai Tax Liabilities
But whilst the Revenue officials’ reason for imposing the withholding tax is to bring evading manufacturers within the tax net, non-evading jewellery manufacturers need to be aware of the far-reaching effects of this change on their businesses.
And double-check and triple-check if they have to! In this article, RSM Advantage is sending a message to foreign public entertainers to make sure you know the tax laws in relation to your performances in Thailand, and insist that the rights under the laws are respected and observed in Thailand.
Withholding tax is a tax on services (not a tax on sale of goods), and by imposing withholding tax on jewellery manufacturers, the Revenue Department officials are effectively prescribing that jewellery manufacturers are service providers, not sellers of manufactured goods, and as a
The basic premise of taxation for public entertainers is that income earned from performances in Thailand is subject to income tax in Thailand. The amount of tax payable in Thailand is determined by applying the personal income tax rates to the amount of the public entertainer’s
AustChamThailand Advance
Business Brief
taxable income in Thailand (that is, the amount of income earned in Thailand less deductions allowed against the income as prescribed in the Thai tax laws). This basic premise of taxation is clearly set out in the local Thailand tax laws, and also in Double Tax Agreements, which give taxing rights to the Thailand Revenue Department to tax the income earned from performances in Thailand. But a major problem arises in Thailand when foreign public entertainers do not earn the income from the performances in Thailand personally, but instead, the public entertainer’s “star company” or rights-owning company earns the income for the performances in Thailand. Most foreign public entertainers, due to a host of legal reasons, do not have legal title to their songs or their performances personally, and the public entertainer’s “star company” (as the legal owner or rights-owner of the songs and/or performances) is the party that contracts with the promoter in Thailand for the public performance in Thailand. That is, the “star company” (as the legal owner) is both the contracting party for the performances and the receiver of the income paid by the promoter in Thailand. But due to archaic practices in Thailand, modern-day legally structured public entertainers have a big battle with Thailand promoters and their Thai tax advisors over their tax liabilities. The major countries, from where the bigname public entertainers come, have an additional clause in their Double Tax Agreements (i.e. the second paragraph under the Artistes and Sportsmen Article) specifically dealing with the legal structuring matter. The second paragraph prescribes that in the case where the income from a public performance does not accrue to the public entertainer personally, but accrues to a public entertainer’s “star company” (or another person), then the income that accrues to the “star company” (or other person) is taxed, provided that the public entertainer personally shares in or participates in the income or the profits of the “star company” (or other person). A contract entered into between a Thailand promoter and a “star company” cannot (pursuant to Thailand’s civil laws) be merely dismissed. It is a contract that
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is enforceable against the “star company”, not against the public entertainer personally. Whilst performance under a “star company” contract is dependent upon a physical performance by the public entertainer, but the contract itself is a legally enforceable agreement between the promoter and the “star company” (not between the promoter and the public entertainer personally). To RSM Advantage, the second paragraph under the Artiste and Sportsmen Articles clearly set out the tax rights of the Thailand Revenue Department (and one could also say, the obligations) in relation to taxation of “star company” contracts with Thailand promoters. That is, the “star company” should be taxed pursuant to the corporate income tax laws of Thailand, rather than the public entertainer personally pursuant to the personal income tax laws. The Thai corporate income tax laws prescribe that for a Thai company paying services income to a foreign company that does not carry on business in Thailand or does not have a permanent establishment (fixed place of business) in Thailand, the services income paid shall be subject to tax in Thailand as withholding tax at the rate of 15%, which is notably less than the personal income tax rate of 37% under the personal income tax laws. Cynically, this could be a reason why the promoters in Thailand, and their tax advisors, are ignoring the second paragraph of the Artiste and Sportsmen Article in the Double Tax Agreements. RSM Advantage advises foreign public entertainers coming to Thailand from the countries that have the specific provision in their Double Tax Agreements to insist that their rights are respected and
observed in Thailand. From a professional standpoint, it is frustrating to see tax rights prescribed in the laws simply being ignored, especially when countries such as the United States of America and the United Kingdom etc go to great lengths to provide definitive clauses in their Double Tax Agreements. Whilst Thailand is not an OECD Member, it is a UN Member, and the following paraphrased commentary (which is the commentary to the OECD Model Tax Convention and adopted as the UN’s commentary as well) establishes the tax position, as follows: “Paragraph 1 of the Artistes and Sportsmen Article deals with income derived by individual artistes and sportsmen from their personal activities. Paragraph two deals with situations where income from their activities accrues to other persons. If the income of an entertainer or sportsman accrues to another person, paragraph two provides that the income, which cannot be taxed in the hands of the performer, may be taxed in the hands of the person receiving the income, and the source country may tax that income even if the income is not attributable to a permanent establishment in the source country.” “In cases where the income for a performance of an artiste or sportsman is not paid to the artiste or sportsman himself but paid to another person, e.g. an artiste company, paragraph 2 permits a country to impose tax on the income that is paid to the artiste company.” This article was contributed by Steven Herring, an experienced and senior RSM International Tax Consultant, for RSM Advisory (Thailand) Limited.
AustCham Thailand is now on Twitter. Follow us at: twitter.com/austcham AustChamThailand Advance
Business Brief
The Outlook for the Bangkok Condominium and Office Market
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he global recession has lead to property markets falling around the world. Thailand has been no exception but the effects in terms falls in price have been less dramatic than other markets. Thailand’s political problems over the past three years have slowed demand so the extent of the boom in residential property was not as great as other countries.
Prices for centrally located condominiums in Bangkok have fallen by 10-15% from their peak in early 2008 but are not expected to continue to drop. The next 18 months will be a stress test for the downtown Bangkok condominium market.
the next 12 months. These 10,000 units will determine the direction of the market. The time taken to sell these units and for them to be occupied will set pricing levels and the ability of developers to launch new projects in the future.
There are 58,000 completed condominium units in downtown Bangkok. Around 10,000 new units will be completed over
Over 70% of the new condominium units have been sold to a mixture of end-users, buy-to-rent investors and speculators hoping to resell prior to completion. Only on completion of the new supply will we clearly see the make up of the existing buyers in particular how many were speculators. Developers with projects under construction have in many cases reduced their asking prices by 10-15%.
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Chonburi Saraburi Rayong
Speculative buyers who bought off plan paying 30% of the total price are now under some pressure as developments are completed and developers demand the final 70% payment. Those under greatest pressure are generally overseas speculators who, because of the absence of mortgage finance for foreigners in Thailand, have to resell if they do not have sufficient cash to make the final payment. End-users and buy-to-rent investors are now the dominant buyers; flat or falling prices mean there are no more speculators. In the last three months 70-80% of purchasers of high-end condominiums in the downtown area have been Thai, whereas in 2008 foreigners made up a larger percentage of buyers. This has been a common theme in most Asian markets with demand from local purchasers increasing significantly in China and Vietnam. Thai buyers believe that prices will not fall much more in most Bangkok condominium projects and are buying property both as a hedge against feared future inflation and because property yields more than deposit accounts at current low interest rates. There have only been a limited number of new condominium launches and most of these have been middle income projects, generally with smaller units in mid town locations.
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Business Brief
With limited new launches the challenge is to find occupiers, either owners or tenants for the property projects that will be completed over the next 18 months. CB Richard Ellis is confident that the Bangkok market will not see a repeat of the 1997/1998 Thai financial crisis when almost 50% of the condominiums built in downtown Bangkok were vacant. Thais have now adopted condominium living and the numbers of potential Thai
end-user purchasers are significantly greater than ten years ago. The BTS SkyTrain and MRTA systems have now effectively fixed the location of Bangkok’s city centre and Bangkok has become a more inwardly focused city with a wide range of people wanting to live and work in the city centre. The boom for Bangkok condominium development may be over for this property cycle but this does not mean that we
are facing a bust. Buyers who expect prices to fall by similar amounts as the U.S. or Spanish markets will probably be disappointed but the drop in prices from both developers and speculators looking to resell does provide a wide range of options for end-users who want to buy new projects that will be completed over the next 12 months. Rents for Grade A CBD Bangkok offices have been flat for three years but fell by 5.8% in the first half of 2009. This was the first time that rents have fallen since 1999.Demand was very weak with few companies expanding but there was still some growth in the total amount of occupied space. The total supply of office space in Bangkok was 7,864,435 at the end of the second quarter of 2009 and the vacancy rate was 140%. The growth in the total amount of occupied space was only 22,131 square metres in the first half of 2009. Weak demand means that rents are likely to fall further until the economy recovers as landlords focus on retaining tenants. There is however very little new supply, only two significant new office buildings will be completed over the next three years. Sathorn Square with 72,000 square metres located next to the Chongnonsee BTS station will be completed in 2010 and the Park Ventures 30,000 square metre project at the corner of Wireless and Ploenchit Roads will be completed in 2011. Demand for office space will remain weak until we see a recovery in the economy but the absence of a significant amount of future supply means that rents could rise sharply when vacancy falls. Only Jakarta has lower office rents than Bangkok in Asia but this may not continue to be the case and so tenants should look at their space requirements and leases particularly caps on future rental increases because any economic recovery will result in rising rentals. CB Richard Ellis (Thailand) Email: bangkok@cbre.co.th Website: www.cbre.co.th
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AustChamThailand Advance
Trans-Asian Railway
Cambodian Railway Concession Agreement An article on the rehabilitation of the Cambodian railway network (‘Bridging the Gaps in Asia’s Rail Network: Australia’s Toll Group to Put Cambodia on Track’) was featured in the June 2009 issue of Advance. The agreement for the rehabilitation project has now been signed. The following text is an unofficial translation of a speech given by Deputy Prime Minister Keat Chhon, Minister of Economy and Finance, Kingdom of Cambodia at the signing ceremony of the Cambodian railway concession agreement at the Cambodian Ministry of Economy and Finance on 12 June 2009. Those present included: HE Tram Iv Tek, Minister of Public Works and Transport, Kingdom of Cambodia; HE Margaret Adamson, Australian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia; HE Arjun Goswami, ADB Country Director to Cambodia; Mr. Charles Thompson, representative of Toll (Cambodia) Co., Ltd and Neak Oknha. It is hoped that trade between Thailand and Cambodia will increase significantly with the linking of Thailand and Cambodia’s railway networks.
Today, I am very delighted and deeply honoured to join with HE Tram iv Tek, Minister of Public Works and Transport, as authorised representatives of the Royal Government of Cambodia, to sign and deliver the Cambodian Railway Concession Agreement between The Royal Government of Cambodia and Toll (Cambodia) Co., Ltd. Our purpose of getting together today is to sign and present the concessionary right of Toll (Cambodia) Co., Ltd to operate the Cambodian railway for the next 30 years. The railway system comprises of two railway lines, Line No.: 1, which links Phnom Penh to Poipet; that has a distance of 386 km; and Line No,: 2 linking Phnom Penh to Sihanouk Ville. That has a distance of 266 km. The agreement of the Cambodian Railway Concession that HE Tram Iv Tek, Mr. Charles Thompson, representative of Toll (Cambodia) Co., Ltd and I have signed today, is another fruitful upshot of the implementation of the Rectangular Strategy – Phase 11 of Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia. The signing ceremony also demonstrates the ongoing support and encouragement to the public-private partnership for public investment especially in physical infrastructure projects in terms of complementary mutual benefits which harmoniously corresponds to the Royal Government of Cambodia’s policy of empowering the private sector as the engine of growth and as a partner which cannot be neglected. The railway system is a significant compound in the transportation sector. The financial benefit from the railway operation is not our main goal in the development of this railway system. Our main goal is to target economical and social benefits. Today’s signing ceremony certainly serves Cambodia’s development strategy through a logistics system which possesses efficiency, durability and modernity; it is also of low cost which is a very important factor in encouraging production for exports and increases in Cambodian competitiveness. The development of railways in both northern and southern lines would also assist the industrial
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procedure of integration to other means of transportation through railways jointly with waterways by linking the international border gate of Poipet, Sihanoukville Port and Phnom Penh Port. As we know, railway has contributed remarkably to the Cambodian transportation system after the fall of the Democratic Kampuchea Khmer Rouge Regime. In the last 30 years particularly when the country had been faced with difficult moments of hardships in both war and peace, the Cambodian railway has persevered and resisted many major obstacles in progression of its own operation without any delay to meet with the demand that is needed in domestic transportation. Within this, we shall not forget the huge sacrifice of officials, personnel, workmen and workwomen. However, Cambodian railway is aging after being in operation for the last 30 years; thus it is necessary to restore and further develop consistently to meet with the increasing demand that proceeds uniformly with the ongoing growth of the national economy. For this reason, the Royal Government of Cambodia has just signed a financing agreement with the Asian Development Bank in March 2007 for the Rehabilitation of the Railways in Cambodia Project that has a total fund amount of USD 73 million, of which the Royal Government of Cambodia will contribute government counterpart funds in the amount of LJSD 15 million; to which it has inaugurated the construction site earlier this year on 18 February 2009 under the high presidency of Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN SEN, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia and His Excellency Haruhiko Kuroda, the President of the Asian Development Bank. On behalf of the Royal Government of Cambodia, I would like to deeply express our sincere gratitude to the development partners especially the Asian Development Bank that has jointly contributed in the mending of the Cambodian railway network. I would like to take this occasion to express my appreciation and gratitude in advance to the Asian Development Bank and the Australian Government for making such huge efforts in continuing to finance for further development of Cambodian railways within the framework of rehabilitation of the Cambodian railway project.
AustChamThailand Advance
Minister for Trade
“Partners in Recovery: Australia and Singapore Working Together”
Nick Cocks – AustCham Singapore President, Andrew Durieux – AustCham Thailand President, Eugene Cody – Toll, Hon Simon Crean MP - Minister for Trade (Australia).
On 20 July, 2009, The Hon Simon Crean MP Minister for Trade gave a speech entitled “Partners in Recovery: Australia and Singapore working together” at the AustCham Singapore Business Awards. The speech in its entirety can by viewed here: http://www.trademinister.gov.au/speeches/2009/090720_austcham.html
Regional AustChams and Related Business Associations • • • • • • •
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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
September 2009
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
AustChamThailand Advance
Embassy News
Tropfest Returns to Thailand
T
he Australian Embassy recently hosted the second screening in Thailand of Tropfest, the world’s largest short film festival at the Scala theatre. The screening was attended by over 450 guests from the Thai film industry, cultural and business communities and government. VIP guests included young creative filmmaker and Australian alumnus, MR Chalermchatri Yukol, son of legendary Thai Director MC Chatrichalerm Yukol; Jareuk Kaljareuk, President of Kantana Group Pcl; Suvannee Chinchiewchan, Deputy Managing Director of SF Cinema City; Chalida Uabumrungjit, Project Director of Thai Film Foundation; Pimpaka Towira, well-known Thai independent film director and Siroj Toolsook, webmaster of thaishortfilm.com. A reception featuring Australian food and wine preceded a showcase of some of Tropfest’s best films ranging from comedy and animation through to drama and action, including the 2009 winners of Tropfest Australia and New York. The screening highlighted the creativity, diversity and sophistication of Australian filmmakers. All the more impressive was that such impact was generated within seven minutes – the maximum length of each film under Tropfest’s entry guidelines. “Tropfest is a breeding ground for artistic experimentation and the creative application of technology. We had the premiere screening last year at the Embassy, and it is a pleasure this year to see Tropfest reach-
Film viewers enjoyed shopping at the ground foyer of Scala theatre.
ing out to the general public in the heart of Bangkok,” said Bronte Moules, Deputy Head of Mission, Australian Embassy. Attendance at the screening by Michael Laverty, Managing Director of Tropfest, reflected the increasing popularity and awareness of Tropfest as well as the potential cooperation between the Australian and Thai film industries in the future.
Austrade Senior Trade Commissioner Maurine Lam with the koala mascot.
Blood Donors Registry AustCham has set up a database of rare blood types: A neg; B neg; AB neg; and O neg. If you would like to volunteer as a blood donor, please email your name, address, mobile no., email and blood type to: admin@austchamthailand.com Your name will remain confidential and volunteers will only be approached in an emergency.
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An additional highlight of Tropfest Bangkok 2009 was a mini-Australian fair at the ground foyer of the Scala theatre. Film viewers enjoyed an array of high quality Australian goods from David Jones, Intraceuticals, Plarry Australia, Ausshop, Urban Rituelle, The Waxing Bar, Blackmores, Fantastic Crackers, East West Trading, Bangkok Beer & Beverages, and Global Wombat. Some lucky viewers also won Australian goodies from a raffle organised to raise funds for the Thai Film Foundation to help conserve classic Thai films. “We hope that Tropfest will be an important part of an enduring relationship between Tropfest and Thailand and the Australian and Thai film industries generally. In the not too distant future I hope we will see a uniquely Thai Tropfest. Given the depth of Thai filmmaking talent and the strength of Tropfest, I’m sure we will,” said Bronte.
AustChamThailand Advance
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we take it personally transport + logistics
AustCham Business Awards 2009
AustCham Thailand Business Awards Finalists 2009 At the time of publication, results of the awards were still secret. Award recipients and coverage of the Business Awards Dinner will be featured in the October issue of Advance. This year saw an overwhelming response to our Business Awards. The Chamber received many nominations resulting in a great deal of hard work by our independent panel of judges, chosen to assist in assessing the candidates. After a lengthy review of all entries, the panel selected their semi-finalist candidates for the next round of judging. To make it to this level is a tremendous achievement and AustCham Thailand would like to congratulate all Business Awards finalists. We would also like to thank the judging committee for their valuable contribution.
Akara Mining (Kingsgate) Kingsgate began exploring for gold in Thailand in the late 1980s. Following years of work, a successful mining operation was constructed and commissioned in November 2001. Kingsgate now operates (through Akara Mining) the world’s safest gold mine at Chatree, in central Thailand. It employs over 925 people and generates significant foreign exchange income for the country of over US$1 billion per year. Kingsgate and Akara Mining have established world’s best practice in environmental management, workplace relations, health and safety and community interaction winning numerous awards in Thailand. In 2006, it won the AustCham Business of the Year and Environmental Excellence awards. The companies have a strong focus on training and developing local support industries in rural Thailand – generating over 2000 further jobs indirectly. Kingsgate and Akara have also spawned other companies – establishing Thailand as their SE Asia base, including drilling company Boart Longyear and mine processing plant design and construction company, Ausenco, both ASX listed. Andrew Biggs Academy Andrew Biggs Academy (ABA) is a language school that stresses spoken English for businesses and staff of all levels of ability. The school specialises in general conversation, business conversation, cultural/conversational techniques for Thai staff who must work with foreign bosses, pronunciation and presentations. Courses are tailor-made for clients rather than working from generic textbooks. The school also offers one-day seminars, video learning, recreational activities (such as those organised by Human Resources), weekend getaways (all in English) and weekend courses for kids and adults at ABA’s headquarters, Major Cineplex, Ekamai. The school is run by Andrew Biggs, long-term Australian resident and popular local media personality. ABA also runs Thai language classes for expatriates. Boral Thailand Concrete & Quarries Boral Thailand Concrete & Quarries is a major supplier of ready-mixed concrete to the construction industry in Thailand. The business was established in 1992 and has
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grown to a scale where there are now approximately 1,300 people employed in production, sale, delivery, and quality control of ready-mixed concrete, and in production and distribution of quarry products. Boral Thailand is a supplier of choice to many large projects and also serves small local building and construction work regionally via it’s 50 concrete plants located right across Thailand. Boral Thailand is backed by the Technical and Financial resources of Boral Limited, which is Australia’s largest integrated building and construction materials supplier. Boral Thailand shares the strong Boral Limited commitment to sustainability, which are applied in the high standards of safety, training, and environmental control exercised in our business. All of Boral Thailand’s plants are managed in accordance with the ISO9000 quality systems standard. Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok Opened in December 1991, Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok is a deluxe business hotel with resort-style facilities. Only 30 minutes from the airport, the hotel is located in the heart of town, in the commercial and diplomatic district surrounded by prime shopping centres. The hotel is also sited between SkyTrain stations on both lines, with a convenient SkyBridge link to adjacent buildings. The hotel offers luxurious rooms featuring a modern residential ambience and every convenience to meet the needs of today’s international traveller with a wide range of restaurants and bars. On the hotel’s fifth floor is the i.sawan Residential Spa & Club, a unique facility dedicated to pampering, fitness, cuisine, relaxation and accommodation. The hotel offers Bangkok’s meeting and conference venue of choice with 15 versatile function rooms. The pillar-less Grand Ballroom has a capacity for up to 1,500 guests. “the residence” Bangkok’s first residential style event venue is perfect for more intimate gatherings. The hotel also offers “Grand Events” – outside catering service with an exceptional level of cuisine in and around Bangkok. Intrepid In 1988, a group of friends bounced across the Sahara in a converted tipper truck. Along the way two of them talked endlessly about creating a style of group travel that was out of the ordinary; a style of travel that would fully expose people to the good, the bad and the downright weird of the nations they travelled.
AustChamThailand Advance
AustCham Business Awards 2009
Adventures that would have all the benefits of independent travel with none of the hassle; small groups travelling at the grassroots level, meeting local people, trying local food, staying anywhere and everywhere and travelling on anything that moved! Back in Australia, Geoff Manchester and Darrell Wade bought a second hand typewriter, borrowed a dining room table and Intrepid was born. Now, almost 20 years later, Intrepid takes around 80,000 travellers to over 90 countries worldwide, each and every year. In more recent times, Intrepid has set up local operating companies around the world, including here in Thailand, and are delighted to be offering Destination Management services. Despite the company’s global expansion, Intrepid Travel remains independently owned, and Geoff and Darrell remain as committed as ever to creating the best travel experiences in the world.
Jentana & Associates Languages Consultant For over 20 years Jentana & Associates (J&A) has been successfully teaching foreign visitors and expatriates working in Thailand the art of speaking, reading and writing the Thai language. The students of Jentana & Associates benefit from a tried & true system of learning that combines: A personal teacher assigned to every individual student or group. Lessons at home or office at a time most suitable for the student. An interactive Question and Answer approach to learning. Private study books authored personally by Jentana. Using the J&A Thai language method of learning, most students who take the course can feel confident speaking and understanding basic Thai language after only 20 lessons. The J&A syllabus is comprised of 6 distinct sections, that ensure students who apply themselves to their study, progress quickly and easily through the basics to a more advanced level of ability and understanding. The study guides authored by Jentana provide a structured approach to each and every lesson so that students can pace out their learning with their own ability and time commitments.
International Education. It was the first dual accredited school in Thailand with recognition by both CIS (Council of International Schools) and NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges from USA). The school’s curriculum is international and does not follow any one country’s national curriculum. It is one of only a few international schools in the world authorised to run the full International Baccalaureate programme for 3-year old to 18-year old children. It offers the IB Primary Years Programme. IB Middle Years Programme and IB Diploma and Certificate courses to provide entry to top colleges and universities throughout the world. The school, with a current enrolment of 1,400 students and a strategically planned ceiling of 1,540, has over 51 different nationalities of students and over 20 nationalities of staff. NIST currently has 85-plus classrooms, information technology suites and a tablet laptop program, music, drama and art studios, a Multi Purpose Hall, library and a multi-purpose field. In addition, the School has recently constructed a new Sports Complex, Cafeteria building, a specialist Early Years Centre and a creative Arts building, which includes a 300-seat theatre.
Pan Pacific Bangkok Pan Pacific Bangkok is managed by Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts which currently encompasses 17 hotels in 10 countries throughout Asia, the Pacific and North America. Located in the heart of Bangkok’s financial and commercial centres as well as in close proximity to the entertainment district at Silom-Rama IV intersection, near the Sala Daeng BTS SkyTrain station and Si Lom MRT subway station. An international deluxe hotel with 235 fully-equipped rooms for the most discerning traveller. Every one of our rooms and suites has a panoramic city view. The hotel has three restaurants including Keyaki Japanese Restaurant, Hai Tien Lo Cantonese Restaurant and Panorama. Pan Pacific Bangkok Conference and Banquet facilities are ideal for meetings from 10 to 350 people. The Pacific Ballroom offers a total of 310 sq. metres plus 246 sq. metres pre-function area. Located at the lower lobby is The White Room for an exciting new, unique events function.
Natural Ville & LeNotre Natural Ville (managed by ACCOR) offers luxurious living in the heart of the city, just ten minutes walk to the BTS SkyTrain. With modern, elegant, spacious and above all comfortable apartments, Natural Ville is designed around your lifestyle with a fully-equipped business centre, fitness centre, swimming pool and the world - famous Lenotre Parisian Cafe at your convenience. Managed by ACCOR, this well-appointed residence enjoys renowned standards of international style and service. Stunning views across Bangkok day and night make it easy to see why Natural Ville is the refined solution for city living.
New International School of Thailand The New International School of Thailand (NIST) was opened in 1992 and is a non-profit international school governed by the Foundation for
AustChamThailand Advance
Servcorp Unlike traditional serviced office suppliers, Servcorp sees itself as an IT company first and a property provider second. Back in 2000 it spotted an opportunity to differentiate itself from competitors and add value to its clients by investing $30 million to develop an advanced IT network. Servcorp has built a global IT network a decade ahead of the competition and used a single, highly-secure network to connect services in each of its locations. Servcorp has 3 prestigious office locations in Bangkok, The Offices at Centralworld Tower, #1 Silom Road and Bangkok City Tower. A Servcorp Virtual Office is invaluable for businesses working from home or from anywhere in the world. Servcorp provides: A dedicated multilingual receptionist to answer calls in the company name, multilingual personal assistant to assist with business needs, a prestigious business address for business cards, letterheads and promotional material and boardrooms and meeting rooms.
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AustCham Business Awards 2009
Siam Ocean World Bangkok Siam Ocean World Bangkok was established by Oceanis Australia Group, the world’s largest aquarium owner and operator with more than seventeen years experience in the aquarium business. Siam Ocean World Bangkok is Thailand’s first world-class aquarium with an integrated state-of-the-art 4D theatre. It is located on B1 and B2 Floors of Siam Paragon Shopping Complex at Siam BTS Sky Train station and is open daily from 09.00-22.00 hrs. Siam Ocean World is a tourist attraction for locals, expatriates and foreign tourists. It also offers education programs for schoolchildren and a five star functions venue.
Standard Chartered Bank Standard Chartered Bank (Thai) (SCBT) has 38 domestic (as of September 2007) branches with a strong base of over 700,000 customers. It became part of the Standard Chartered Group in 1999. Standard Chartered is the world’s leading emerging markets bank. It employs 50,000 people in over 1,200 locations in more than 90 countries in the Asia Pacific Region, South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the United Kingdom and the Americas. It is one of the world’s most international banks, with a management team comprising 70 nationalities. Standard Chartered is listed on both the London Stock Exchange and the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong and is in the top 25 FTSE-100 companies, by market capitalisation.
The University of Melbourne Ranked among the top 100 universities in the world, the University of Melbourne is a vibrant institution with a reputation for excellence built over 150 years. Staff and Students of the highest calibre are attracted to the university, which provides an education informed by world-recognised research. It is the second-biggest research organisation in Australia. The University has eleven facilities and 2 affiliated institutions: the Victoria College of the Arts, and the Melbourne Business School.
The Westin Grande Sukhumvit, Bangkok Established in Thailand in 2003, The Westin Grande Sukhumvit, Bangkok is managed by Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Westin, an international five star brand, aims to offer personalised services to its guests in a contemporary setting ensuring they leave feeling even better than when they arrived. The Westin Grande Sukhumvit, Bangkok is a 5 star contemporary retreat in the heart of fashionable Sukhumvit. The hotel boasts convenient access to Asoke SkyTrain station and is close to Sukhumvit Subway station and Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre. The Westin offers 363 oversized deluxe guestrooms and suites all featuring a contemporary style and Westin brand comforts such as the renowned Westin Heavenly Bed®. The unique and uncompromising Westin meeting experience features a sensory meeting set up and dedicated Westin One Call associates on call to provide customised solutions. With 10 flexible function rooms for 6 to 600 persons, including a dedicated floor for breakout rooms, meeting options are endless. The hotel also offers outside catering and 3 restaurants and bars showcasing Japanese, Mediterranean and international cuisines prepared by our celebrated world-class chefs.
Talent Plus Formed in Bangkok in 1999, as the Thai office of one of the largest international recruitment agencies, our heritage, methodology, support and CRM system result in a guarantee of superior results driven activities that balance the needs of the client with the career needs of the candidate. Trading as “talent plus” with an office in Dubai, and an Asian regional search capability, we have successfully sourced candidates for roles in Thailand, the Philippines, China and the Middle East. “talent plus” is a specialist recruitment consultancy and is recognised in the fields of; banking, accounting and finance; technology; consumer, sales & marketing; technical & operations; and human resources recruitment. We recruit at all levels from supervisor to CEO. In addition to helping with recruitment needs we have the capability to assist with retrenchment programs, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of people and helping you manage their career development.
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Toll Logistics The Toll operations in Thailand now consist of four main companies providing transport, warehousing and logistics related services across the supply chain spectrum. Toll operations in Thailand now has scope to handle all general freight and logistics needs including collateral management services through its wholly owned subsidiary Complete Logistics. Toll operates in excess of 100,000 square meters of warehousing across Thailand through our Toll Logistics business with in excess of 450 vehicles available delivering to 4,000 drop points. The Toll Group is Australia’s largest and one of New Zealand’s leading providers of professional logistic services, including road, rail, sea, air and warehousing. Toll’s philosophy is that of total supply chain management – a philosophy now more fully embraced and actively sought by customers. The Toll Group supplies premium services to customers in the Group’s specialised market sectors: Industrial, Consumer Electronics, Freight Forwarding, Resources, Beverage, Food & Retail, Automotive, Ports and Removals.
AustChamThailand Advance
Community Services
Voluntary English Teaching on 11 July 2009 On Saturday 11 July 2009, volunteers (together with AustCham staff), visited Wat Pra Pathranporn School, Sri Ra Cha. It was a successful day enjoyed by all. Thank you to Toll Logistics (our English Teaching sponsor) for their continued support.
Computers Needed for Schools Have you recently upgraded your computer or are planning an upgrade? AustCham can provide a convenient way for you to donate your unused computer to a needy school. For further information please email: david@austchamthailand.com
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AustChamThailand Advance
Chamber News
AustCham SME Subcommittee
T
ax and accounting issues rank as the biggest headaches smaller Australian businesses face operating in Thailand.Very close behind is financing – being able to get loans from banks. These points emerge from a survey AustCham carried out among its SME members in June. (SMEs are small and medium enterprises.) According to the Thai definition, small companies are those with 50 or fewer employees. Medium-sized companies have 51-to-200 staff. AustCham Presi-
dent Andrew Durieux, who runs an SME, set up a new SME Sub-committee this year. The committee’s brief is simple: work out what help AustCham SME companies need – and then do it. While all AustCham members companies face similar problems, Andrew wanted the Chamber to focus on the needs of SMEs, as they may not have the internal resources to handle all issues themselves. The committee was set up in May. Its first
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. Breakfast briefings are normally broadcast as a webinar. 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 Breakfast Briefings Online AustCham Thailand Breakfast Briefings are now broadcast live over the internet. We are pleased to be able to offer the opportunity for our Eastern Seaboard and Phuket members (or any member) to join our Breakfast Briefings without having to go to the AustCham office. Details on how to participate are provided in every Breakfast Briefing notice.
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step, in June, was to conduct the survey of SME member companies to find out the high-priority issues confronting smaller businesses. The committee also asked for feedback on how SME operators thought it could best help them. The main problems SMEs encounter operating in Thailand, the survey found, are (in order): accounting and taxation issues; financing; company law and procedures; HR and Immigration matters; import/export procedures; and corrupt practices. SMEs starting up in Thailand face the same problems but the order differs. Company law and procedures top the list of concerns on start-up, followed by financing, accounting and tax, and HR and Immigration issues. Problems SME members mentioned included the complexity of bureaucratic requirements, the amount of paperwork, varying interpretations of laws and regulations, work permit regulations and the difficulties foreigners face in getting loans from banks. AustCham’s SME Sub-committee is now working on a number of ideas to help SME members. They include: • Providing better guidance for companies setting up in Thailand; • Improving the AustCham website to give more practical information and making clearer the information that is already available; • Regularly updating members on changes in Thai laws and regulations; • Finding out which member companies provide services to SMEs and then making the best use of their collectives experience and knowledge, through seminars and panel discussions. These discussions would cover issues specific to SMEs in Thailand and broader management themes - ways of running SMEs more effectively; • Setting up an online networking forum for SME members to share their experiences; • Arranging discounts for members of
AustChamThailand Advance
Chamber News
the forum or for AustCham SMEs generally; and • Working up position papers on the key issues worrying SME members for submission to the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce and to government. The position papers will highlight the problems SMEs face and suggest ways of solving or easing them. The papers will be based on the experiences of AustCham SME members, so the committee will be contacting SMEs to ask them to tell their stories. The committee will guarantee anonymity.
AustChamThailand Advance
The committee aims to make sure that in the months to come the level of assistance AustCham gives to SME member companies will rise significantly. Members of the AustCham SME Sub-committee are: • David Armstrong (AustCham Director and Post Publishing representative) • Amanda Canavan (AustCham Director and General Manager, energidesign asia) • Michaela Julian (Servcorp) • Peter May (Sutlet Group)
• Michael Holt (GardyneHolt – design partners) • Chris Thatcher (Sutlet Group) • Harry Usher (Lady Pie, Phuket). AustCham SME members are warmly invited to discuss the problems their businesses face with any committee members at Sundowners – and to suggest ways AustCham can help. David Armstrong can be contacted at: wansao365@gmail.com or on 0817358045
September 2009
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Chamber Events
AustCham Thai Australian Alumni Night on 29 July 2009 at Coyote Bar & Grill Our seventh Alumni networking function for Thai students who graduated from Australian institutions was held at Coyote Bar & Grill on Sukhumvit on Wednesday 29 July 2009, generously sponsored by Blackmores. We hope that our Alumni networking nights will evolve into a forum where Thai graduates from Australian institutions can network and develop professionally, whilst contributing to Australian-Thai relations.
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AustChamThailand Advance
Chamber Events
Thai Australian Alumni
T
he AustCham Thai Australian Alumni vision is to encourage interaction between AustCham members and Thai Australian Alumni to create networking and employment opportunities as well as business transactions between Thai Alumni and AustCham member companies.
The AustCham Thai Australian Alumni sub-committee has seven members and is chaired by an AustCham serving Director. The sub-committee meets regularly to discuss activities, membership matters and events. There are several networking events a year. Each event will be held at a different venue
in a casual setting. Alumni members will receive invitations by email or can monitor the AustCham website for further details. In addition to activities and events, AustCham also offers the Young Alumni Award (presented at AustCham’s annual Business Awards) to recognise outstanding Thai alumni.
Alumni Focus: Life as an international student in Melbourne, Australia By Abhasiri Chutikul As an international student studying at the University of Melbourne, two major changes happened in my life when I first entered university. I experienced university life along with going through the process of adapting to a new culture. Over the past three years, I have gained a lot of new experiences that I probably would not have had if I was studying elsewhere. The University of Melbourne sets a challenging academic goal for its students and that pushed me to focus more on my studies to achieve scores up to a satisfactory level. I felt the university effectively taught students integrative skills to integrate the theories studied to real world situations.
Although academically driven, Melbourne University students are anything but boring. Especially living in a residential college, I experienced the real Australian way of life. Subcommittees in the university run by students themselves host an endless number of events, whether it may be a fund raising event or entertainment such as plays and musicals. Being a university student exposes you to a social life that is hard to attain otherwise. I have made many lifelong friends here in Melbourne and am so grateful for the opportunity to study abroad. Melbourne is a very easy city to adapt to as the lifestyle seems to account for diverse ethnic backgrounds. Throughout my university career, I have grown to love living in Melbourne as much as I love living in Thailand. People there are very hospi-
table and friendly towards individuals from different cultural backgrounds. Whenever I missed home, Thai food would only be a ten minute tram ride away. Trams are just as convenient as cars or the BTS as the main mode of transport if you live in or near the CBD. Overall, I have had a very positive experience with my university life in Melbourne as it has broadened my perspective on life and has allowed me to get to know people that I would not have met otherwise. Abhasiri Chutikul is a third year BA. in Psychology student at University of Melbourne. She intends to continue her studies in Melbourne with an MA degree.
Luncheon Meeting with the Board of Investment on 29 July 2009 On Wednesday 29 July 2009, AustCham Thailand was pleased to invite members and guests to attend a Luncheon Meeting at The Westin Grande Sukhumvit, Bangkok. Guest Speaker Khun Duangjai Asawachintachit (Assistant Secretary General, Office of the Board of Investment) discussed “Updates on BOI Policies”. The presentation of the latest BOI incentives included a copy of the new BOI Investment Guide, followed by a Q&A session.
AustChamThailand Advance
Duangjai Asawachintachit’s published works include: 1994: “Impacts of the Uruguay Round Negotiations on Thailand’s Investment and Industrial Policies” published in the Sukhothai Thammathirat University Journal (Thai); 1995: Doing Business in the Greater Mekong Subregion (English); 1995: Guide to Investing in the People’s Republic of China (Thai); 1999: “WTO and Investment Issues” published in the journal of the Faculty of Law, Chulalongkorn University (Thai). The presentation file can be downloaded from the AustCham website under Reports & Updates.
AustCham Director Ben Young and Khun Duangjai Asawachintachit, BOI.
September 2009
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Chamber Events
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All Chambers Sundowners at Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok on Wednesday, 5 August 2009 On Wednesday 5 August 2009, AustCham Thailand invited members of all thirty foreign Chambers and Business Associations to join our Sundowners networking event at Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok. We thank dtac (corporate sponsor) and Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok (catering and venue sponsor) for their generous support.
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1) Khun Chanakarn Hongthong - dtac; Khun Kanokwan Ditpudee - dtac. 2) Robert Dallimore - Grand Hyatt Erawan; Andrew Durieux - AustCham President, Coverage; Petter Pedersen - dtac. 3) Five AustCham Presidents: Andrew Durieux - AustCham President, Coverage; Gary Woollacott - Past AustCham President, Opus Recruitment; David Wright - Past AustCham President, The Wright Public Relations Co., Ltd.; Gary White - Past AustCham President; Shane Torr - Past AustCham President, ISM Technology Recruitment. 4) Andrew Hamilton - Grant Thornton; Khun Premsuda Srinarula - dtac; Jan Johnsen - dtac; Khun Pornthip Leelasa-Ngasup - dtac; Khun Chaiyod Chirabowornkul - dtac; Khun Voravat Vongsangah - dtac. 5) Khun Chusak Direkwattanachai - President of Thai-Russian Chamber of Commerce, Judy A Benn, Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand, Mark Butters - Vice Chairman of Joint Foreign
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AustChamThailand Advance
Chamber Events
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8 Chambers of Commerce in Thailand, Marianne Dailloux - Executive Director of Franco-Thai Chamber of Commerce, Maurice Bromley - President of South AfricanThai Chamber of Commerce, Petter Pedersen - Senior Vice President (Division Head for International Business of Total Access Communication Plc (dtac)), Andrew Durieux - President of AustCham Thailand, Robert Dallimore - Resident Manager of Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok, R G Shockley - Executive Director of ThaiCanadian Chamber of Commerce. 6) Andrew Hamilton - Grant Thornton; Khun Chaiyod Chirabowornkul - dtac; Khun Voravat Vongsangah - dtac. 7) Shane Torr - Past AustCham President, ISM Technology Recruitment; Sally Holloway - KIS; Karen Carter - Bumrungrad International; Jennifer Saville - Australian Embassy. 8) Khun Krittiya Kanoknata - Servcorp; Bryan Dodd - Meinhardt; Khun Rakchanok Tiwa - Servcorp
AustChamThailand Advance
September 2009
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Chamber Events
Breakfast Briefing on 21 July 2009 On Tuesday 21 July 2009, AustCham Thailand was pleased to invite members and guests to a breakfast briefing at the AustCham office. This Breakfast Briefing was also broadcast live over the internet. Guest Speaker, Kevin Balm (APM Group) spoke on “Facilitative Leadership in Organisations”. Facilitative leadership is an alternative approach to leadership in organisations. It is at the other end of the leadership spectrum from traditional, top-down leadership models. A facilitative leader engages people in organisation strategy planning and execution, operational problem solving and decision making and collaborative thinking and learning. The focus of this session was on how senior leaders, line managers, and HR/OD staff could adopt a facilitative leadership approach to improve people’s alignment to organisation purpose, increase productivity of functional and project teams and stimulate new patterns of thinking about current situations. Kevin has over twenty years experience in designing and leading facilitation of participative learning, planning and decision making processes. He is a founding member of the International Association of Facilitators and the
AustCham Director Belinda Skinner and Kevin Balm, APM Group.
Australasian Facilitators Network, a past president of the Institute of Cultural Affairs, Australia, and member of the International Technology of Participation Network. Kevin specialises in enabling groups of stakeholders to explore and resolve strategic, systemic impediments to their effectiveness. He designs and delivers facilitation, learning and consulting
solutions aimed at stimulating business innovation, improving team productivity and increasing organisational coherence. The presentation file can be downloaded from the AustCham website under Reports & Updates, and a recording of the webinar can be viewed under News.
Breakfast Briefing on 28 July 2009 On Tuesday 28 July AustCham Thailand was pleased to invite members and guests to attend a Breakfast Briefing at the AustCham office (which was also broadcast as a webinar). Guest Speaker Wing Commander Sarawut Niamloi (M.D., Medical Director, International SOS) discussed “Protecting your workforce during a pandemic (from a medical point of view)”. Dr. Sarurat explained what companies can do to protect their workforce from
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H1N1 infection. Specifics in his talk included – an H1N1 situation update (Thailand and world wide), Clinical aspects of H1N1 infection for nonmedical personnel, H1N1 response and preparation and how to protect your workforce from H1N1 infection. Dr. Sarawut is a RTAF Officer and an expert in emergency medicine and evacuation. AustCham Executive Director Brett Gannaway and Khun Sarawut Niamloi, International SOS.
AustChamThailand Advance
Members’ Offers
Members’ Offers Amari Hotels and Resorts (Amari Orchid Resort & Tower, Pattaya) Get the best deal of the day on accommodation with added value spa, food & drink credit from just Baht 7,650 for 2 nights in an Ocean Deluxe Room at the Ocean Tower (breakfast excluded). This package is available till 31 October 2009, and also includes: Complimentary cash credit of Baht 500 / room / stay for food and drinks at any onsite restaurant and for spa treatments at Sivara Spa. 20% discount on food and drinks at any onsite restaurant, on laundry services & regular treatments and services at Sivara Spa.
and bookings please contact rsvn@baanlaksasubha, Tel 032514525-31, Fax 032514532 www.baanlaksasubha.com. AustCham membership verification is necessary when booking is processed.
Indian Delight Package including: 2 nights in with daily American breakfast, a Thai Indian set dinner at Essence Restaurant, 20% discount on treatments at Sivara Spa, laundry service & food and beverage (excluding Mantra Restaurant & Bar), guaranteed late check-out until 14.00hrs. Ocean Tower Baht 9,990 net / Garden Wing Baht 5,994 net. Available now until 31 October 2009. Call 038 418 418 for more details.
Thai Delights: Erawan Tea Room. Experience an all-you-can-eat authentic Thai dinner at the Erawan Tea Room overlooking the Erawan Shine. Baht 500++ per person (regular price at Baht 950++ per person).
Anantara Hua Hin Book a last-minute break at Anantara Hua Hin Resort & Spa and benefit from great rates especially created for residents of Thailand. Enjoy the beauty and laid-back luxury of a room or a suite plus delicious daily breakfast for two people. Anantara Hua Hin has fully-trained babysitters and childcare staff available. Rates start at Baht 3,999 net per room per night. Book your experience now by calling 0 3252 0250 or by email to huahin@anantara.com. Baan Laksasubha Resort Hua Hin Special promotion for AustCham members only. Two nights/ three days during weekdays from August-31 October 2009 at Baht 9,999* (includes: two nights accommodation, breakfast, two Thai set dinners with a bottle of selected beverage, one aromatherapy massage, late check-out at 2pm. For further enquiries for long stay rates
AustChamThailand Advance
Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok Family Meal Deal: The Dinning Room - Spasso - You&Mee. Your guests of 18 years old and under enjoy a free international lunch and dinner buffet in the Dinning Room (Monday to Thursday), Italian lunch buffet and Sunday Brunch at Spasso, as well as lunch buffet and the Khao Tom dinner buffet at You&Mee. One child per paying adult.
Happy Hour Specials: Spasso - Bar@494 - The Breezeway. Spasso, Bar@494 and The Breezeway offer Happy Hour specials on standard drinks from 7:00pm to 10:30pm. Loyalty Rewards: All Restaurants and Bars. For every THB 500 spent on lunch or dinner, receive a THB 100 discount voucher. Loyalty Rewards vouchers are accumulative and redeemable on your next visit to any restaurant. Amount spent on one check for food and beverage after discount (if any) and before applicable tax and service charge. Special offers are not valid in conjunction with other promotions and/or Club at the Hyatt benefits. For more information and to make a reservation, please call 02 254 1234. Grand Millennium Sukhumvit Buy 1 get 1 free on standard drinks everyday from 17:30 - 21:00 hrs at Grand Millennium Sukhumvit. inBlu, Lobby Level, open daily 16:00 01:00 hrs. For more information and reservations, please call +66 2 204 4150 or email: fb@grandmillenniumskv.com.
Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya From as low as Baht 2,100++ per room/night. Enjoy a Rockin’ stay at Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya. For more information or reservations, please call (0)3842 8755-9. Email: rooms.pattaya@ hardrockhotels.net Website: www.hardrockhotels.net. Holiday Inn Book one night and get the next night on us! You have the option to build your own holiday package by selecting from any of our participating hotels and resorts throughout Thailand. Rates starting from Baht 3,199 net / room / night. For more information, please visit our website: www.holidayinn.com. InterContinental Bangkok Dine at any of our restaurants and bars including Cafe’ G and Charm Thai from Baht 500 - 4,001 and receive a voucher equivalent to your food bill for your next visit (until 30 September 2009 only). For more information or to make reservations, please call 02 656 0444 or visit our website: www.icbkkmarcom.com. Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok is delighted to offer a memorable once in a lifetime experience only for local residents in a very special package at 11,999 net. Supplement per room per night: Deluxe Garden / River Wing Room - Baht 4,999, Deluxe Stateroom / Executive Suite - Baht 7,999, Extra Bed – Baht 999. Lord Jim’s offers for local residents of Bangkok/Thailand, Lunch buffet on Weekdays - Baht 1,300 net, Lunch buffet on Sundays - Baht 1,650 net, 4-course set Dinner Baht 1,800 net (with choices). Le Normandie is offering a very special promotion for local residents of Bangkok/Thailand. Enjoy the following privileges at Le Normandie 3-course Lunch menu at Baht 1,000 net, 4-course Dinner menu at Baht 2,100 net, 4-course Dinner with foie gras at Baht 2,700 net. For more details and reservations, please call +66 (0) 2659 9000, Email: mobkk-restaurants@mohg. com, Website: www.mohg.com. Available until 30 September 2009.
President Park Hotel (President Palace Hotel – Now Open) Special offer Superior Room at Baht 2,599 with buffet breakfast. For more exciting offers, please visit presidentpalacehotel.com or call our sales personnel at 02 651 0472 or email: sales-co@grandpresident.com. Tanayong (U Chiang Mai) Last chance to book special launch rate of Baht 48,500 net per night for a minimum of 2 consecutive nights stay available until end of September 30, 2009. Rate inclusive of taxes, luxurious accommodation for up to 14 guests, all meals included and some beverages. Beverages will be based on consumption basis which you can select in advance. Take advantage of U Chiang Mai’s offer, our special corporate rates start at Baht 2,500 net per night, rates available from now until October 31, 2009. Rooms are limited. Advance booking is required and subject to availability. Residents rates for Thai nationals and residents of Thailand. Rates start at Baht 2,800 per night. For bookings of two nights, rates start at Baht 2,600 net per night and Baht 2,200 per night for bookings of three nights and more. The longer you stay the better the rates, available from now until October 31, 2009. For more information and reservations, please call at 02 273 8507 or email to: dos@uhotelsresorts.com Venezia Ristorante Happy Hour: 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm - “Buy One Get One Free” on selected beverages. For more information or reservations, please call 02 254 6356 or email: reservations@veneziabkk. com. Please visit our website at: veneziabkk.com. Please note, all details are subject to change, please contact respective businesses directly for latest details.
September 2009
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New Members and Members’ Changes
NEW CORPORATE ORDINARY MEMBERS
Jewelarc International Ltd. 25 K.S. Building, 5th Fl. Soi Sathorn 9 Yannawa, Sathorn, Bangkok 10120 Tel: +66 (0) 2675 4940 Fax: +66 (0) 2675 4941 Email: tom@jewelarc.com Website: www.jewelarc.com Principal: Jomkhwan Kampanthong Alternate: Matthew Triglone Jewelarc is a supplier of jewellery products to wholesalers, retailers and catalogue publishers around the world.
Chiva-Som International Health Resort 73/4 Petchkasem Road Hua Hin, Prachuab Khirikhan 77110 Tel: +66 (0) 3253 6536 Fax: +66 (0) 3251 1154 Email: reserve@chivasom.com Website: www.chivasom.com
East Marine Co, Ltd 23/159, Moo 2, Thepkrasattri Road Tambon Koh Kaew, Ampur Muang Phuket 83200 Tel: +66 (0) 81 537 3986 Fax: +66 (0) 7623 9113 Email: info@eastmarineasia.com Website: www.eastmarineasia.com
Principal: Scott Bradley Alternate: Sasithorn Bradley Marine Equipment Distributor East Asia East Marine Co., Ltd. was formed in 2006 and is owned and operated by Scott Bradley. Scott has been around boats all his life. Sailing dinghies from 4 years old, building boats from age 6 with his dad. He has owned sailing yachts and skippered motor yachts. He has been a qualified shipwright since 1988 and started his own ship repair facility in Thailand in 1997 and East Marine in 2006.
Precision Springs (Thailand) Co Ltd 64/94 Moo 4 Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate (Rayong) Tambol Pluakdaeng, Pluakdaeng Rayong 21140 Tel: +66 (0) 3895 5930-2 Fax: +66 (0) 3895 5934
Principal: Greg Hoole Alternate: Matthew Gibbens Precision Springs (Thailand) Co Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Gibbens Industries which has over 70 years experience in design and manufacture of springs, wire forming and metal stamping using some of the most modern machinery and manufacturing techniques available. The Company is one of the few suppliers worldwide which provide a complete turnkey solution to all the clients’ spring design needs from concept to manufacture.
Five Star (Thailand) Ltd. 70 Moo 1 Bangna Trad Road, Km. 12 (Kingkaew Road) T. Rachathawa, A. Bang Plee Samutprakarn 10540 Tel: +66 (0) 2750 3817 Email: david@fivestarthai.com Website: www.fivestarthai.com
The Chillington Tool (Thailand) Co., Ltd 826, 826/1 Crocodile Rd., Soi 13 Moo 4 Bangpoo Industrial Estate Praekesa, Muang, Samutprakarn 10280 Tel: +66 (0) 2709 3422-4, 2709 3835-7 Fax: +66 (0) 2709 4960 Website: www.Chillington.co.uk
Principal: David Jeffers
Principal: Rodney Wayne Byers Alternate: Waraporn Poungkham
Principal: Claire Leslie The brainchild of Thailand’s former Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Boonchu Rojanastein Chiva-Som consistently wins international awards for best Destination Spa in the World. Located on seven acres of beachside land in Hua-Hin, Chiva-Som is the premier luxury health resort and spa in Asia. Chiva-Som which translates as “Haven of Life”, is built on the philosophy that the mind and body should work in unison with the spirit. The aims for guests are threefold: to achieve immediate, tangible benefits, learn how to extend these into a lifestyle and to enjoy the journey.
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Five Star (Thailand) Ltd in partnership with Five Star Tooling Pty Ltd of Australia set up business operations in Thailand during January 2002. The main objective is to continue to satisfy our customers with quality engineered lower cost tooling and metal stampings out of Thailand. Today Five Star (Thailand) Ltd operates solely out of Thailand exporting mainly to Australia however have exported to North America and South Africa previously for Industries such as the Automotive, Mining, White Goods and Building.
The Chillington Tool Company has been supplying the agricultural and construction industries with quality hot forged Crocodile brand hoes, forks, machetes for over one hundred years. Additionally the company also produces hot forged scaffold fittings and press fittings for automotive industries, etc. using high carbon British steel, Chillington sets the highest standard for quality worldwide.
AustChamThailand Advance
New Members and Members’ Changes
John W. Hancock & Associates Limited 99/14 Langsuan Balcony, Soi Langsuan Lumpini, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 Tel: +66 (0) 2254 7355 Fax: +66 (0) 2254 5509 Email: john@johnhancockassoc.com Website: www.johnhancockassoc.com
Principal: John W. Hancock Over 35 years of in-country activity providing guidance and direction as to how best to deal with the businesslegal aspects of set-up and conduct of business in Thailand. Khronos Advisory Limited 622 Emporium Tower, 25/F (2-4) Sukhumvit Road, Klongton, Klongtoey Bangkok 10110 Tel: +66 (0) 2664 9100 Fax: +66 (0) 2664 9110 Website: www.khronosadvisory.com
KONE is one of the world’s leading elevator and escalator companies. We provide our customers with industryleading elevators and escalators and with innovative solutions for their maintenance and modernisation. KONE provides safe, environmentally efficient and responsible high performance services, modernisations and solutions. We strive for continuous improvement in all of our business activities by following or exceeding applicable rules and regulations, and working with our suppliers and customers to prevent or reduce business operation related emissions and waste.
Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Bangkok 88/333 Sukhumvit Soi 55 (Thong Lor Soi 8), North Klongton Wattana, Bangkok 10110 Tel: +66 (0) 2763 9000 Fax: +66 (0) 2763 9090 Email: kmaneenuch@panpacific.com Website: www.panpacificservicedsuites.com Principal: Danny Lingham Alternate: Maneenuch Sammachivakit
Principal: Dr. Paul Crosio Alternate: Chayot Vitayanonektavee Khronos Advisory was established 2003 by Mr. Guy Jen-Sheng Altree. By focusing on our core markets in Southeast Asia and our proven skills in corporate finance advisory, mergers and acquisitions, project development, and principal investment we aim to deliver client service that ranks us among the top financial and commercial advisors in the region.
Kone Thai Lift PCL 239 Rimklongprapa Road, Bangsue Bangkok 10800 Tel: +66 (0) 913 3370 # 501 Website: www.kone.com
Principal: Marc Spiegel Alternate: Boonlert Homapant AustChamThailand Advance
Luxury serviced accommodation brand Pan Pacific Serviced Suites had established its first property in Bangkok and the second in the Asia Pacific region. It will be the only serviced suites accommodation in Thailand where residents can rely on personal assistants to provide them with local connections to the city. Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Bangkok is part of Eight Thonglor, a 72,693 square meter mixed-use development that also includes a 34-storey apartment tower and a shopping centre spread over three levels offering an interesting mix of food and beverage outlets and a gourmet supermarket. Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Bangkok will offer a total of 148 Suites. Each stylishly designed suite will feature premium branded amenities and high speed internet access. Residents will be able to keep to their exercise regime at the state-of-the-art fitness centre, refresh themselves in the swimming pool or unwind in the Living Room or the Pacific Lounge for leisure.
Siam Winery Trading Plus Co., Ltd. 174/1-4 Soi Viphavadee-Rangsit 78 Viphavadee Rangsit Road Sikun, Donmuang, Bangkok 10210 Tel: +66 (0) 2533 5600 Fax: +66 (0) 2533 5405 Email: kim@siamwinery.com Website: www.siamwinery.com Principal: Kim Wachtveitl Alternate: Nathasit Wajasittisilp Siam Winery was founded in 1986 by Khun Chalerm Yoovidhya with the vision to offer alternative and healthier alcoholic beverages for Thais and foreigners, residents and tourists alike. His aim has been to put Thailand on the world wine map. Siam Winery’s mission is to be recognised worldwide as Asia’s leading producer of premium wines and grape-based products, while setting new standards for the Thai export market.
Change of Representative Ms. Boonrat Siriratanopas, Senior Vice President – Credit and Marketing Department is a new representative of BSL Leasing Co., Ltd. Mr. Peter Wilson, Country President is a new representative of BlueScope Steel (Thailand) Ltd. Ms. Julie Chabra, International Marketing Department Manager is a new representative of Samitivej Public Company Limited. Mr. Pete Cheah, Marketing Associate, International Marketing is a new representative of Samitivej Public Company Limited. Mrs. Premrudee Tanyaluck, DGM Finance and Administration is a new representative of British Club Bangkok. Ms. Juraporn Sinlapharojanapanich is a new representative of The University of Melbourne. Mr. Marae Ciantar, Partner is a new representative of Siam Premier International Law Office Ltd. Mr. Pattanapong Tansomboon, Senior Vice President is a new representative of KASIKORNBANK Public Co., Ltd. September 2009
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From the Chamber Office
Message from the ED
B
y the time you read this month’s edition of Advance, the Australian Business Awards recipients and the Business of the Year will have been announced and the Australian Business Awards will be over for another year. This year there was a great balance of both large and small companies who made it through to the finals and you can see all of the finalists’ profiles on pages 22-24 of this month’s edition of Advance. Congratulations to all companies who made the finals. I would like to thank all of those who put in their time and effort to make sure that the Business Awards was a success including our sponsors, Akara Mining and Bangkok Post; our panel of independent judges and all the companies that put themselves forward this year. This month was a very busy month for Sundowners with events being held in Bangkok, Phuket and on the Eastern Seaboard. The Bangkok event was an All Chambers Sundowners where AustCham invited members of all thirty foreign Chambers of Commerce to join in our networking evening. Thank you to dtac and the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok for sponsoring the night. The first of the Phuket Sundowners for 2009 was held earlier last month at the Novotel Phuket and thank you to the sponsors PCS, A++ Software, Limcharoen Hughes & Glanville, Novotel Phuket and Lady Pie for sponsoring the event. I would also like to thank our Phuket coordinators, Harry Usher and Steve Brajak for organising the evening. The next Phuket Sundowners is scheduled for early November and details will be sent shortly. This month the Eastern Seaboard Sundowners was held at the stunning Sheraton Pattaya and sponsored by AA Insurance. Eastern Seaboard Sundowners is becoming very popular and I encourage you all to attend this event, usually held on the second Friday of each month.
1 October will see the Chamber’s inaugural Sundowners in Chiang Mai. If you are interested in joining the Chamber in Chiang Mai make sure to keep an eye out for information being sent or visit our website for further details. 26 Saturday, 2009 will see the AFL Grand Final to be held at the Amari Watergate. This year our guest will be the legendary footballer Ron Barassi. We have introduced an “Early Bird” special with a reduced ticket price. The offer runs out on Friday, 4 September 2009 so make sure you take full advantage of the cheaper price and purchase your tickets either directly on the website or by calling the Chamber office. You may have noticed the new member offers page (page 35) in this month’s edition of Advance. The member offers page is open to all members of the Chamber who would like to advertise promotions or special offers to other members of the chamber. It is a free service and descriptions of the promotion should be kept to a minimum. As always we are constantly looking for ways to improve the chamber and hope to hear any comments or suggestions from you.
Calendar of Events WEDNESDAY, 2 SEPTEMBER Bangkok Sundowners
18.00 – 21.00 Venue: The Landmark Bangkok FRIDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER ESB Sundowners
18.00 – 21.00 Corporate Sponsor: Meinhardt Catering & Venue Sponsor: Amari Orchid Resort & Tower SATURDAY, 12 SEPTEMBER Voluntary English Teaching
Venue: Baan Khao Din School, Chonburi THURSRDAY, 24 SEPTEMBER NZTCC Networking
18.30 – 20.30 Venue Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit (Please contact NZTCC) SATURDAY, 26 SEPTEMBER AFL Grand Final Day
8.30 Onwards Venue: Amari Watergate
THURSDAY, 1 OCTOBER Chiang Mai Sundowners
18.30 Onwards Venue: TBC
WEDNESDAY, 7 OCTOBER Bangkok Sundowners
18.00 – 21.00 Corporate Sponsor: BNH Hospital Catering & Venue Sponsor: Westin Grande Sukhumvit Brett Gannaway Executive Director, AustCham Thailand www.austchamthailand.com
Thank you to all August event sponsors
FRIDAY, 9 OCTOBER AustCham ESB Charity Golf Open
11.00 Onwards Venue: Phoenix Golf Club, Sukhumvit Road, Km 158, Huai Yai ESB Sundowners
18.00 – 21.00 Corporate Sponsor: AGS Four Winds Catering & Venue Sponsor: Holiday Inn Pattaya FRIDAY, 30 OCTOBER Phuket Sundowners
18.30 – 20.30 Venue: TBC
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AustChamThailand Advance