The Brief, Oct/Nov 2011

Magazine of the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand October / November 2011

www.bccthai.com

Thailand’s Education Reform The Brief

October / November 2011

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CONTENTS October / November 2011

BCCT

Board of Directors Chairman GRAHAM MACDONALD MBMG Group T: 02 665 2534/9 graham@mbmg-international.com Vice Chairman SIMON LANDY Colliers International Thailand T: 02 684 1500 slandy@loxinfo.co.th

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Treasurer JOHN SIM KPMG in Thailand T: 02 677 2081 jsim@kpmg.co.th Directors STEPHEN FROST Bangkok International Associates T: 02 231 6201/6455 bia@cscoms.com, sfrost@bia.co.th RICHARD GREAVES Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok T: 02 254 1234 richard.greaves@hyatt.com

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COLIN HASTINGS The Big Chilli Co., Ltd. T: 02 233 1774-6 colin1066@hotmail.com Matthew Lobner HSBC T: 02 614 4000 matthew.k.lobner@hsbc.com SIMON MATTHEWS Manpower Thailand T: 02 634 7273 matthews@manpower.th.com CHRIS THATCHER Individual T: 085 064 8884 christhatcher1@gmail.com Dean Thompson Boots Retail (Thailand) Ltd T: 02 694 5999 dean.thompson@bootsrt.com NIGEL OAKINS Blue Mango Publishing Co., Ltd T: 02 237 9800 nigel@oakins.com JAMES PITCHON CB Richard Ellis (Thailand) Co., Ltd T: 02 654 1111 james.pitchon@cbre.co.th DAVID VICCARS Securitas Security Services Thailand Ltd T: 02 361 3700 david.viccars@securitas.co.th

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This Edition

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Leading academic calls for education reform in Thailand

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Front cover: Dr Virachai Techavijit, Founder and Chairman of The Regent’s Schools and Honorary Adviser to the BCCT

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New child protection animated resource

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Video offers more sex appeal

Raw deal for UK pensioners living in Thailand

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UK Group keeps up pressure over passports renewals

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Tribute to Dusit Nontanakorn

Tax planning adds up to real cash savings

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CSR programme helps children at Baan Fuengfah

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CONTENTS October / November 2011

British Chamber of Commerce Thailand 7th Floor, 208 Wireless Road Bangkok 10330, Thailand Tl: 02-651 5350/3 F: 02-651 5354 Website: www.bccthai.com Email: greg@bccthai.com Greg Watkins, Executive Director

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The Brief is published by: British Chamber of Commerce Thailand For advertising and editorial enquiries, please contact Greg Watkins Executive Director - BCCT Production: Scand-Media Corp., Ltd Bangkok

The views expressed by individual authors are not necessarily those of the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand or of the publisher.

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand is strictly prohibited.

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Chairman outlines decision to withdraw from JFCCT Message from your Executive Director Upbeat report from UK Trade and Industry Director Bradley Jones

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New team takes shape at EABC in Bangkok

BOI looks to attract more UK investment By the Numbers Chambers Events

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Forthcoming Events/ Comings & Goings

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Chairman’s Message

M Graham MacDonald

Official Sponsors

uch has happened since my message in the last issue of The Brief. First and foremost was the decision by the board to resign from JFCCT. After much discussion over the previous months a unanimous decision was made to formally resign from the JFCCT. BCCT’s reasons for doing so are many but stem largely from a new Charter approved by JFCCT that includes operating procedures that are unacceptable to BCCT. Furthermore, with its current modus operandi BCCT sees little, if any, direct benefit to members. For example, in many cases reports and minutes of JFCCT meetings are not allowed to be circulated to the chamber’s membership thus depriving you of potentially important information that could be vital to the running of your business.

In addition the board believes that it is important that lobbying is undertaken on members’ behalf direct with the Thai government and not through the media. On the rare occasions that the media is involved the board believes that BCCT must be consulted and its opinions respected before any views are made known by a JFCCT representative. Furthermore, the board does not agree with the voting structure in the new Charter. We do not think that any chamber should abdicate to the majority when it does not benefit its own membership. It was also felt that as the American and Australian chambers had already resigned the weight and gravitas of JFCCT had been considerably reduced. The board was somewhat surprised and concerned to see that the departures of both chambers did not even warrant an item for discussion on the agendas of the next JFCCT Presidents’ meetings. I would like to emphasise that we have not closed the door completely on JFCCT and, should things change, we will look at a possible return.

BCCT will continue to work closely with the Board of Trade of Thailand and Thai Chamber of Commerce in raising issues of importance to members. We will also continue to explore opportunities to work with individual chambers or groups of chambers, eg through the European ASEAN Business Centre (EABC). We will also continue to work closely, where appropriate, with AMCHAM and AustCham.

Official Supporters

Annual Airline Sponsors

Elsewhere there have been several changes on the board. With the tragic passing of Paul Millar we were left with one director short on the board. I am delighted to say that Paul’s successor, Dean Thompson, has agreed to join us as his replacement.

Robert Hermelin of HSBC has now transferred to Vietnam and has been replaced

by Matthew Lobner who is CEO of HSBC Thailand. Neil Ager, Country Manager of British Airways, is also on the move and we will look to replace him at the appropriate time. This has also meant we have lost a Vice Chairman, however, I am happy to announce that Simon Landy of Colliers has agreed to step into the position until the end of the board’s present term in January.

With regards to the financial health of BCCT, it is with pleasure that I can announce the numbers continue to be positive but we will not stop being ever vigilant until we can feel confident the problems have been addressed and even then we will still keep a careful eye on things. One thing that will help is if you do have any outstanding invoices then I would be most grateful if you could pay the chamber as quickly as possibe. Also, please remember if you do introduce a new member then you get 25% off your fees for next year for every new member introduced.

Finally, it is with great sadness that I have to announce that Khun Dusit Nontanakorn, Chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade of Thailand passed away in early September. He was a great friend of BCCT and his loss at such a comparatively early age is a tragedy. Our sympathies go to his family, friends and colleagues. A full obituary can be found elsewhere in this issue of The Brief.

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Executive Director’s Message

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ollowing a recommendation by the Communications & PR Group the BCCT board has decided to bring BCCT’s magazine The Brief inhouse. The key driver in coming to this decision was a desire to market advertisements without restriction. Complete flexibility also allows BCCT to sell advertisements in The Brief together with the Annual Handbook and to offer ads in both publications as benefits of sponsorship packages.

GREG WATKINS

Other Major Sponsors

Editorial responsibility remains with BCCT while design, layout and printing is sub-contracted to a member publisher. There are some presentational changes to this issue with a return to a more traditional A4 size and an increase to 72 pages in page length which necessitates different binding.

The single cover image and main headline continues as do larger but fewer photographs in the events gallery. A full on-line version of The Brief will be created to be loaded with ads on to the BCCT website for members’ and public access.

The Brief is published every two months. In terms of content The Brief is your magazine and it is published specifically with your business in mind. I encourage you to share your news, achievements, appointments, photographs and much more. If you would like to prepare an article or any contribution that you believe would be of interest to members please contact me on – greg@bccthai.com.

Future regular content may include: messages from the Chairman and Executive Director; events photos with brief descriptions and captions; forthcoming events with details; Comings & Goings – new members & cancellations; Helping the Needy – featuring one of BCCT’s or BCTFN’s charities; Key benefits of membership; Members Special Offers; sponsorship packages; ‘Join the board’ – for those considering standing for election; UK Trade & Industry and consular updates from the British Embassy; British Council; BCCT’s UK Group; Britain in South East Asia contacts and updates; By the Numbers from Chris Bruton; The Gherkin from Bill Condie; developments at the European ASEAN Business Centre; a Thailand BOI column; key business issues eg property; Legal update eg work permits; and Letters from Chiang Mai or Phuket.

With the full support of the BCCT board I am participating in the LOSE IT4GOOD sponsored weight-loss campaign with 12 other executives. The beneficiary is the Village Development Partnership, an initiative that has set up over 400 community-scale banks to extend micro-credit across Thailand.

It is the brainchild of Dr. Mechai Viravaidya. I am aiming to lose 12 kilos by 1st December (this year). If you would like to sponsor me or any other participant please follow the steps on – www.loseit4good.org.

At the April monthly meeting the BCCT board resolved to appoint a Deputy Director to the BCCT office. I would like to introduce and welcome Khun Sarinthorn (Jyoti) who will start work on 5th October. Jyoti’s primary roles will be administration, finance, membership and sponsorship (particularly to Thai contacts in member companies and contacts in the Thai community), public relations and loyalty/member offers.

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Cover Story

Thailand’s Education Reform:

Any light at the end of the tunnel?

By Dr Virachai Techavijit

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Dr. Virachai Techavijit, Chairman of the Regent’s schools, was invited to appear on Spring News TV three times including once with the then Education Minister and his shadow counterpart before the general election when he was asked to comment on the two biggest parties’ platform on Education Policy. The second time was with the Secretary of Education Council and the third was regarding the free distribution of electronic tablets to all state schools’ Grade 1 pupils with Khun Jom Pejpradab.

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r. Virachai attempts to cover briefly how Thailand’s Education Reform should be properly undertaken at the macro level and explain the flaw in the way the Thai Government both past and present has mishandled the matter.

and how to reform the education system. This is again fully understandable, for the government themselves have a lot more important challenges ahead and no time to spare for such a long term issue.

Two common excuses for not paying attention to Education Reform are 1) majority of voters are not interested for it is too far from their daily struggle, 2) politicians themselves do not know how long they will be in office.

Later, in the second part of the article, Dr. Virachai touches on the importance of the Reform at the micro level by suggesting to the government the need to zero in on one single concrete objective for the Education Reform to benefit all students whilst tackling the social disorders currently troubling young Thais. He goes on to suggest effective ways how to fulfill such an objective.

So why start something long term when the next person in power will just scrap the initiative anyway?

Why bother with being unpopular when they could start several short term projects much more popular to the majority of voters?

Short term and long term policies are both essential in the campaign Dr. Virachai, whose expertise in education is highly regarded, concurs with the two parties’ short term policies which address education problems. These popular platforms are necessary to gain votes from the majority of Thai voters who are the poor and the uneducated who mostly do not understand the benefits of long term policies.

Nor do they have the resources to wait for them to be implemented as many may not live to see the fruits the new reforms may bring to their communities, their children or grand children.

Dr. Virachai however mentions that, despite of its absence from the political platform, no respectable party will deny that our current 14 years old Education Reform should be on their priority list or else our young generation will be lagging behind other countries in education, and unfortunately, the trend in which many young Thai people admire corrupt government officials will continue or even worsen.

General principle of education reform

Besides there is no guarantee that the government will last four years, so campaigning with long term policies will not attract voters either poor or uneducated who are the majority of voters.

The decay in the quality of education which Thai students receive is evident through the very low marks in some international competitive tests, notably PISA1 in which Thailand was ranked 49 out of 53 countries, as well as the national O-Net2 examinations.

Thus it is fully understandable why Education Reform is not clearly stated on the platform by both parties.

Regardless of political party, government after government has miserably failed to understand what to reform

In fact this chronic problem of shortsightedness could be resolved in theory but in reality it is inconceivable since politicians are always egotistical and do not wish to see any committee or body set up above them. Having said this, the author would still like to document the proper way to handle the Education Reform of this country for one day there may be a prudent politician who has real power and sincere wish to reform the education system to benefit all in society.

In any reform, there are normally two essential distinctive parts, the detailed blueprints production and the implementation of those blueprints. We may call them the ‘Reform Planning Committee’ and the ‘Reform Implementation Committee’.

The former is vested to carry out indepth studies as to what is wrong with the current system and what the ideal system should be for the country over the next five to 50 years. The latter is simply the executive branch, i.e. the government.

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Cover Story The blueprints producing committee will work out the detailed blueprints of what needs to be reformed and how. This Committee should be simply called the ‘Education Reform Committee’ or ‘National Committee on Education Reform’ and it must be appointed under the Constitution so that its final blueprints will have to be implemented by any government regardless of political party, or else they will violate the Constitution.

The government cannot interfere with these final blueprints which should be enacted as ‘law’. It is unlikely that government will interfere or oppose it since the blueprints are not the products or performance of their political adversary. On the contrary, the government must implement the blueprints according to the timeline specified.

The following is a macro plan for the benefit of those readers who wish to know the step by step process needed to be carried out by the Education Reform Committee on in producing the urgently needed blueprints of the Education Reform. The author is pleased to describe in chronological order as follows: 1. To decide on where Thailand wants to be and what character and ability Thai secondary school and tertiary graduates should possess in short, medium and long term, say 10, 20, and 50 years from now .

The Education Reform Committee must be able to figure out where Thailand should be positioned among the rest of the world in 10, 20 and 50 years from now then determine what kind of technical abilities, social skills and moral characters Thai graduates must possess to survive successfully amidst the global colleagues and competitors in those time frames.

Let us take a look at just two spheres: a) technical subject knowledge.

Will Thai graduates be English

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proficient, computer literate, knowledgeable of global interaction, capable in dealing with international trade and cooperation?, b) moral values and social skills. Will Thai graduates possess the courage to speak and act, possess the imaginative ability to solve all sorts of problems, possess generosity towards the less fortunate and the country as a whole, possess a constant resolution to improve one’s own weaknesses, and stand on principles against all wrong doings especially corruption, the most damaging current social disease.

2. To decide on what education system and curricula are needed to produce such targeted character traits and ability of Thai graduates in 10, 20 and 50 years.

Once those needed technical abilities, moral characters and social skills are identified and officially accepted, the Education Reform Committee needs to research the most suitable education systems and curricula available in the world, upon which the Committee should develop blueprints of a perfect system most applicable to Thai culture and values in order to create a strong, prudent and competent young Thai generation

Cover Story who will become well rounded adults with proper moral principles intact.

3. To detail out the chosen Education Reform and Curricula.

The Reform Committee, with the help of experts from various areas and industries both from within and outside the country, will have to detail out a curriculum for each area of study and moral training according to age group in order to achieve the targeted characters and intelligence wished for in those time dimensions.

4. To train teachers and teacher trainers.

When all blueprints of characters, moral values and social skills are finalised, the Reform Committee will have to map out how to train existing teachers and how to produce new teachers so that they will be effective implementers of these blueprints.

The training of this new teaching approach will have to be conducted by those experts outside the Ministry.

These could be foreign experts or Thai educators who have gained experience from elsewhere.

A minimum qualification equivalent to the UK’s PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate of Education) and QTS (qualified Teacher Status) along with their vigorous certifying process and retraining must be set up to ensure proper teaching effectiveness. The quality of the teachers’ trainers is essential to the success of the implementation of the Reform. Basic and minimum requirements to ensure sustainable teaching quality must include, but not limited to, the following: a) Evaluation of knowledge and skills of students after a certain period of learning to determine whether the learning objectives have been met. If not, determine whether the deficiency is caused by teachers or teachers’ trainers or both. This evaluation must be

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done by independent assessors and not by the education ministry or the teachers training institute b) Establishment of objective incentive schemes which award teachers of high quality teaching 5. To raise the teaching career’s respectability and compensation to attract better graduates.

The Education Reform Committee will establish a comprehensive system which will raise the teaching profession to a higher level of respect and recognition by society which will subsequently demand higher pay and in turn will attract more university graduates to enter teaching training to obtain PGCE and QTS qualifications.

6. To provide quality education to all students.

Another objective of the Reform is to provide quality education to all students no matter where they live, that is, ‘equal opportunity to all.’

This is again easier said than done.

The shortage of good teachers is a common problem everywhere in the world – especially in the rural areas.

All good teachers will ambitiously struggle in their career path for a better position, thus it is important

for them to be in the city where performance can be enhanced and seen by superiors. In addition, side line tutoring to earn more money to keep up with more expensive living costs is only possible in cities. More critical even is that their children will not get a quality education if they too live in rural areas.

It is natural therefore that able and competent teachers are reluctant to teach in rural areas and as a consequence up country children do not receive the same quality of education as their counterparts in the city.

Again this is a micro issue which will be elaborated on further in the article but a brief highlight of a simple solution to those politicians who may not have time to read the micro discussion, why not use the existing satellite system more efficiently and effectively through the aid of recorders/players.

The Committee could stipulate the proper use of this simple technology in such a way that all subjects are taught by top teachers in Bangkok by being transmitted to rural areas via satellite TV channels.

Local teachers could record these or obtain choice subjects from servers,

then play in the class with pauses as frequently as needed to make sure that no student is left lost in the discussion.

In Part Two (Dec-Jan issue), the author will discuss Education Reform at the micro level including some simple administrative and teaching techniques to enable teachers and school administrators to use in the classroom immediately, without having to wait for the Constitution Amendment to create the National Education Reform Committee which may take another 10 years or longer.

These techniques will bring about happiness in the classroom.

Soccer skills course raises cash for autism centre

In fact the author believes that as far as each teacher is concerned, he or she should have only one objective in teaching, that is, ‘every pupil in his or her class fully understands and enjoys learning what is being taught.’

Once everyone in the class understands what is taught, a wonderful atmosphere will come about and that is what we call ‘happiness’. This creation of ‘happiness’ in classroom should be the ultimate end result of the Education Reform, simply because most social disorders and problems in Thailand, such as street fighting, drugs, gambling, child abuse, teenage pregnancy, corruption to name but a few, are very likely started from unhappy students.

1 PISA (The Programme for International Student Assessment) is a worldwide evaluation of 15-year-old school pupils’ scholastic performance, performed first in 2000 and repeated every three years. It is coordinated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), with a view to improving educational policies and outcomes.

2 Thailand’s national examinations for secondary students Dr Virachai Techavijit is an honorary advisor to the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand.

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unds raised from the Regent’s School ‘pro skills’ soccer project are being used to help autistic children. The school’s soccer skills course takes place every week with proceeds donated directly to the Ban Khoa Baysi Autism Centre in Chonburi.

The school also added the proceeds of a treasure hunt rally to the same cause and presented a cheque for THB300,000. The Centre is raising funds to build a sensory room and nursing ward.

The school’s Director of Football Phil Larkin said, “It is an honour to help out the Autism Centre. It is barely a year old and their numbers have increased by 500 percent since it opened so it is a place that needs a great deal of help and support.

“I must stress that this project could not run if it was not for 15 outstanding young men and women volunteering their precious time every Friday as coaches. They are sports leaders of the highest calibre and it is a privilege and an honour to work with them.”

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Global warming and the Kyoto Protocol

By Philip Britton

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lobal warming is the subject of a great deal of heated debate, with extreme views about the science expressed by both the believers and the non-believers. There are environmental extremists who believe that we should return to cave dwelling in order to save penguins and polar bears (Stopglobalwarming.org).

At the opposite extreme there are those that deny that the burning of fossil fuels contributes to a warming climate – claiming that God would not allow the world that He created to be destroyed by climate change (Alliance).

As so often is the case, reality lies somewhere between the two extremes and a detailed discussion of the science of global warming is beyond the scope of this article. However, what cannot be denied is the fact that governments in the developed world, led by the European Union, have started to take global warming seriously and are obliging their citizens and companies to take action to stop global warming.

It is certainly possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions without becoming cave dwellers but, put simply, clean technology is more expensive and more risky than tried and tested dirty technology. A hybrid car is more expensive to buy than a traditional vehicle, a wind farm solar or hydropower project requires a much greater capital investment than coal powered generation (Systems).

The Kyoto Protocol was signed in 1997 (UNFCCC, Kyoto Protocol).

Under this international agreement the majority of industrialised nations agreed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to varying percentages below the 1990 level. For example the UK government agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by eight percent by 2012.

The Protocol adopted the principle of shared but differentiated responsibilities meaning that the polluter pays.

Western Europe and the USA enjoyed the wealth brought by the industrial revolution in the 19th and 20th centuries. The greenhouse gases emitted during this period of economic growth can stay in the atmosphere for up to 200 years or more (Lisa Moore).

These governments, with the notable exception of the USA, agreed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions but also agreed that developing nations should not have any similar obligations. The rationale behind this agreement was that traditional, or dirty, forms of energy are cheaper than clean and renewable sources and that the developing world should not forego economic development because of the increased cost of energy.

Politics and carbon trading The problem with such a lofty ideal is that it costs a lot of money. No western government would introduce an unpopular carbon tax or force an utility to demolish its existing stock of power

plants and build new cleaner facilities.

The additional cost would need to be passed on to the consumer (voter), meaning that politicians would fairly quickly join the ranks of the unemployed.

A central feature of the Kyoto Protocol is its requirement that countries limit or reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. By setting such targets emission reductions took on economic value. To help countries meet their emission targets, and to encourage the private sector and developing countries to contribute to emission reduction efforts, negotiators of the Protocol included three market-based mechanisms – Emissions Trading, the Clean Development Mechanism and Joint Implementation.

Taking the example of a coal fired power plant the capital expenditure on new plant, and the loss of amortisation on existing stock, is prohibitively expensive and it makes financial sense for that company to buy carbon credits from the company which has emitted less than their allocated ceiling. The company which is below its ‘cap’ is

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The CDM is necessarily complex because substantial amounts of money are involved. The UNFCCC must ensure that only genuine projects are approved as CDM projects.

Developers need to prove that the project will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, that the project is environmentally and socially sound, facilitates a transfer of technology, and that the project would not have gone ahead had there been no CDM revenues.

There are seven key stages in a CDM project lifecycle, and these are illustrated in the table below. rewarded for its past investment in clean energy and the company which exceeds its cap is given a cost effective means of reducing or offsetting its emissions. It also gives European companies time to slowly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

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Global warming and the developing world – outsourcing ?

The Emissions Trading Scheme, or the principle of carbon offsets, was extended under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) whereby emission reduction (or emission removal) projects in developing countries can earn certified emission reduction credits.

These saleable credits can be used by industrialised countries to meet a part of their emission reduction targets under the Kyoto Protocol. (UNFCCC, Clean Development Mechanism).

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) approves projects.

Utilities in Europe can offset their emissions by purchasing carbon credits. The additional revenue from the carbon credits means that a clean energy project in a country such as Thailand becomes more financially attractive to investors.

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not linger over London or New York but circulate around the stratosphere This is a more cost effective way of reducing emissions than doing so in the UK UK consumers – both commercial and residential – are not faced with rapidly increasing power bills which would be economically and politically ruinous Developing nations, in this example Thailand, are able to enjoy the economic prosperity that comes with energy production without increasing global warming If global warming is stopped the growth in the frequency and severity of hurricanes and floods, with the economic devastation that they bring, will be reduced

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Unfortunately the First Crediting Period of the Scheme (2005 to 2012) has not been the great success that many hoped it would be. The scheme has many critics, in addition to the ‘deniers’ mentioned earlier in this article, some of which are valid.

• The scheme, administered by the United Nations, is very bureaucratic and getting projects approved takes a long time. There is a shortage of the necessary skills, which is often at the root of these delays

Project Design

The Project Participant prepares a Project Design Document (PDD) which must follow UN templates and approved methodologies to calculate the emissions reductions. This document must also show that the project is environmentally and socially sound, and would not have gone ahead without CDM revenues

Host Country Approval

The project has to be approved by the government of the host country and by the government of the country in which the buyer is located

Validation

The PDD is checked by what is known as a Designated Operating Entity (DOE). These organizations – often quality management companies – are approved by the UNFCCC, and once they have done a thorough audit of the project they make a request for registration.

Registration

Projects submitted by the DOEs are checked and approved by the Executive Board of the UNFCCC.

Monitoring

Actual emissions (reductions) are monitored against the estimates in the PDD

Verification

The emissions reductions which are claimed by the Project Owner are checked by a DOE.

The benefits for all parties are clear: • The UK power company can stay within their emissions cap by reducing emissions elsewhere in the world. This is possible because greenhouse gas emissions do

Projects can claim carbon credits for a period of up to 21 years. The revenues can be very significant. As an example, a 70 MW wind farm in Thailand could earn up to US$2.25m per annum for 21 years.

CER Issuance

The Verification Report is checked and the Certified Emissions reductions (CERs) are issued.

• The scheme is necessarily complex because of the amounts of money involved. The rules are not always clearly understood by project owners, consultants and auditors • The USA refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol • The scheme has not been well marketed – project owners in the developing world are often unaware that monies are available to make a project viable

its way to international reinsurance markets such as Lloyd’s. If a marginal project becomes viable because of CDM revenues, UK banks can also benefit as project finance lenders.

As European economies recover – which they eventually will – energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions will increase again, meaning that a cost effective solution is needed more than ever.

Whilst some of the criticisms are valid, carbon trading remains the most cost effective way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It is still possible that a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol will be agreed but even if it is not many believe that bi-lateral agreements will be made between nations.

By investing in carbon credits UK companies can reduce their emissions at a reasonable cost and promote their technology in the developing world.

As the technology is often new and specialised the insurance often finds

Bibliography Alliance, C. (n.d.). An Evangelical Declaration on Global Warming.

Retrieved from Cornwall Alliance: http://www.cornwallalliance.org/ blog/item/prominent-signers-of-anevangelical-declaration-on-globalwarming/ Lisa Moore, P. (n.d.). Yahoo Green.

Retrieved from http://green.yahoo. com/blog/climate411/80/how-longdo-greenhouse-gases-last.html Stopglobalwarming.org. (n.d.). Stop Global Warming. Retrieved from http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/ Systems, P. E. (n.d.). Pure Energy Systems. Retrieved from http://peswiki.com/index.php/ Directory:Cents_Per_KilowattHour#Comparisons

Philip Britton may be contacted at Asianet Insurance & Reinsurance Brokers, 18th Floor, Central City Tower 1, 589/100 Bangna Trad Road, Bangkok 10260. Email: philip@airb.net Tel. (662) 745 7193 Fax. (662) 745 7196.

UNFCCC. (n.d.). Clean Development Mechanism. Retrieved from http:// cdm.unfccc.int/UNFCCC. (n.d.).

Kyoto Protocol. Retrieved from UNFCCC: http://unfccc.int/kyoto_ protocol/items/2830.php

Video sexier than text

By Phil Assem

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ou’ve started reading this but will you finish? If you were writing about your own business, how confident would you be that you could keep the readers attention to the end? If this were a video, I would have much better luck keeping your attention.

Unfortunately, the white space on these two pages is not enough to tell you all the reasons why video is necessary for your website.

Are you a fan of Apple products? If you look at their website you will notice they display their products

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with a glorious video and text. Both explain all the cool new features but does anyone bother reading the text?

Who are these people? The power of a well crafted video will have you frothing at the mouth as it shows cool new feature that, once seen, you cannot live without.

Just recently my boss James, a Brit like you lot, wanted to incorporate a task management system into our workflow. He discovered a video for RapidTASK and wanted me to check it out. I landed on their website and the first thing I noticed was ‘Watch

the 67 second video’. Before I read another word, I clicked to play the video because I wanted somebody to explain to me what this product was all about.

After I watched the video James, being the detail oriented maniac that he is, pointed out that the video was actually 89 seconds and that they cheated him out of 22 seconds of his life. But you know what? Whether or not they intended to cheat him, that video sold him on their product and we are now using RapidTASK in our office here at Mufasa.

The last thing I’ll touch on before I try and sell you on why a video should be part of your marketing plan is this: You Brits spell funny.

Colour is spelled color (only in the colonies. Ed). Specialise is spelled specialize (no it’s not!). Why else would my spell check be adding a squiggly red line under Colour and Specialise as I type? Yes, I’m aware you won’t see the red squiggly lines when this goes to print but trust me, they’re real.

So my point is, if a British bloke said the word colour or specialise in a video you wouldn’t know he was messing it all up! Do you see where I’m going with this? If you are trying to convey your message in print medium and your audience is just one IQ point short of understanding your product or service you will lose that sale. And let’s be clear, it is not the customers’ fault for not understanding.....it’s yours.

The consumers appetite is changing, the future is here. We are living in a time where you can be reading a magazine article while sitting on a train and, instead of just seeing a picture to accompany the text, you can watch a video. Granted, it’s not like the Harry Potter movies where the newspapers have videos playing on the page but we’re getting close.

With Apple’s iPad, and their competitors’ tablets, people are getting a much richer experience.

Combining video with text makes for greater absorption and interest. Can you imagine the possibilities of how your business could take advantage of these new technologies?

Don’t you think I would have preferred to show you this information in a video as opposed to telling you in this article? I could have too, if this magazine was intended to be distributed online and was formatted to play videos.

The technology is here.

To be honest, I’m a bit surprised you’re still reading this as I suspect

a majority of readers lose interest before finishing most articles. With video however, most viewers will continue watching until the end.

The way consumers are trending these days, if you don’t get with the times and have a video to entice your audience you’ll risk losing them.

Does your businesses have a website? Of course it does. It seems everybody has a website these days.

But do you remember a time when not everybody had a website? It wasn’t all that long ago. That is where we are with websites that incorporate video; not everybody has one.

Would you be surprised to know that the bounce rate for websites that incorporate video are much less then the average website that has no video? What’s a bounce rate you ask? It represents the percentage of visitors who enter the site and bounce (leave the site) rather than continue viewing other pages within the same site.

That is because, statistically, you have approximately eight seconds to capture a customer’s attention.

Most will leave before they’ve read a single word. However, websites that incorporate video tend to grab customers’ attention. Typically they will stay on your website longer, which will lead to greater sales.

Oh yes, one more important thing.

Videos are searchable! Ever hear of SEO? It stands for Search Engine Optimisation. It’s what makes some websites launch to the first page of Google, Yahoo or whatever search engine you use. Have you ever noticed there are thousands of pages when you type in a search?

Most people never even click to page two.

Therefore, having a website that utilises SEO to outrank the thousands of other websites is extremely valuable. What most people don’t know, however, is that videos are in fact searchable. If you

make an informative video about your company which is optimized for key words, you will be amazed at how many more hits you will receive.

The reason for this is search-bots scan the internet, and sniff out websites that have video related to their key word search. This places it higher in the SERP’s (Search Engine Results Page.) People love video, the search-bots know this and want to give you the most useful information for your search, which most certainly includes videos.

It is no question that having a well crafted video on your website, or promotional ad will receive a much better response from your audience than text alone. If you are a business owner, a video will combine the power of audio and visual marketing, and will greatly help sell your product or service.

If you haven’t done so already, it’s time to incorporate a high quality, informative video into your businesses model.

I now challenge you to visit Facebook.com/MufasaPro and click the box that you’ve finished this article. We’re conducting a poll to see if this information is being digested. You find people reading The Brief can help us determine whether text or video is the better marketing tool. And if nobody ends up reading this material it may be time to switch to video.

Phil Assem is a producer at Mufasa Co., Ltd. Mufasa.Phil@mufasa.co.th www.Mufasa.co.th

The Brief

October / November 2011

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UK Group raises passport renewals issue with Minister

By Steve Buckley

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here are relatively few (but, hopefully, more in the pipeline – see below) Thailand events currently taking place in the UK so it was good to be invited (wearing both my BCCT UK Group Chairman and OCS Asia Pacific Advisor hats) to the FCO to brief Jeremy Browne (the Minister of State overseeing Asia) on commercial matters relating to his forthcoming visit to Australia, New Zealand and Thailand.

I also briefed the Minister on both OCS’s Australian and New Zealand operations. Not a difficult task as – in the latter – we are not only the largest British employer but the Platinum sponsor of a highprofile UKTI event being staged in tandem with the Rugby World Cup. Returning to UK matters, 2012 marks the Anglo-Thai Society’s 50th anniversary and I am hoping to engage the BCCT UK Group in a number of activities – including a gala dinner which may take place at the House of Lords in June.

The return to political stability in Thailand has seen renewed interest in the market and my Embassy colleagues are expecting to receive an increased number of visiting trade missions (not back to the heady days of one a month but certainly one every 2-3 months).

I was joined by senior representatives from GSK, HSBC and Prudential (unfortunately, Tesco had to withdraw at the last moment) and much of the focus was upon the Thailand leg of the Minister’s visit.

This would in fact be one of the few markets he had visited before – the first having taken place in very different circumstances in July 2010 where he played an important role helping to resolve a long outstanding commercial dispute between United Utilities and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).

For my part, I briefed the Minister about the growing concern being expressed by British businessmen/ women across the region about the British Government’s decision to not only centralise passport renewals in Hong Kong (a process that can result in applicants – particularly, frequent visitors who can go through a 32 page passport in a year or less – being marooned for up to four weeks at a time) but also to repatriate this process to the UK in 2012.

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Jeremy Browne

The Minister duly took note and expressed hope that a substantive reply to BISEA’s recent letter to the Prime Minister would be issued in the near future.

On the OCS/PCS front, I raised both the implications of fully implementing the Pheu Thai Party’s election promise to increase the minimum wage from THB210 to THB300 in Bangkok and – due to Thailand enjoying close to full employment status – the need to allow companies such as PCS Thailand (currently with 23,000 employees) to recruit more foreign workers.

I and my fellow BCCT UK Group members look forward to briefing these missions as well as being of assistance to any BCCT member with a UK-related issue.

Steve Buckley, formerly Trade and Industry Director at the British Embassy in Bangkok, is Chairman of the BCCT UK Group.

Email: Steve.Buckley@ocs.co.uk

OBITUARY

Dusit Nontanakorn – a Great Man, a Great Leader

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nce in a while a great man comes by, carrying along great responsibility for what he is entrusted with. And when he leaves, his legacy lives on.

Khun Dusit led a life that anyone would be proud of. After studying in Thailand and America he ended up with a veritable alphabet after his name and richly deserved it was too.

He began work as a design engineer in 1968 and joined Siam Cement Group in 1969. After quickly rising up the ladder he became Vice President of Siam Cement PCL in 1995 and President of Cementhai Distribution in 1999.

He was an adviser and a director to many companies and institutions, including Siam Cement, Thailand Board of Investment, Thai Red Cross Society, Institute of Directors, Loxley, Amata, CPB Equity and Krung Thai Bank. He also served on many government committees. He more than earned his decoration of the Companion (Fourth Class) of the Most Admirable Order of the Diregunbhorn.

Another little known fact is that he represented his country at Rugby Union in 1974 and maintained a love for the game ever since.

For years at the helm of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade of Thailand Khun Dusit sacrificed his all, mentally and physically, to pursue countless undertakings for the betterment of the business community, society and ultimately the country. His initiatives on key issues included

the Anti-Corruption Campaign; inequality gap minimisation, the Private Sector’s ‘Thailand Economic Development Strategy’; and the establishment of AEC Prompt Centre for the preparedness of Thai SMEs. These initiatives shall be carried on and further fulfilled by his friends and allies who vow to follow on the footsteps of this great man.

He was also instrumental in setting up the ‘One Company One Community’ programme (see separate article in this issue of The Brief ) which helps upcountry areas improve their expertise whilst, at the same time, bringing benefit to local people.

Khun Dusit was a great supporter of BCCT and other foreign chambers of commerce and businesses associations in Thailand. He was

never shy in either praising or criticising people. He stood up to politicians and said what he thought of them – both good and bad. He will be greatly missed by his family, friends and the entire business community. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Graham Macdonald and Board of Trade of Thailand/Thai Chamber of Commerce (via the Bangkok Post)

The Brief

October / November 2011

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Customs clearance in Thailand – staying above board

By David Mills

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on line at: http://igtf.customs.go.th/ igtf/en/main_frame.jsp

any companies importing goods into Thailand run into trouble with The Royal Thai Customs Department for various reasons. They are as follows:

There is also a great deal of other information on The Customs Department information site at http://www.customsclinic.org/

• Failure to thoroughly check out the relevant harmonised code and duty rate for the goods; • The true value for customs clearance purposes; • Are import licences needed?; • Whether there is a preferential rate in force and if the supplier can provide the required certificates of origin in order to obtain that rate.

Failure to check out all of these things or getting it wrong can result in heavy fines, seizure of goods, high demurrage charges for goods held up at port as well as consequential losses.

These problems can be encountered by both start up and companies already established in Thailand.

For new companies starting up with a business model based on importing goods from abroad, it is just as important to check out all of the above as it is to conduct a proper market research on the viability of the product as well preparing a properly structured budget.

For established companies the same applies. A new product needs checking out thoroughly.

This paper is prepared to give some guidelines to existing and potential importers to help them steer clear of the pitfalls that can be encountered in importing goods and save time and money.

Our initial advice is: don’t import anything until you are sure that all requirements are covered and you 24

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We recommend that you use the information on the customs tariff as a guideline only, and you should consult with your licensed broker to finally decide on the harmonised code and duty rate.

have all the necessary information on the product and employ the services of a forwarding or logistics company which is a licensed customs broker.

The advantages of using a licensed broker are as follows: • They are licensed by The Customs Department and they are audited on regularly by Customs Officers to ensure competences are in place; • Their staff is fully trained and qualified in customs procedures; • Licensed brokers have Green Line clearance making for faster clearance of goods.

They will be able to guide you on what is required and confirm with customs the tariff code, duty rate and valuation.

Guidelines The Customs Tariff and establishing the correct harmonised code: Copies of the Thai Customs Tariff may be purchased from The Customs Department located in Ardnarong Road, Klongtoey but you may access the customs tariff

It will help in you have the harmonised code from the manufacturer or supplier of the goods. They may already be exporting and have established the harmonised code. Although the harmonised code in each country is not exactly identical, the first for digits are the same.

It will help your broker determine the code if you can supply, photographs or brochures of the goods, and a full explanation of the material they are made from and what their purpose is.

Valuation methods The current valuation system of Thailand is based on the GATT Valuation System that came into effect on 1 January 2000.

The primary basis for valuation is the “Transaction Value” which means the price actually paid or payable for the goods when sold for export to Thailand and is assessed on a CIF value.

If your invoice stipulates an ex works price the cost of freight handling and insurance has to be added for valuation purposes. Your forwarder/ broker will be able to furnish the necessary supporting paperwork for this purpose.

If in the unlikely event that the transaction value cannot be applied the following methods are used in sequential order.

• Transaction Value of Identical Goods, – the transaction value of identical goods sold for export to Thailand; • Transaction Value of Similar Goods, – the transaction value of similar goods sold for export to Thailand; • Deductive Value, – the value is applied to determine the Customs value based on the deduction process of the GAQ sale price of goods, general expenses and profits incurred in Thailand as well as all import taxes and national taxes after shipment of imported goods; • Computed Value, – the value is applied to determine the Customs value based on the sum of production cost, general expenses and profits in country of origin relating to the imported goods; • Fall Back Value, – the value is applied to determine Customs value based on the reasonable and flexible interpretation of all the previous methods.

If you do not agree with the valuation given by customs there is an appeal procedure detailed on the Customs Department web site at http:// www.customsclinic.org/index. php?option=com_content&view=ar ticle&id=215&Itemid=195&lang=en In order to enable Customs to determine the value by application of the most appropriate method, the importer is required to truthfully declare the full particulars concerning the goods.

This should include full description and specifications of the goods, basis of valuation applied, relationship with the supplier, conditions and restrictions if any attached with the sale, elements of cost not included in the invoice price, and royalty and license fees payable in relation to the imported goods. These details are to be declared in a special Valuation Declaration Form designed for this purpose in addition to the Import Declaration.

specialists in this market area who can give guidance and help with your application. There is a good deal more information on the FDA Thailand web site at http://www.fda. moph.go.th/eng/index.stm Preferential rates

Submission of a Purchase Order or a bank document showing proof of payment will also help.

For imports of products with many model numbers or types, such as machinery or computers, it is accepted that the pricing will change perhaps on a monthly basis. Agreements can be made with customs to accept these valuations and a complete pricing list can be submitted to them on change of pricing.

Your broker can advise on completion of this form and will complete the customs entry form on your behalf.

Import licences Import licences are required for certain products and may take time to be given by the issuing ministry.

It is advisable to apply and obtain the licence in advance for such goods so that you do not incur detention charges at port or airport while you wait for issue of the licences. Your broker will be able to advise on what goods licences are need, what ministry the application has to be made to and the likely time for granting.

Licences are required for the import of all drugs, medicines, food products, beverages, medical devices healthcare products and cosmetics.

Authorisation to import such products has to be obtained from The Food and Drug Administration and this can be a lengthy process. Some forwarders and customs brokers do not have expertise in these processes, but they will be able to recommend

There are preferential rates for certain products from certain countries having trade agreements with Thailand. The rates are shown in the Customs Tariff and are applied for goods imported with the relevant certificates of origin. These certificates have to be applied for in the origin country and applied for by the sender in that country.

Failure to submit these certificates on declaring the goods will mean that the full duty rate will have to be paid. You must therefore make sure that the supplier provides these in ample time or delay the shipping of the goods until you have received the certificates.

Once your Customs broker has agreed everything with customs on your behalf, then you can proceed with your imports without the fear that they may be blocked or you have to pay penalties.

Customs officers have an incentive scheme based on a reward which is a percentage of fines levied on importers who are considered as not having complied with the import regulations.

Follow the requirements and avoid getting caught in the net!

David Mills is GM - Sales & Marketing, Trucking and Projects at Geodis Wilson Thai Ltd., 207 Soi Saeng Uthai, Sukhumvit 50 Rd, Prakanong, Klongtoey, Bangkok 10260. Email: david.mills@ th.geodiswilson.com

The Brief

October / November 2011

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Minister urges more Thai investment in UK plc

By Bradley Jones

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eptember has been a busy month for the British Embassy, not least because it marked the second visit to Thailand by Jeremy Browne, the Foreign Office Minister with responsibility for South East Asia. This was the first visit by an EU Minister to Thailand since the new government took office here.

He met a good selection of senior politicians as well as young MPs and analysts from across the political spectrum. On the commercial front, Mr Browne had been briefed by British businesses before his visit and raised their key concerns with Commerce Minister Kittirat, including the impact of the minimum wage and the need to reform the Foreign Business Act and land ownership laws.

Left to right: H.E. Mr Asif Ahmad, British Ambassador to Thailand; Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne; Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Kittiratt Na Ranong and Permanent Secretary Yanyong Phuangrach.

Mr Browne also used the visit to encourage more Thai corporates to follow the example set by Sahaviriya Steel and invest in the UK. The Redcar steel plant purchased by Saviriya Steel will restart later this year and, in addition to the thousand or so new jobs created directly at the plant, it is estimated that up to 8000 additional jobs could be created in supply chain companies in the surrounding community – a great example of how one major investment project can trigger muchneeded economic regeneration.

Talking of regeneration, I visited the biggest of them all last month – Stratford, in East London. Sixty years of urban renewal are being delivered in just six years, giving the neighbourhood an ecological facelift and providing jobs for 40,000 people. My visit was not particularly well-timed though; I was there on the same day that the Westfield Shopping Centre – the largest shopping mall 26

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Ambassador Asif Ahmad (left) briefs Jeremy Browne during the recent ministerial visit to Thailand.

in Europe – was opened, and barely survived the terror of being trampled underfoot by the 100,000 people who visited the mall on its first day.

Everybody has their own opinion of the most beautiful structure in the Olympic Park. For some it will be Anish Kapoor’s iconic Orbit Tower, taller than the Statue of Liberty. For others it will be the Velodrome, with its curving roof, intended to maximise natural light. My personal favourite is the Aquatic Centre, designed by Zaha Hadid, one of the UK’s most successful architects. The Aquatic Centre itself has the appearance of fluidity and will no doubt become a centrepiece of the Games.

The business legacy of the Olympics is already emerging before the Games have even started! Tech City, stretching from the Olympic Park in Stratford to the City of London, is a rapidly growing cluster of over 500 digital, creative and high tech firms, making it the fastest growing technology hub in Europe. Plans are also afoot for a Global Investment Conference for investors and business leaders to be held in London on the eve of the Games. Lancaster House will be converted into a British Business Embassy during the Olympics with opportunities for UK and international companies to showcase their capabilities to an international audience. This activity forms part of a wider GREAT Britain campaign, launched by the Prime Minister in September, which will underline how the UK is one of the very best places to visit, study, work, invest and do business.

The British Embassy will be showcasing the Olympics, and particularly the ‘green’ elements of the Games, at the BOI Fair, which is taking place at the Impact Arena from 10-25 November. We will be sharing a stand with the BCCT at the Fair, the biggest event of its kind in Thailand for several years, and I look forward to meeting BCCT members there!

Another spectacular building nearing completion in London is the Shard of Glass, which, when finished next year, will be the tallest building in Europe.

The striking Shard London Bridge tower in Southwark is nearing completion.

Its audacity might at first glance seem out of kilter with the tough economic conditions that the UK and its European partners currently face. But I like to think that it epitomises the creativity, innovation and dynamism that young British entrepreneurs have in abundance – the very people who will lead the UK’s economic recovery over the years ahead.

The IMF predicts that the UK will have the highest growth rate of all the large European economies next year, and that the UK’s economic recovery will be driven by exports, with goods exports comprising over 60 percent of the total.

Attracting more inward investment will also be critical to economic recovery – corporate tax will go down from the current 26 percent to 23

percent by 2014, the lowest rate in the G20, making the UK an attractive base for Thai companies to establish their European footprint.

Over the months ahead, we will be building on the goodwill generated

by Jeremy Browne’s visit to champion British business interests in Thailand.

With the BCCT and the EU ASEAN Business Centre we will continue to press for economic liberalisation and enforcement of the rules that enable commerce to thrive. We will also, of course, continue to support anticorruption initiatives in Thailand.

And finally, through subsequent high profile visits from the UK, we will support and champion British companies in Thailand. I will report in more detail on this in the next issue of The Brief!

The Brief

October / November 2011

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British Council urges UK business to back new projects

By Simon Farley

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he British Council is the UK’s international cultural relations organisation and is extremely well established and actively at work in Thailand, delivering innovative partnerships with government, educational, cultural and professional organisations. We are ideally placed to partner with UK business to create, extend and deliver CSR remits throughout the country and the wider ASEAN region.

Our core activities focus around education, English and the arts, all of which are in a state of constant development. To give just a brief indication of the ambition and scale of our work we are currently in development with a series of innovative projects, all of which have opportunities for corporate partnership.

These include a programme of vocational educational training reform; developing partners in Chiang Mai in support of the Creative Economy initiative; a new school science curriculum reform project, already attracting significant interest from potential corporate partners; a new project to develop and promote English language teaching in South Thailand; a major new eco-design exhibition and associated events programme in both Thailand and Vietnam.

More information on all of these projects is available from the British Council specialist programmes team based in Bangkok. Here are three exciting opportunities in more detail: Education Inspiring Science is an opportunity to support and work with the British Council in curriculum development to support the teaching and learning of Science in Thai schools, reaching students and teachers across Thailand.

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Pred Evans, Director Programmes - British Council Thailand, accompanies HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn on a tour of the DIY Doctor exhibition, part of the National Science and Technology Fair at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC).

British Council, in partnership with Sheffield Hallam University in the UK and the Science Institute, Office of Basic Education Commission, Ministry of Education of Thailand, is working on a science curriculum development project for schools in Thailand. The Inspiring Science Project develops quality and innovative on-line contemporary materials for science teachers.

The ideas were developed in the UK with great success with over 45,000 teachers registering to the website and more than one million downloads.

The materials, translated into Thai, will be available for science teachers in primary and secondary schools throughout the country.

The project presents an excellent corporate partnership opportunity, enabling a brand presence and association with a high quality education initiative and reach across the nation, directly reaching students both in primary and secondary schools.

If you are interested in partnering with us on this project please contact Uraiwan Samolee - Head of Business Development, Education. Tel: 02 657 5638. E-mail: uraiwan.samolee@ britishcouncil.or.th English language services We are working in partnership with Intel to put British Council digital English learning resources into the Thai market. The British Council will work with Thai English language professionals and our own digital English team in the UK to map a selection of our digital content to Thai school curricula.

Following this selection we will translate navigation instructions into Thai and Intel will develop an easy to use, Thai-friendly interface. The resulting software package will be embedded onto Intel laptop and tablet devices.

Parents and their children will be able to access world class resources at the

touch of a screen. In partnership with the Royal Projects and the Ministry of Education we are looking to increase access to English for teachers and learners in three conflict–affected provinces.

Together with technology partners we will develop online training programmes for teachers to improve both their own English level as well as their teaching skills. We will deliver context-specific teaching resources for primary and secondary school teachers in print and digital formats as well as the skills to use them.

We will work with existing ICT infrastructure partners to increase access to British Council digital English learning resources for both school-based learners and young adults to improve access to education and employment opportunity.

In partnership with the Distance Learning Television Foundation’ network to pilot a localised version of ‘Word on the Street’. This will be broadcast directly to over 30,000

schools in Thailand and to many others in south east Asia that have received satellite equipment from the DLTV Foundation.

For further details on these innovative projects, and to discuss opportunities to partner with them, please contact Brian Stott - Head of Professional ELT Development. Tel: 02 657 5644.

E-mail: brian.stott@britishcouncil. or.th Arts A new British Council exhibition is currently being curated for both Thailand and Vietnam. ‘Everything Forever Now’ will showcase the latest trends in sustainable design by contemporary British designers, engineers and architects.

The exhibition will examine how British creative talent is leading the debate on designing for a sustainable future whilst also promoting growth, reflecting the current agenda where new designs put in more than they take out.

This ambitious exhibition will feature new British developments in resources, materials, method and community design initiatives, while also showcasing best practice examples from both Thailand and Vietnam.

We are working in partnership with the pre-eminent design and exhibition authority, the Thailand Creative Design Centre (TCDC), where the exhibition will be staged in February and March 2012 before travelling on to Vietnam. A series of live events, including a sustainable design seminar and challenge, will feature within the exhibition schedule.

For further details on the opportunity to partner with this innovative promotion of new British design initiatives, and to showcase your own sustainable eco-design projects within the exhibition, please contact Simon Farley - Head of Development, Creative Industries. Tel: 020 657 5601. E-mail: simon.farley@ britishcouncil.or.th

The Brief

October / November 2011

29

Business and CEOP fight child abuse together

By Rob Boyland

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very day vulnerable children suffer appalling sexual exploitation and abuse. This happens in every society in the world, and in every community, but together we can stop it and help support the victims of these horrendous crimes. It is everyone’s responsibility and the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand is helping make it everyone’s business.

Children are particularly at risk of abuse and exploitation wherever there is poverty and deprivation, but it occurs in even the richest of nations. Each country has its own challenges to meet in order to safeguard its children.

The ease of travel and the potential for targeting children online for abuse has opened up opportunities for sexual offenders to travel to countries, including Thailand, where they believe they can find children for abuse and exploitation.

Through partnerships with national and international law enforcement agencies, non-government organisations (NGOs), industry and governments, the UK’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre is successfully stopping the activities of would be UK sex offenders travelling to Thailand, as well as working in partnership to deliver a variety of initiatives including raising awareness among young people about the risks these individuals pose.

in March 2010 with CEOP. Since then, many companies with interests in Thailand have signed an International Corporate Child Protection Charter to promote child protection through their workforce.

The British Chamber of Commerce Thailand made a commitment to play its part in tackling the exploitation of children by signing a Memorandum of Understanding

Signatories so far include the Property Care Services (PCS), GlaxoSmithKline (Thailand) Ltd, HSBC, British Airways, the Shell Company of Thailand Ltd,

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Manpower, Grand Hyatt, Standard Chartered Bank (Thailand), Mackenzie Smith. The full list is available on the BCCT website.

With the support and sponsorship of BCCT members, CEOP is reaching more and more children with educational resources that can help protect them from the most terrible exploitation. The PCS Group, which

employs 20,000 people in Thailand alone, now uses CEOP’s film Lee and Kim’s Animal Adventure: Animal Magic as part of its induction programme for new staff. Many of these new staff will have children, so the potential for spreading the vital messages in the film is huge. This film engages and empowers young people to take control of situations they may find themselves in online, and how to respond to the threats they may face from strangers who approach them.

of Southeast Asia are between 12 and 17 years of age .

Children are trafficked for a variety of reasons, including cheap labour or to work as child prostitutes.

The lives of child prostitutes are almost too appalling to describe.

Child prostitutes serve between an estimated 100 and 1500 clients a year. Younger children, many below the age of 10, have increasingly been drawn into serving sex tourists.

A new CEOP film, The Tales of Mai and Tam: Mai and Tam Take Control, funded by BCCT members and commissioned by the BCCT, is set for launch in October by CEOP in Bangkok.

UNICEF estimate that 1.2 million children across the world are at risk of child trafficking. Surveys indicate that 30 to 35 percent of all sex workers in the Mekong sub-region

By training over 350 teachers in this way so far, more than 3,000 children and adults across South East Asia have been reached and empowered through CEOP’s educational programme.

Member companies of the BCCT have already played a key role in making sure child protection is everyone’s business. This has been achieved not just through funding for films like The Tales of Mai and Tam as part of their commitment to the Charter, but the provision of everything from catering to accommodation and printing to make events possible.

This new educational resource tells the story of brother and sister Mai and Tam and looks at the issues of child trafficking, as well as sexual abuse by someone outside of the family. It aims to empower children to be able to protect themselves from child sexual offenders who may extensively groom children, as well as those who seek to exploit them for child trafficking. Different versions of the film have also been created so these issues can be dealt with separately.

More than 25 NGOs, government departments and law enforcement agencies from Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia were consulted to ensure the film would be effective.

Children, including some who had experienced sexual abuse and child trafficking, also previewed the script and storyboard at an early stage, providing valuable insights. The film will be used by child protection professionals, trained by CEOP, in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines, with lesson plans and guidance notes produced. CEOP also wants to make the film widely available to companies so they can use in staff training and inductions.

parents and colleagues and will accredit participants to deliver the key messages to others, supported

by CEOP’s educational resources.

Previous safeguarding training has been attended by teachers, charity and NGO staff, social workers and educational professionals working in government.

The prostitutes live in constant fear of sadistic acts by clients, or fear of violence from pimps controlling the sex trade. Children that fail to earn enough money are punished through beatings or starvation. Drug use, physical injuries and suicide are all too common.

Alongside the launch of The Tales of Mai and Tam, CEOP will deliver safeguarding children training in Pattaya, from 26 October to 28 October 2011. The three day training course for people working directly with children equips them with a better understanding of child sexual exploitation in South East Asia.

It will give them the skills and knowledge to raise awareness among children, young people,

In association with the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the BCCT, CEOP held a child protection workshop in March 2011 at the Grand Hyatt Erawan, Bangkok.

CEOP child protection experts were able to show how companies could play a crucial role in fighting child exploitation and educating children about how to stay safe online.

Child sexual offenders still present a significant risk and threat to children in Thailand and South East Asia. With the continuing support of BCCT members, thousands of children affected can be supported and protected.

Without BCCT’s help, the range of work CEOP does in the region would not be possible.

For more information, and to learn more about opportunities for sponsorship, email: ICPN@ ceop.gsi.gov.uk Rob Boyland is Senior Marketing and Communications Officer at CEOP.

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Expats protest UK pensions freeze Joe and Joyce are now relatively healthy 85 year olds looking forward to the arrival of their first great grandchild. But their financial position is not as healthy as it used to be. The primary reason is that their basic State Pensions are still at exactly the same rate they were when they arrived in Canada in 1991, £52 a week for Joe and £31.20 a week for Joyce. Had they emigrated to the USA, just 50 miles south of where they now live in Ottawa, Joe would be getting £102.15 a week and Joyce £61.20 a week, effective 11 April 2011. Put another way, their pensions are now just 51 percent of what they should be.

M

ore than one million UK pensioners are now living overseas – but not all receive the annual increases awarded by the British government.

This was the startling news given to a session of the ‘Pensioners Parliament’ in Blackpool by Tony Bockman, Chairman of the International Consortium of British Pensioners.

Delegates heard that over 12.5 million people receive a state pension – all of them having contributed to that pension through the compulsory National Insurance Contributions (NICs) scheme.

The amount of pension initially received was directly proportional to the number of years paid into the NIC scheme. About half of the one million ex-pat pensioners living in countries as far afield as the USA,

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Philippines, Israel and Bosnia as well as many nations with the European Union do receive the annual pension increase.

The balance, with over 95 percent living in Commonwealth countries such as Australia, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand do not receive an annual increase. Their pensions are frozen permanently at the level at which they first received them in their country of residence, solely because of where they have chosen to live in retirement, Mr Bockman said.

Mr Bockman gave an illustration of a couple, Joe and Joyce, now living in Canada. Their children had emigrated to Canada and they decided that when Joe retired they would move there to be closer to the family.

No pension scheme should penalise some of its beneficiaries because of where they choose to live, especially when the number of years of contributions to the scheme directly determines the amount of pension they will receive. Consequently, over half a million pensioners have made first class contributions to a second class pension – and that is morally wrong, added Mr Bockman.

The reason given by the Government for not changing its policy is that it up-rates pensions to overseas pensioners only when there is a legal requirement to do so, as with those living in the EU, or when there is a reciprocal agreement in place with a particular country. It adds that it has no plans to expand the reciprocal agreements to more countries.

How can a Government that stresses the need for fairness for

all, and expresses its concern for the well being and dignity of the elderly, penalise half a million of its pensioners just because of where they choose to live in retirement, asks Mr Bockman, especially when numerous Pensions Ministers have made a mockery of this policy by admitting in Parliament, both in the House and in Committee, that there is no legal requirement for a reciprocal agreement to be in place before extending parity to all pensioners if the Government had the will to do so.

‘When all the excuses are over and done, it comes down to money, or so the Government would have us believe. The Government states that the economy cannot afford the estimated £620 million per annum to uprate all pensions to parity – in spite of the fact that this represents significantly less than one percent of the annual Pensions and Benefits Budget.

‘A recent study by Oxford Economics has confirmed the ICBP’s beliefs that ALL pensioners who live overseas already create an economic savings of more than £3 billion annually. The main sources of savings come from lack of demand on the NHS, no added benefits and no social costs. The study also considered recent surveys on the intentions of individuals to emigrate after retirement; these indicate that removal of the freezing

Counting the cost. Some UK pensioners living overseas are receiving frozen state pensions but the ICBP is campaigning against this inequality.

policy would significantly increase the numbers wishing to emigrate and thus produce a corresponding additional increase in net savings to the UK economy of some £33 billion over the next 20 years.

Another benefit, not included in that £33 billion, is that emigrants also relieve pressure on the shortage of hospital beds, facilities for the elderly and the shortage of affordable housing units’.

The ICBP represents pensioners living in ‘frozen’ countries. It has raised a petition on the UK’s

DirectGov website at http://bit. ly/BritPensions Any petition that gathers over 100,000 signatures becomes eligible for debate in the House of Commons. So we ask all current and future pensioners to sign and to ask their friends and relatives to do the same.

If you need help, follow the PETITION link at http://www. pensionparitythailand.com where you will also find links to the ICBP and Royal British Legion (Thailand) sites.

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October / November 2011

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British passport renewals – HMG responds to BISEA letter Damian Green MP, Minister for Immigration at the Home Office, has responded to concerns expressed

by Patrick Regis of the British Business Group in Vietnam to Prime Minister David Cameron about the proposed changes to the process of passport renewals for UK citizens working and living overseas. We reprint below the text of his letter dated 7 September 2011.

Dear Mr Regis, Thank you for your letter of 12 July 2011 to the Prime Minister concerning the length of time taken to process passport renewals in Hong Kong. I have been asked to reply in view of my Ministerial responsibility for the Identity and Passport Service (IPS).

Thank you for your positive remarks about the White Paper “Trade and Investment for Growth�. As the White Paper sets out our message to trade and investment partners across the world, it also sets out addressing barriers that hold business back from trading and investing.

I am sorry to hear of the difficulties that BISEA members and BCCT directors face in renewing their passports. I welcome the approach you have taken in putting forward a range of practical suggestions for change.

We recognise the need for continuous improvement in the service we provide to our customers both in the UK and overseas. That is why we are looking at ways in which we can rationalise the passport network in order to provide a safe, secure and economic approach for customers.

Currently, the overseas passport operation is managed

by Regional Passport Processing Centres (RPPCs). I appreciate that some customers may have concerns that passports are not available directly from local embassies or consulates. We aim further to rationalise the overseas process in 2013 by transferring all passport processing and production to the UK. The move to RPPCs and the full repatriation will both achieve our objective of bringing greater consistency, improving customer service and achieving economies of

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scale to the global issuing of passports. It follows the successful approach adopted with most other countries like the USA, Canada and Australia.

These have been significant decisions which have been taken only after extensive consideration and planning.

The changes are essential in order to be able to maintain the ability to provide a cost-effective passport service for overseas customers as well as to minimise the significant risk for fraud entailed in moving stocks of blank passport stock around the world and maintaining its security.

The time taken by the RPPCs to process passport renewals overseas is in line with the IPS three week turn around for standard applications in the UK. It is our aim that all customers can expect to receive the same level of service, regardless of where an application is submitted. The RPPC advertise a four week processing time to allow for the application and passports to be couriered between countries, but in reality many applications are processed, and the new passports received by the customer, well within this time frame.

For several years frequent travellers have had the opportunity to apply for a second passport. Whilst having a second passport will aid travellers in many instances, we are aware that this is not a foolproof solution for business people resident overseas. As you note, the issue of duplicate local visas in second passports is not solely a matter for the British Government. I have asked that the matter you specifically raise about the space taken up by other countries visas is raised with the International Civil Aviation Organisation, who set standards for passports and international travel.

Thank you for your considered suggestions to speed-up the renewal process for business people overseas. I hope that you will appreciate that we must ensure the security of the passport both for the safety of passage for the holder and for the wider public protection. Therefore, there are necessary security criteria which would not

permit travel on a retained passport once a renewal application has been submitted. This is because the passport being replaced will be electronically cancelled to protect the integrity of the passport process and reduce the risk of identity theft. If the cancellation occurred whilst someone was travelling it may show up during a border crossing and cause the traveller difficulties.

The premium service in the UK is often referred to as the “same day service�. It is in fact a premium service funded by the fee paid for by the individual customer, and is by pre-arranged appointment only for personal callers. The Identity and Passport Service is required to operate within the income generated from fees and does not retain levels of spare capacity which would enable turnaround of overseas applications made in Hong Kong or other locations within a few hours or 24 hours.

As I indicated earlier, the overseas passport service will be fully repatriated to the UK in 2013. We are considering what premium services can be made available to overseas applicants, bearing in mind that

such services need to provide at an economic rate to the customer and the interests of the UK economy.

I very much appreciate the timely and constructive approach in your letter. Existing activity is underway on some of the areas you have raised and I have asked for further action as a result of your letter, noticeably with ICAO in respect of overseas visas in passports. We are working to provide a global service to the benefit of all passports applicants and the contents of your letter will form part of the consideration on the process of how best we achieve the befits of full repatriation of the passport service to the UK. My officials have consulted with colleagues in the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills in this response and I am copying our correspondence to Vince Cable.

Yours sincerely, Damian Green

Britain in South East Asia (BiSEA) Cambodia British Business Association of Cambodia c/o Top Recruitment Cambodia 592, Building F, Phnom Penh Centre Corner Sothearos & Sihanouk Boulevards, Phnom Penh, Cambodia Tel: 855-23-997-492 Fax: 855-23-997-493 Email : secretary@bbacambodia.com Website: www.bbacambodia.com Chairman: Keith Carroll Committee Secretary: Kevin Britten Indonesia British Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia Wisma Metropolitan 1, 15th Floor Jl. Jend, Sudirman Kav 29-31 Jakarta, Indonesia 12920 Tel: 62-21-522-9453 Fax: 62-21-527-9135 E-mail: bisnis@britcham.or.id Website: www.britcham.or.id Chairman: Haslam Preeston Executive Director: Chris Wren Malaysia British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce E04C1, 4th Floor East Block Wisma Selangor Dredging

142-B Jalan Ampang 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tel: 603-2163-1784 /1786 Fax: 603-2163-1781 E-mail: britcham@bmcc.org.my Website: www.bmcc.org.my Chairman: Jon Addis Director, Business Development: Molly Jagpal Philippines British Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines c/o The British Embassy Manila 120 Upper McKinley Road McKinley Hill, Taguig City 1634 Metro Manila, Philippines Tel : 632-858-2255/858-2372/858-2373 Fax : 632-858-2390 E-mail: secretariat@bccphil.com Website : www.bccphil.com Chairman: Keith Perrin Executive Director: Alison Doig Henderson

Singapore British Chamber of Commerce in Singapore 138 Cecil Street #11-01 Cecil Court Singapore 069538 Tel: 65-6222-3552 Fax : 65-6222-3556 E-mail: info@britcham.org.sg Web: www.britcham.org.sg

President : Mr Steve Puckett Executive Director : Brigitte Holtschneider Thailand British Chamber of Commerce Thailand (BCCT) 7th Floor, 208 Wireless Road Lumpini, Pathumwan Bangkok 10330 Tel : 66-2651-5350-3 Fax : 66-2651-5354 E-mail: greg@bccthai.com Website: www.bccthai.com Chairman: Graham Macdonald Executive Director : Greg Watkins Vietnam British Business Group Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City G/F 25 Le Duan Blvd, District 1 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Tel: 84-8-3829-8430 Fax: 84-8-3822-5172 E-mail: execdirector@bbgv.org Website: www.bbgv.org Hanoi 67 Le Van Huu, Hai Ba Trung Hanoi, Vietnam Tel: 84 4 6674 0945 Chairman: Patrick Regis Executive Director: Jakki Lydall

The Brief

October / November 2011

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Advertorial

Keeping Your Good Employees.

The benefits of good benefits!

Finding and retaining the right staff is never easy, and for expats especially a salary can sometimes no longer be enough when it comes to choosing between employers overseas.

There are numerous employee benefits that can be offered by international firms, with flexible benefits including group travel, group accident and group critical illness becoming increasingly popular in Asia. But the three key ones are medical cover, life insurance and a means of providing pension savings.

With concerns surrounding the availability of healthcare and pension accrual ranking highly on an employee’s wish list when it comes to working for an overseas employer, companies are increasingly having to identify why and how these areas can be catered for to attract the best staff for their business.

The varying tax and regulatory regimes around the world add an additional layer of complication to providing employee benefits for international firms, as what will work well and cost-effectively in one regime, may be penalised by a tax regulation in another. So dealing with an adviser who knows their way around this issue is essential, to ensure that not only are firms offering the benefits that their employees need, but that they are also doing it in the most efficient manner possible.

‘Relying on statesupported healthcare is not an option for many expats, so a good medical plan is an essential – whether that is provided by their employer, or by themselves through an insurer’ Living and working away from your ‘home’ country has many benefits, such as a lower cost of living, and often better weather and working environments. But the standard of healthcare we are used to in the UK and Europe can leave us feeling spoilt when it comes to dealing with the healthcare systems elsewhere in the world.

Relying on state-supported healthcare is not an option for many

expats, so a good medical plan is an essential – whether that is provided by their employer, or by themselves through an insurer.

Some companies will choose to provide employees with an additional amount of salary in preference to getting a medical plan set up as a group scheme, often with the misguided notion that not only will this be cheaper, it will also save on the aggravation that can be associated with setting up these policies.

However, when you consider the options, this is not generally the best way to deal with this issue. For example, there is a very real chance that the employee may not bother to take out a policy for himself or herself, or their family. While employers may be tempted to think that this is a problem for the employee, the reality is very different.

If an employee is off sick with a serious health problem for a period of time, in many countries it is a requirement for the employer to continue to take care of them – so not only could you be down on staff, you may also find that you are paying a salary and healthcare bills for the privilege.

If the employee did not have their own health insurance policy, it is likely that it will take longer for them to get treated, if they can, and longer to recover. This, obviously, is bad news for the employer.

However, had the employer

sorted out the medical cover, not only would it have been possible to write a group policy for more than one, or even all employees which would have reduced the cost of the individual premiums, it would have been safe in the knowledge that all employees were properly taken care of.

Reducing premiums is only one part of the argument in favour of group employee medical schemes, you can also rely on that fact that employees are likely to be healthier – as they will not delay seeing a doctor for fear of the bill – but that by getting treatment more quickly if they are ill will help them to return to work sooner. No-one wants to see someone back in the office until they are ready, but in these straitened times, it is also tough to see wages being paid for someone who is too ill to work.

Policies can either be international in their nature – and as a result, very portable if you have staff moving from country to country depending on their role – or they can be locally administered. In some cases, you have a hybrid policy. In Thailand, for example, you can get a good locally administered policy which allows employees to take it with them if they have to move to another assignment internationally.

The importance of a good healthcare policy for expats cannot be underestimated, and if you are looking to take advantage of the large number of lay-offs we have seen by snapping up some quality employees, the chances are you are going to need to offer more than the basic salary package.

If an employee is used to having additional benefits thrown into their overall remuneration, they are going to want to see them again. It can be a measure of the standard of your company, particularly for

some senior staff, and the benefits available give a clear indication of the kind of company you are.

As a minimum for medical cover, staff are going to be looking for in patient and out patient cover, dental cover and cover for chronic conditions. Depending on how old the family is, and what stage they are at in life, for some maternity cover will be a necessity. In all cases, evacuation cover is recommended.

If it is possible to write a policy under a medical history disregard – so any existing medical conditions or treatments are not taken into consideration, meaning the staff would be allowed to claim against the policy no matter what is wrong with them – that would be preferable. However, if you cannot get an insurer to cover employees on this basis, then the next best thing would be moratorium underwriting, where existing conditions are excluded from the policy if they recur within a set period, usually five years, although employees are not required to submit any details to the insurer.

However, it is possible – because of its obvious immediate importance – for companies to focus too much on the medical side of employee benefits when it comes to expats, and not give enough attention to the other two key areas of life insurance and pensions.

‘Given that companies are looking at ways to cut costs generally at present, pensions have somewhat fallen out of favour. But this is a mistake’ In the UK, many pension schemes will provide a death-in-service benefit, which can be anything from two times to five times salary if you die while you are employed by a company. But you will not get any kind of life cover in relation to a pension that is sold offshore. So you will have to deal with both life insurance and pension savings separately, whether you are an employer or an employee.

Given that companies are looking at ways to cut costs generally at present, pensions have somewhat

fallen out of favour. But this is a mistake. For example, a recent pension plan provided to a company in Dubai was identified as one of the main reasons why many of the employees decided to work for that company rather than going to work for another.

Pension savings provide a sense of security for employees, and although employers may see them as an expense, in many countries there are tax benefits to be gained by providing them, and significant gains to be had in the eyes of employees.

Life insurance offers a similar feeling for employees, who will know that no matter what happens, they will be sure their families are taken care of.

The chances are that to get the best deal on each – not to mention medical cover – you will need to consider more than one insurer. After all, few claim to be all things to all men. So you may find that you have medical cover with Bupa, life cover with Zurich, and a pension with yet another company. Sometimes you can get medical and life insurance from the same company, but it is not something that should be considered as a matter of course.

Of course, there will always be people who prefer to get the bigger salary rather than the benefits package, but these are getting fewer and farther between. It is fine to take a chance on your health, your retirement planning and your family’s security in your home country if you know the State is there, to some extent, to back you up. But it is not a good thing to do when you are abroad.

Employees are expecting more from their employers in these areas, and the power of group buying to reduce costs is not only a significant boost to a company’s bottom line in the long run, it also means you have healthier, happier, and potentially higher quality employees.

The possibilities are endless

Call 02 261 1571 info@infinitycorporatebenefits.com infinitycorporatebenefits.com

Tax planning in Thailand can reap financial rewards

By Chad Creveling, CFA and Peggy Creveling, CFA

Peggy Cheveling (second from right) pictured after a recent business briefing at AMCHAM Thailand.

E

xpats working in Thailand may think that there’s not much they can do to save on Thai taxes. But with a little bit of planning, you can reduce your Thai taxes by up to THB 370,000 (US$12,487) each year. How? By making tax-deductible contributions to Thailand’s LongTerm Equity Funds (LTFs) and Retirement Mutual Funds (RMFs).

Long-Term Equity Funds (LTFs) were set up under Thailand’s IMF programme to encourage longer term investing in the Thai equity market.

Retirement Mutual Funds (RMFs) were set up to encourage individuals to save for retirement by providing Thai tax benefits on savings.

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Both LTFs and RMFs provide current-year Thai tax deductions on contributions and earnings grow free of Thai tax. Subject to meeting LTF and RMF fund requirements, funds can also be withdrawn tax free.

There are a number of different LTFs and RMFs managed by various Thai asset management companies and distributed either directly or through affiliated bank branch networks.

How you save RMFs: Individuals can deduct contributions of up to 15 percent of personal income (including salary, bonus, fees, commissions, severance

pay, or investment income) or THB 500,000 per year (whichever is lower) from Thai taxable current income. If an individual has a provident fund at work, the total annual maximum tax deduction for both the provident fund and the RMF together is THB 500,000.

LTFs: Individuals can deduct from current-year taxable income contributions of up to 15 percent of annual compensation or THB 500,000, whichever is lower, in addition to any contributions to a provident fund or RMF. For high-income earners, combined contributions can total THB one

million (US$33,750) and shield taxes of THB 370,000 (US$12,487) What you need to know RMFs: • You receive current-year Thai tax deduction on contributions • Depending on the fund’s policy, the fund manager may invest in equity funds (Thai as well as international), debt instruments, or mixed funds • Returns grow free of Thai tax • Maximum contribution per year is 15 percent of total annual compensation or THB 500,000, whichever is less • If you contribute to a company provident fund, the total contribution to the provident fund and RMF cannot exceed THB 500,000 • Contributions need to be recorded before the end of the calendar year • Funds can be withdrawn free of Thai tax after age 55 (if held for five years or more) • To qualify for Thai tax benefits, you must contribute at least every other year for a minimum of five years. The minimum contribution is three percent of taxable compensation or THB 5,000, whichever is lower • If you fail to meet the required minimum contribution schedule or withdraw funds prior to age 55 and/or before meeting the fiveyear holding requirement, you will have to pay back any tax deduction you received, along with penalty fees. Capital gains will also be subject to a 10 percent tax LTFs: • You receive a current-year Thai tax deduction on contributions • LTFs invest primarily in Thailand-listed stocks, so you’ll want to make sure a Thai-only equity holding makes sense in your diversified portfolio • Returns grow free of Thai tax • Maximum annual contribution is the lesser 15 percent of total annual compensation or THB 500,000 • Contributions can be made in addition to those made to provident funds and RMFs • There is no need to make ongoing contributions to maintain tax benefits • Contributions and earnings can

be withdrawn free of Thai tax after five years • If you withdraw before the fiveyear holding period, any tax deductions you received must be paid back, along with penalty fees; capital gains will be subject to a 10 percent tax • Contributions must be recorded by the end of the calendar year The rules can and do change, so make sure you check the current status before making any contributions.

Who may benefit?

Many foreigners with a long-term commitment to Thailand can benefit from contributing to LTFs and RMFs. Those on short-term expat assignments to Thailand will have to carefully weigh the potential benefits against the various rules and regulations required to maintain the tax-exempt status of each fund.

compensation does not exceed the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE). In this case, all Thai compensation would be shielded from U.S. tax and contributions to an LTF and RMF would save Thai tax. Contributions could also make sense for those earning in excess of the FEIE, but the benefit diminishes as you enter higher tax brackets.

You’ll need to consider both your Thai and U.S. tax rates and calculate if contributions make sense for you.

LTFs and RMFs have significant benefits for many Thailand-based expats. We recommend that check them out in order that you understand the rules and regulations as well as the potential tax consequences.

Special considerations for US citizens Americans who are taxed by the IRS on worldwide earnings and compensation should know that the tax-advantaged status of the RMF and LTF is not recognized by the IRS. In addition, the IRS will likely consider both the LTF and RMF as Passive Foreign Investment Companies (PFICs) and therefore subject to special tax rules and filing requirements.

Despite these drawbacks, LTFs and RMFs could make sense for Americans, especially those whose

About Creveling & Creveling Creveling & Creveling is a private wealth advisory firm specialising in helping expatriates living in Thailand and throughout Southeast Asia build and preserve their wealth. The firm is a Registered Investment Adviser with the US SEC and is licensed and regulated by the Thai SEC. For more information visit www. crevelingandcreveling.com

The Brief

October / November 2011

39

Key facts about applying for a UK visa T

UK Border Agency Business Plan April 2011 – March 2015

he following information is provided by the British Embassy in Bangkok on behalf of the UK Border Agency.

Core objectives: Secure the border; control migration; reduce costs and improve customer service.

How do I make a UK visa application?

Please see the ‘How to Apply’ page on the Visa Application Centre website for information about how to apply for a UK visa in Thailand.

Our published customer service standards are to make decisions on 90 percent of all non-settlement visa applications within three weeks and for settlement visas within 12 weeks. For most of the year we are able to process visa applications in a much shorter timescale which, whilst welcomed by applicants, can create unrealistic expectations of shorter processing times even during busy periods.

Because we do experience increases in demand during the year, and because some applications require unexpected extra checks, we often need the flexibility which the full three-week window allows us. The actual processing time of your visa application will depend on several factors and because of this you should not make your travel arrangements to enter or transit through the United Kingdom until you have received your visa.

You can apply for your visa up to three months before your intended date of travel. We are only able to post-date visas by a maximum of three months from the date of the decision on your visa application. You can enter the UK anytime after your visa issue date but not before. If you travel to the UK regularly you can apply for a longer validity visit visa.

Our visa officers (Entry Clearance Officers) are required to make 40

The Brief

October / November 2011

Bangkok hub

PM David Cameron accompanies Home Secretary Theresa May on a visit to the UK Border Agency operations at London Heathrow.

evidenced decisions in accordance with the UK Immigration Rules.

Applicants must submit as much evidence as they can of their personal circumstances. Please see the UK Border Agency supporting documents guidance for information on the types of documents you might want to submit with your visa application.

Long term visit visa We welcome applications for long term visit visas, particularly for frequent business travellers who have already used a shorter validity visa to travel to the UK. You should give careful consideration before applying for a long term visit visa valid for one, two, five or 10 years as there is the possibility that the visa may be refused, or issued for a shorter period than you have applied for. If the application is refused or the visa is issued for a shorter period, you will not be refunded the difference in the visa application fee.

The UK Border Agency operation in Thailand comprises: 1. Visa services.

2. Risk And Liaison Overseas Network (RALON) – support visa decision making, intelligence, tackle criminality, air operations.

Applications in Thailand and Laos are made through the Visa Application Centre in Bangkok, run by commercial partner VFS. The application centre is officially authorised by the UK Border Agency to accept visa applications, collect visa application fees and return documents to applicants. The UK visa application centre is run and managed

by VFS (Thailand) Ltd. VFS staff cannot influence the outcome of your visa application. The decision to issue or refuse a visa is made by the UK Border Agency.

• Applications from Vietnam, Burma and Cambodia are couriered to the Bangkok Hub for decisions • Turnover of applications in 2010: Thailand 54,000, Vietnam 8,700, Burma 2100, Cambodia 600, Laos 150 (total = 65,550) • In 2010, 92 percent of visa applications made in Thailand resulted in visas being issued • Some 20 percent increase in applications in 2011 to date. Issue rate is likely to increase further this year following revisions to the student visa route and enhanced outreach work We already informally prioritise business visit visa applications for those who have travelled previously.

There are plans to introduce a paid for priority service in the near future.

Visa information contacts: Email: info.ukth@vfshelpline.com Tel: + 662 800 8050 www.vfs-uk-th.com UK Border Agency website: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas

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October / November 2011

41

Chamber survey assesses impact of new minimum wage

By Stephen Frost

A

nalysis is now complete on BCCT members’ reaction to the Thailand government’s proposals to increase the daily minimum wage to 300 baht nationwide and to increase new graduate starting salaries to 15,000 baht per month.

other areas of productivity or reduce costs (e) 36.5% of respondents said they would increase prices of products/services to the ultimate consumer (f) 36.5% of respondents said they would feel obligated to change wage rates of other staff, in order to maintain differentials

Forty one BCCT members completed a survey on these issues.

Of the respondents, nine were manufacturers and 32 were services companies. The results should be seen in the context of the overall profile of the BCCT membership, emphasising the following in particular: • BCCT has a membership of 600 companies • Some 95 percent of BCCT members are involved in service activities, with only five percent involved in manufacturing • More than 50 percent of BCCT companies are small and medium companies with a workforce of 5-150 employees.

Results: 1. The government has proposed to increase the daily minimum wage to 300 baht. How would this affect your business?

42

1.1 58.5% of respondents said it would affect their business 1.2 As to dealing with this matter: (a) Only 24.3% of respondents said they would reduce recruitment of new staff (b) Only 14.6% of respondents said they would reduce employee benefits (c) 60.9% of respondents, a high percentage, said they would try to increase employee productivity (d) 58.5% of respondents said they would try to increase

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October / November 2011

Comments Several respondents took the trouble to make particular comments. These three comments we found most interesting and telling: other areas of productivity or reduce costs (e) 48.4% of respondents said they would, or might, increase prices of products/services to the ultimate consumer (f) 48.7% of respondents said they would feel obligated to change wage rates of other staff in order to maintain differentials 2. The government has proposed to increase to increase the monthly minimum wage for graduates to 15,000 baht. How would this affect your business?

2.1 43.9% of respondents said it would affect their business 2.2 As to dealing with this matter: (a) 29.2% of respondents said they would reduce recruitment of graduates (b) Only 12.1% of respondents said they would reduce employee benefits (c) 51.2% of respondents said they would try to increase employee productivity (d) 53.6% of respondents said they would try to increase

(a) (from a catering company) “The current business would not be sustainable and we would need to renegotiate all existing contracts (with clients)…This could lead to an increase of 15% in customer prices, and customers could/will cancel their agreements…We would have to consider dismissal of locally hired employees…” (b) (from a substantial retailer) “We would reconsider long term plans and any new investment in Thailand…We would hire graduates from vocational schools, since bachelor’s degree holders are not required for many positions…” (c) (from a car dealership and car rental company) “The increased salary for new graduates, would affect us a great deal…It takes 1-2 years to train new graduates…this incurs training costs…Increasing minimum wages for graduates will increase the whole wage structure and push operating costs higher…

Businesses with very small margins will suffer severely…We will have to pass part of the costs onto the end user…we will have to set higher sales targets, increase

efficiency and close unproductive divisions…”

Conclusion

Bcct board changes

It is accepted that the number of respondents was small in relation to total BCCT membership. One possible explanation is that the majority of BCCT member companies may well be paying more than the minimum wage and also remunerating graduates in line with the government’s stated policy.

But we think that the survey results and conclusions reached and summarised below may be even more important for purely Thai companies, particularly those that have low profit margins and high wage costs, and those with a large part of the workforce who are paid the minimum wage (for example, construction, retailing and unskilled manufacturing).

• Regarding the proposed increase of the daily minimum wage, 58% of respondents said that these proposals would affect their businesses. A high percentage also said they would try to increase productivity or reduce costs, but would also increase prices to end-users, and would feel obligated to increase wage differentials • Regarding the new minimum salary for graduates, 43 % of respondents said it would affect their businesses.

29% of respondents said they would reduce graduate recruitment. Once again, a high percentage said they would try to increase productivity or reduce costs, but would also increase prices to end-users, and would feel obligated to increase wage differentials

Stephen Frost is a BCCT board member. He may be contacted at Bangkok International Associates.

Tel: 02 231 6201/6455 Email: sfrost@bia.co.th

BCCT. He fills the void left by the sad and untimely death of Paul Millar.

Dean Thompson, 44, hails from Southampton and has some 23 years of retail experience – 11 in the UK working for J Sainsbury Plc and a further 12 years in various locations in Middle East and Asia.

Matthew Lobner

T

he BCCT board would like to extend a warm welcome to new directors Matthew Lobner, Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Thailand and Dean Thompson, Managing Director of Boots Retail Thailand replacing Robert Hermelin and Paul Millar respectively.

Matthew Lobner joined HSBC in 2005 and has served in a wide range of prominent international positions across the Group. He was appointed Chief Executive Officer, HSBC Thailand in January 2011.

He is also an Honorary Treasurer of the Association of the International Banks. Prior to HSBC, he was an associate principal at McKinsey and Company and served as a submarine officer in the US Navy.

He lived in Cairo for three years whilst employed by J Sainsbury before moving to Dubai where he worked for Toys R Us and Ace Hardware.

Dean moved to Hong Kong with AS Watsons (part of the Hutchison Whampoa Group) and then spent six months in Thailand as deputy MD before moving to Jakarta to oversee the launch of Watsons stores in Indonesia.

In 2005 he returned to Thailand to join the Central Retailing Corporation as Managing Director of B2S before moving to Singapore as Country Director of Courts. He is now enjoying his third spell in Thailand as Managing Director of Boots Retail Thailand (part of Alliance Boots).

HSBC is an active member of BCCT. The bank has been an annual sponsor of BCCT since 2007. In addition, HSBC sponsored key BCCT events throughout 2010 including the dinner talk by the Governor of the Bank of Thailand, the Ploenchit Fair - and has continued its involvement with the BCCT in 2011.

Dean Thompson has been appointed to the Board of the

Dean Thompson

The Brief

October / November 2011

43

One Company One Community Project to reduce income disparity

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roblems pertaining to the disparity of income distribution affect not only the quality of life of farmers who are the majority of the people in the country, but also the development of the country in various fields.

Therefore, it is highly necessary for every sector to give more importance to the agricultural sector, which will contribute to the unity and reduction of disparity eventually. The Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Trade of Thailand, in recognition of the said importance, have determined guidelines for the reduction of disparity of income distribution in the agricultural sector and have organised projects namely the ‘One Rai One Hundred Thousand Baht’ project and the’ One Company One Community’ project.

The ‘One Company One Community Project’ has grown out of the cooperation of member entrepreneurs of The Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Trade of Thailand as well as all provincial Chambers of Commerce. They have volunteered to drive the project by increasing productivity, reducing costs of production, increasing the added value of the product and searching for fair purchasing markets in order to create work and incomes leading to a better quality of life for people upcountry. They also seek to be the prototype for community development and knowledge management to the rural communities which will subsequently be reflected in the overall country’s economy sustainability.

Objectives 1. To increase major incomes from main agricultural produces by developing efficiency and reducing cost of production.

2. To increase additional incomes to farmers by between-seasons cultivation and/or additional occupations.

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The Sa-Nguan Wongs True Friendship Project is helping to improve productivity for Tapioca growers.

3. To reduce household expenditures by growing vegetables and raising animals for household consumption sufficiency and by keeping household accounts to control expenditures and to promote savings.

4. To create a prototype of sustainable agricultural development community for the Thai Chamber of Commerce.

Responsible persons 1. The Committee for Following up and Expansion of the Project to Reduce Disparity of Income Distribution of The Thai Chamber of Commerce is responsible for the determination of policy and the supervision and expansion of the project.

2. Participating companies are operators in cooperation with the communities to carry out the determined plans.

3. The provincial Chambers of Commerce are responsible in the operations of the projects jointly with the targeted companies and communities.

4. The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce will provide technical support.

5. Other parties, i.e. qualified persons,

experts from various governmental, technical and private agencies involving in the support of the operations of the projects.

Process of operations 1. Participating companies study basic information and survey the areas for operations.

2. The companies fix the areas, targeted groups, by providing details, operating plan, budget plans and submit to the Thai Chamber of Commerce.

3. The companies extend support and promotion to targeted groups, i.e.

• To increase productivity, quality of production and design • To reduce costs of production • To increase value of products • To search for fair purchasing markets 4. The companies will follow up and give supports to targeted communities continuously in accordance with the target and report the progress to The Thai Chamber of Commerce.

5. The Thai Chamber of Commerce will visit and see the progress of the operations.

Inspiring Minds Shaping Futures Sathorn Bangkok Central Location 9 Sathorn Soi 4, North Sathorn Road, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500

Primary specialists from 2 to 11 years

Sukhumvit 107 Footstep of Bearing BTS

7 Sukhumvit 107 (Soi Bearing), Bangna, Bangkok 10260

2 to 16 years offering iGSCE Starting IB Diploma* next year

Green Valley

British International Education With over 30 nationalities St. Andrews’ approach to learning creates independent, confident, lifelong learners.

Our philosophy encompasses the whole child and each campus is small and exclusive by design.

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1 Moo 7, Banchang-Makham Koo Road, Banchang, Rayong 21130 admissions@standrews-schools.com

2 to 18 years offering iGCSE and IB Diploma

www.standrews-schools.com

* St. Andrews International School, Sukhumvit 107 is a candidate school for the Diploma Programme. This school is pursuing authorisation as an IB World School. These are schools that share a common philosophy, a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education that St. Andrews International School, Sukhumvit 107 believes is important for our students.

Only schools authorised by the IB Organisation can offer any of its three academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), or the Diploma Programme (and in addition the IB Career-related Certificate). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorisation will be granted.

Budget for operations The participating companies will give budgetary supports in accordance with the determined plans. They will also assist with marketing to find purchasers of processed products, increase added value, create of new markets, and engage qualified persons, experts and specialists to give consultancy and transfer of knowledge to communities.

Evaluation Evaluation of projects will be done by collecting detailed information from farmers or participating communities, before or after their participation, i.e., efficiency, quality, production cost, the increase of value, market channels, incomes and sustainability of projects. The collection of operational information will be done by the research team of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, and the company responsible for the project in cooperation with the Thai Chamber of Commerce.

Categories of business at present: 1. Agriculture 2. Textile and garment 3. Gems and jewellery 4. Food processing 5. Transportation and logistics 6. Energy Sample projects 1. Project promoting and developing silk products at Chaiyaphum Province.

The Thai Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with the Thailand Textiles Institute and the Chaiyaphum Provincial Chamber of Commerce launch a pilot project to increase the value of rural products and to raise the incomes of rural people higher by using professional management through the teaching and advice of management experts, by emphasising three areas of development: human product and market development, using the strength of the local people who unite and produce products of their local expertise to increase incomes.

The target of the project at Baan Na Siew, Muang District, Chaiyaphum Province is one year pilot project. It

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was expected that the pilot project would be able to raise the level of living by yielding additional incomes in addition to normal earnings from farming and would develop the pattern of production to be able to create concrete additional value to textiles products as well as to create the process of cooperation between the private sector and the community in the region in order to lead to a sustainable interdependent economic system and to a sustainable identity of community framework.

2. Project to purchase dry chilies from farmers in Ubon Ratchathani Province. The Thai President Foods Public Co., Ltd. would help raise the quality of dry chilies from Ubon Ratchathani Province by improving the process of drying the chilies in order to obtain dried chilies at the quality and standard acceptable by food industries. The said company would provide a financial support to make screens for chilies drying for groups of farmers interested to join the project. The company has contracts to buy all chilies from farmers participating in the project at the price agreed to by the insurances.

There are 28 cases of farmers in the Muang Sam Sib, Ubon Ratchathani Province with the total area of 20 rais of chilies. It is expected that farmers will recognise opportunities to raise agricultural produce to meet the standard required by the industrial sector, including practical measures to ensure the required quality. Thus, it is expected that the areas would be expanded to meet the demand of the industrial group which at present has high demand. Regarding the budget and personnel, the company undertaking the project would provide support and management.

3. Project Mitr Phol Village to increase productivity at Chaiyaphum, Khon Kaen, Kalasin, Suphanburi and Singburi Provinces. The Mitr Phol Group has promoted specific technological productivity.

The management of irrigation system, the efficient use of water, the mixed technological and overall management of 376 villages covering more than 300,000 rais of land

would create income more than three times of the old income of more than 10,000 households.

In 2010, the Mitr Phol Sugar Group had expanded the development to raise the quality of life for better living under (the One Company One Community) by reducing household consumption expenses, by fishery, by growing backyard garden vegetables around the brim of pond, by making account of household incomes and expenses in order to control expenditures and saving by working with 80 families of farming volunteers from four communities in the promoted areas of Mitr Kalasin and Mitr Phu Kiew Sugar factory. In parallel with personnel for operations, the company undertaking the project would give support and total management.

4. The Sa-Nguan Wongs True Friendship Project, Nakorn Ratchasima Province. The SaNguan Wongs Industry Co., Ltd. emphasises on Tapioca productivity per Rai by farmers.

The cultivation should yield higher produces by stressing new technological knowledge using stone dust to add nutritious minerals to the land, by fermented fertiliser production, by organics from tapioca bark and by networking of tapioca producers with various soil specialists, by setting up centers to germinate natural enemies and Beauveria to get rid of mealybug including the recycling of waste water from treatment plant to be used in areas nearby so that farmers would have added incomes, and have stability in growing tapioca supply to related industries at appropriate costs, and can compete in global market sustainably. As regards budget and personnel, the company undertaking the project would support and bear managerial expenses.

Coordination of projects For detailed information about the projects, kindly contact the Reduction of Income Disparity Unit, the Thai Chamber of Commerce, Miss Uraiwan / Mr. Permkiat, Tel.026221860-70 ext. 278 and 272.

helping the needy

Eddie conjures up help for Gift of Happiness

By Gale Bailey

I

first met Eddie Howarth who was performing his Clown Eckie act at a St. George’s President’s lunch at the British Club which enthralled children and adults alike. I met him again on several occasions at charity functions where he discussed his wish of not only wanting to make children laugh but also to help with their every day needs. After several years full charitable status was granted to The Gift of Happiness Foundation in 2009 which has enabled Eddie to help so many under-privileged people not only in Bangkok but all over Thailand.

I visited the Wat Sam Ma Kan school in Ayutthaya with him where he had previously performed a clown show so we went armed with clothes and shoes, educational supplies plus a TV, DVD player and other household goods which Eddie had acquired from donations in and around Bangkok.

The school had been flooded during the previous years’ extraordinary high tides however some of the classrooms were fortunately raised on a first floor level however a great deal of equipment had been ruined.

We were welcomed by the dedicated headmaster and staff and the children performed a dance show for us! We were shown around the school and we asked, through interpreter Amarin Nisasoka, another G.O.H. volunteer who had attended the school as a child, what their wish list would be.

The computers were very old and most were in various stages of dis-repair and we were told how unbearably

hot the room became when they were in use. Air conditioning would be wonderful together with appropriate insulation in a dedicated computer room. After discussion at BCTFN committee meeting, it was agreed to fund this request through the Gift of Happiness Foundation who made the necessary purchases and arrangements so we returned to the school on the day the units were being fitted to see them installed and working as part of the insulation work had already been done.

We were greeted with great gusto and the children put on a games display for us which was hilarious and after lunch, another volunteer, Peter Cox, who had come with us purchased ice cream for all the children and everyone!

We waited until the air con units were installed and working following which a photo call was made in front of them. A further appeal has been made for used but good computers to various banks who are often willing to assist such places as they upgrade their computers every 3-4 years.

Eddie Howarth has since returned to the school taking more donated goods and he reports that all is well in the ‘air con’ computer room albeit awaiting more decent equipment.

The Gift of Happiness Foundation not only brings laughter and joy into the lives of the under-privileged in Thailand but also useful and much needed equipment to brighten their everyday living.

Check out www.gohappiness.org

The Brief

October / November 2011

47

Members News

Top award for Banyan Tree B

anyan Tree Bangkok (pictured right) has been voted Asia’s Leading City Spa Hotel in the World Travel Awards 2011. The award was presented during a recent ceremony held in Bangkok.

More than 213,000 industry professionals worldwide cast their votes in this year’s awards that acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of tourism and travel industry worldwide.

“This is a great honour to be recognised as Asia’s Leading City Spa Hotel,” says General Manager Sriram

Kailasam. “This award recognises our achievement in delivering unique products and services that make our guest experience memorable. We have always strived to maintain the highest possible standards to ensure the comfort of our discerning guests, tailored for individual lifestyles and preferences in accommodation, dining and spa.”

New deal for online news

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ewspaperDirect International is now the exclusive distributor of UK printed newspapers in Thailand. This follows the decision by British newspaper publishers to make daily print publications available only through NewspaperDirect’s digital print-ondemand network in Thailand.

CSR programme helps children at Baan Fuengfah

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mployees from the five-star Banyan Tree Hotel in Bangkok were joined by General Manager Sriram Kailasam on a visit to Baan Fuengfah – a special facility for children with disabilities.

The Banyan Tree hosted a lunch for the children and staff at Baan Fuengfah as part of the hotel’s Corporate Social Responsibility programme. Sriram Kailasam also presented a cheque for THB80,000 to Baan Fuengfah Superintendent Cheewaporn Kumjorhor.

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This technology allows same-day market penetration and demand-oriented supply through nine distribution partners. Kingdom.

As a result, daily offset copies will no longer be flown in.

Through NewspaperDirect over 100 national, regional and local newspapers, from The Times to the Racing Post, are available on publication day. The print-on-demand system allows readers to subscribe to single copies.

Home and office deliveries are generally free of charge, the company states.

Individual copies can also be purchased through national retailers including Asia Books and Bookazine.

More details at: www.NewspaperDirect-Asia.com.

Grant Thornton Thailand forms management consulting outfit

G

well-established practices. It has a powerful synergy with our advisory services, business risk services and executive recruitment.

Andrew Bean is a former managing director of Microsoft Thailand and latterly vice-president of Total Access Communication PCL. Tantra Tantraporn has held senior roles at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Hewlett Packard, Hutchison CAT and Oracle Systems.

“Our focus with this new practice is to help customers improve their productivity. I am convinced that we can genuinely help customers with this unique combination of talent, capabilities and tools, backed-up by the expertise and professionalism of one of the world’s largest consulting organisations.”

rant Thornton Thailand has formed a management consulting unit and hired two senior industry figures to run the new entity.

Andrew Bean

Tantra Tantraporn

Ian Pascoe, Managing Partner at Grant Thornton Thailand, said, “The new management consulting practice is a perfect complement to our other

Senior staff changes at NIST

T

he New International School of Thailand (NIST) has announced a series of new appointments. Brett Penny, former elementary school teacher at NIST, returns as Elementary Principal following Paul Hamlyn’s departure.

Brett Penny previously taught at NIST from 2000-2003. He also spent eight years in Zurich as PYP Coordinator, Deputy Principal and most recently as Primary Principal.

Barclay Lelievre has taken over the role of Vice Principal of Middle Years Curriculum. He replaces Nicole Schmidt who has moved to Angola to take on a new role as a Secondary Principal. Barclay joins NIST after five years at The York School in Toronto and nine years in Hong Kong at Canadian International and Chinese International schools.

Tina Santilli has taken the role of Vice Principal for Middle Years

Student Welfare, following Cynthia Wiseman’s move to Peru where she will be working as a Middle School Associate Principal.

Tina’s international career has been divided between schools in Tanzania, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan and, most recently, Qatar where she served as Principal of a small specialist school. She is experienced in the areas of Special Educational Needs and English as an Additional Language and has worked extensively with teachers to support diverse learners in the successful access of the IB programmes.

New role for Rami

R

ami Sayess has been appointed General Manager of the Four Seasons Hotel in Bangkok. Mr Sayess, a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and Lebanon, also has responsibilities - as regional vice-president - for the Four Seasons properties in Chiang Mai, Koh Samui and the Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle.

Mr Sayess moves to Thailand from Saudi Arabia, where he was General Manager of Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh at Kingdom Centre. His career has also taken him to Germany, Switzerland, UK, Dubai, Mauritius, Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.

The Brief

October / November 2011

49

Online marketing: what works and what doesn’t

By David Quine

O

nline marketing covers a variety of techniques. This article focuses on the use of the BCCT’s website for the Member Special Offers section and Sponsored Direct Email marketing to Members.

The article is intended for nontechnical people and demonstrates the most effective means of ensuring a company’s products and services can be presented to as wide an audience as possible. Information nowadays is read on a vast array of devices, from standard desktop PCs, to iPads, Smartphones and even text-to-speech devices. The following details how to optimise marketing resources and ensure that marketing information will make use of all the available technology.

Members special offers The Members Special Offers section is a simple and straightforward concept. Available to all Member Companies who can use a web page to detail the products and services they have available at special rates for BCCT Members. As the page is open to the public on the website, the information can be read by users around the world.

An important point to mention about the Members Special Offers section is that the content is regularly indexed by Google, Bing and other search engines, so the content will be referenced by many different sources, from actual people making searches or by automated robots searching and collating information.

As simple as it sounds, creating one web page to showcase a company’s products and services, there are some

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now have no need for huge graphics, the text already conveys our message.

We can add a logo, a banner perhaps or some product and service photos.

Now the page will work, Google will index it and if the images relate to the text, Google will also index details about the images. If a person accesses the page, using whatever device they have to hand, it will load quickly and the message will be conveyed to the user – a successful page, best possible use of marketing resources.

Sponsored direct email

David Quine

important points to consider. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, Google will be scanning the page looking for key words and text. If the page is created as a one-page-graphic, this benefit will be completely wasted – no text, nothing for Google to do, apart from catalogue the image information, but this is wasted in this situation. Not only that, the page will take a much longer time to load and will probably be skipped over by the user who looks at the page.

The secret is to create a page first in text only. Make sure that all of the message and information is contained in the text. Then, with no graphics, the question is – “Does this text-only page convey everything about the products and services I want to offer to BCCT Members?” If the answer here is “Yes”, then we can move on to adding some graphics.

The purpose of the graphics will be to add some colour and visually eye catching elements to the page. We

Email must be one of the most abused technologies on the planet. Originally designed as a text messaging system, a bit like SMS is today, it has now become a vehicle used by almost everyone to send not only text, but attachments of every description. The problem is, email delivery can never be guaranteed and can be subject to delays. This is inherent in the fundamental design of email with its reliance on a myriad of different systems along its intended delivery route.

Not only that, the recipient can also configure their email clients to filter certain kinds of email, or block attachments, so if an email isn’t carefully constructed, it will fail as a marketing tool. Add to this Spam filters, Firewalls and Virus checkers, it can be a challenge to know who received your email, never mind who actually looked at it!

The secret to creating a successful email will start with the principles of how we created our page for the Members Special Offers page in the previous section – write the text first, if this conveys the message 100

percent, then consider adding a few graphics to create colour and visually eye catching elements to the email.

An important point to consider is that many email recipients receive their email as Text Only, for a variety of reasons, it could be because their email client filters out graphics or for example, as a BCCT member they have selected “Text Only” in their personal profile.

If we consider how we read our own email these days, it is invariably on a mobile device or maybe in the office when we often spend time deleting emails that are not relevant to our business or have managed to slip through our spam filters. So if the key part of the message isn’t conveyed in about 50 characters of the subject line, there’s a good chance it will be deleted before even being opened.

So graphics at this stage have played no part in conveying our marketing information to the intended recipient.

Links in emails are very effective, a “click here” link can take the viewer to the company’s website where a more detailed page of information awaits. This serves a dual purpose, keeps the original email small and if you’ve successfully gained the attention of the reader, they are now on your company website reading further information. You can also monitor how many people come to this page and further manage your own marketing statistics.

So in summary, a webpage or email that will almost certainly fail and have the minimum number of viewers will contain perhaps just one huge graphic and no text, or a mixture of large graphics and far too much text.

An example of a successful marketing campaign through the BCCT services will be a web page for the Members Special Offers section, with a maximum of 200 words, an image or two along with a company logo and one or two links to external pages on your company website. This page can then form the basis of your email campaign to members, you just need to add the subject line for the email which should be able to convey the main message in 50 characters or less.

Join the board If you would like to contribute more to the work of the BCCT please consider standing for election to the BCCT board of directors. Unless they change their minds three current directors have so far indicated that they will not stand for the next board at the Annual General Meeting in January 2012. The role of a BCCT Board Director includes: • Attendance at monthly Board meetings (dates set at the beginning of the year). A minimum of six Board Meetings must be attended • All directors will be expected to actively participate in at least one of the BCCT Groups and other meetings/events as and when applicable • Preparation of regular reports on news, developments, opportunities, etc in your sector or area of expertise, or articles in The Brief magazine (no specific numerical requirement) • Input and advice on any issues raised by BCCT members, officers or the BCCT office • Promotion of the BCCT among the Thai and foreign business and government communities in Thailand • A Board Director may not miss three Board Meetings in a row otherwise he/she is deemed to have vacated office More formally the board’s main responsibilities are: 1. To oversee the operation, support and advancement of the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand

(BCCT), in accordance with the “Constitution and Regulations of BCCT”, “BCCT Group Rules & Guidelines”, and “BCCT Board Principles”.

2. To provide leadership to the BCCT through oversight, review and counsel.

3. To provide strategic input and set the strategic direction for the BCCT. 4. To be the primary decision-making body for all matters considered as significant to the BCCT. 5. To ensure a robust governance framework and the establishment of sound policies and procedures to successfully achieve the BCCT Mission Statement and objectives, in compliance with statutory and regulatory obligations and generally accepted best practice.

6. To ensure the availability of adequate financial resources, such that the BCCT remains a fully self-funded organisation, and to approve the BCCT annual budget.

7. To be accountable to BCCT Members and Stakeholders for BCCT’s performance.

8. To oversee and appoint appropriate Groups, Committees, Common Interest Groups, and administrative operations in order to further the objectives of the BCCT. If you would like to discuss the role and/or responsibilities of a board director or if you have any other queries please contact BCCT Executive Director Greg Watkins – greg@bccthai.com.

The Brief

October / November 2011

51

New work permit rules for short visits to Thailand

By Andrew Wynne

F

oreigners visiting Thailand for meetings of a company in which they or their employer have invested may already be aware that a work permit is required for this activity. They may not be aware that, henceforward, a work permit may not be easy to obtain under new and little-publicised Labour Department rules.

The Working of Aliens Act B.E. 2551 (2008) defines work as any activity involving exertion of energy or use of knowledge, whether or not for wages or other benefits. A non-resident foreigner serving as a director of a Thai company, who travels to Thailand to attend a meeting of the board (circular board resolutions and proxy representation at board meetings no longer being considered permissible), or an investor in a Thai company who attends a meeting of the shareholders in Thailand, is therefore working, no matter how short the visit, and even if no payment is involved.

To engage in work, a foreigner must hold a work permit, which can be obtained only in Thailand.

Ticking the “business” box on a landing card confers no authority to work; the information it gathers is purely for statistical purposes. An APEC Business Travel card confers no authority to work. Working in Thailand without a work permit potentially exposes a foreigner to arrest, seeking of bail and facing of criminal prosecution. Although penalties imposed are usually fairly small, fines of up to Baht 100,000 and imprisonment for up to five years are possible. The foreigner also then has a criminal record, which can lead to immigration blacklisting.

In practice Thai law in this area has traditionally been enforced as

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rigorously as the prohibition against riding of motorcycles on sidewalks – with an occasional arrest, usually in the context of a business dispute when someone with influence has complained to the authorities.

Recently there have however been signs of more serious enforcement. At the same time, the rules of the game are being changed – in surprising and unhelpful ways.

There is a longstanding procedure whereby a foreigner arriving in Thailand to do urgent and necessary work of types prescribed by labour authorities may file a notification form TT10, stating the nature and place of the intended work. If this notification is not rejected by labour authorities then the foreigner may work in that capacity for up to fifteen days. The procedure works, though some consider it cumbersome, and there has always been an element of fiction involved, in that the TT10 form requires that an “employer” in Thailand be identified – many business visitors of course have no local employer – and it has been necessary to supply certain documentation in respect of the socalled employer.

On 18 August and on 2 September 2011, labour authorities have however come out with two announcements which have changed the landscape.

In the 18 August announcement, it is specified that supporting documents for a TT10 notification must now include copies of the corporate affidavit of the so-called employer, and of its VAT certificate and its application for VAT registration, all signed by authorised signatory directors. As a result an urgent work permit is no longer obtainable in situations where:

• the so-called employer is not registered for VAT, either because its business is not subject to VAT (for example a school) or because it is a holding company; or • where authorised signatory directors of the so-called employer are not willing to sign the supporting documents.

We have seen a recent instance where local directors in a joint venture company called a board meeting, and then refused to sign supporting documents necessary for foreign directors to obtain urgent work permits needed for them to attend the meeting Labour officials have also begun saying that only a small number of urgent work permits will henceforward be issued to any individual. If a foreigner is a director of a Thai company holding regular monthly board meetings, it will likely prove impossible henceforward for regular monthly urgent work permits to be obtained, necessary for his attendance at all those meetings.

Continuing in this vein, the 2 September announcement emphasises the need for work performed under an urgent work permit to be both ‘necessary’ and ‘urgent’ in character, and clarifies that this cannot under any circumstances include administrative or academic work, but is limited to work that must be done immediately, failing which damage will be suffered.

This is a very narrow interpretation, which can potentially be used as a basis for denying almost any urgent work permit notification. In a recent instance a foreigner who came to testify in Thai court proceedings, and who sought an urgent work permit covering meetings with lawyers outside the courtroom, was refused on the ground that the

work was not urgent and necessary.

Who can be confident, in the face of such an interpretation, that a company meeting will be considered urgent and necessary?

The typical reaction of labour officials, when the practical consequences of decisions of this type are pointed out to them, is to say that the person concerned should apply for a ‘regular’ work permit. This recommendation is impractical since it would require that the individual go onto the payroll of an adequately–capitalised local employer, doing work of a category that cannot be done by a Thai national, and the time needed to obtain the work permit would under the most favourable circumstances be measured in weeks.

Foreign corporations considering investing together with a local partner in the Thai economy should pause and consider: if their relationship goes awry, they may not be able to represent themselves at meetings in Thailand of the jointventure company. The position taken by labour authorities on this issue runs counter to Thailand’s professed desire to attract investment. A possible solution would be for the Board of Investment to be more active in facilitating issuance of short term work permits for business visitors. At present the BOI does this to a limited extent, but generally only for foreigners wishing to undertake investment studies.

For more information, please contact Andrew Wynne at Price Sanond Prabhas & Wynne, 16th Floor, Q House, 11 South Sathorn Road, Bangkok 10120.

Tel (66-2) 679-1844 Fax (66-2) 679-1864 Email: awynne@pricesanond.com Website: www.pricesanond.com

BCCT offers wide ranging support to members

T

his and each future issue of The Brief will feature several benefits of BCCT membership that are not immediately apparent.

ADVICE, ASSISTANCE, INTRODUCTIONS & SIGN-POSTING BCCT Executive Director Greg Watkins has lived and worked in Thailand for more than 20 years.

During this time he has developed a working knowledge on many doing business issues and a wide network of business and government contacts that he can call on to assist members.

Greg can also facilitate business introductions for and to BCCT member companies.

He is supported by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable team in the BCCT office. Greg and his colleagues are a resource that is under-used by members. If you have an issue or a problem or if you would like to discuss how better to develop your business through the BCCT please drop-in to the BCCT office at your convenience or, alternatively, email Greg on - greg@bccthai.com - to set up a meeting.

Join a BCCT Group Business in Thailand is dependent upon many factors and BCCT Groups are a good forum for keeping up to date with developments in the business community through specific events and information reports. Details on BCCT Groups may be found on the BCCT website at the following link (insert url) Current BCCT Groups are: Business Leaders / Charity / Child Protection / Communications & PR (website/The Brief/Annual Handbook) / Eastern Seaboard / Events / Human Resources / Information & Communications Technology / Management Development Group/ Manufacturing / Membership & Sponsorship / Northern Thailand

(i.e. Chiang Mai) / Phuket / Professional Women’s Group / Property & Infrastructure / Safety & Security / Small & Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) / Sustainability & CSR / Travel & Tourism / UK Group (based in UK) BCCT Groups are run by members with support from the BCCT office. All members are welcome to participate in Group activity.

Email greg@bccthai.com for full details if you would like to join an existing Group or, indeed, would like to create a new Group.

BCCT MEETING ROOM/WIFI The BCCT office, located at 7th Floor, 208 Wireless Road (opposite All Seasons Place), has a meeting room that may accommodate up to 16 people for meetings and up to 24 people theatre-style. The room is fully equipped with a multimedia projector, screen and large whiteboard. Wi-Fi internet access is also available on a complimentary basis.

Members are very welcome to make use of the meeting room for presentations, meetings and interviews free-of-charge. To make a booking please email: rungjit@ bccthai.com. Refreshments can be provided on request. Frequent or regular use of the meeting room may attract a small charge.

MEMBER BROCHURES IN BCCT OFFICE After a major clear-out of redundant books, magazines and journals from the BCCT office there is now space to display members’ corporate brochures. If you would like to take advantage of this please send no more than five brochures to: Greg Watkins, Executive Director, British Chamber of Commerce Thailand, 7th Floor, 208 Wireless Road, Bangkok 10330.

The Brief

October / November 2011

53

New team takes shape at EABC in Bangkok W

e have witnessed positive developments taking place at the European ASEAN Business Centre (EABC) in recent months and especially so in the past two weeks, writes John Svengren.

The EABC team is taking shape. In September I was joined by Tipwadee Vimutisunthorn (Policy Manager), Chuthakan Nitisappayotye (Services and Events Manager) and Atita Aekkritkhan (Office Manager) – ending my solitude in the office during the implementation phase of the Centre. Two additional members of staff, filling the roles of Public Relations and Legal, will also be joining us.

My new colleagues took part in the EABC Advocacy Work Group programme held from 19 – 23 September with seven meetings covering the Food & Beverage, Automotive, Transport and Logistics, IPR, Telecom, Healthcare/Pharmaceuticals and Insurance sectors being conducted – all part of our aim to produce position papers in connection with the anticipated EU-Thailand free trade agreement negotiations.

Carrying out advocacy is a core component for EABC, with an objective to enhance the investment opportunities for European companies wishing to establish a business in Thailand as well as aiming to improve conditions for those European companies already active in Thailand.

Within Services and Events, EABC will act as a provider, multiplier and facilitator to complement and add value to existing structures. In doing so, EABC will work closely with the main existing European

54

The Brief

October / November 2011

Director John Svengren welcomes new faces to the EABC team in Bangkok.

service providers including the EABC Consortium Partners – the European bilateral Chambers of Commerce in Thailand – as well as the commercial sections within European embassies.

The Centre’s role in this regard will be to identify service providers and channel requests for support.

In a similar way the Centre will act as a gateway by pooling existing initiatives and knowledge and making it available to the European business community.

With the appointment of a PR and

Media Manager we will develop promotional activities and materials within EABC. We will be launching an EABC web site with related components and content, issuing newsletters and also holding workshops.

With a newly-appointed lawyer set to join us in early November the Centre will initiate its role as an intelligence centre – an essential part of EABC. In cooperation with, and working closely with, its stakeholders and

Putting pen to paper. EABC Director John Svengren (left) at the MoU signing ceremony.

partners the Centre will be looking into areas such as the creation of sector guidelines, establishment of a legal help desk including providing advice on IPR, development of guides covering such subject as visa regulations and entry formalities, labelling, contracts and tax liabilities for foreign companies.

Home

Finally, we are preparing for the full public launch of the Centre in Bangkok and I look forward to sharing details about this in the next issue of The Brief.

European ASEAN Business Centre in Thailand

I shall also be writing about other parts of the EABC operation aimed at being useful and beneficial for European business in Thailand.

• Improving the trade and investment environment for European companies in Thailand • Increasing European trade and investment in Thailand

John Svengren is Director of the Europe ASEAN Business Centre, based in Bangkok.

More details: 195 Empire Tower 25th floor, Sathorn Road, Yannawa, Sathorn, Bangkok 10120 Thailand.

Email: director@eabc-thailand.eu Tel: +66 2670 0623 Fax: +66 2670 0608

EABC is a European Trade Organisation that contributes to:

This results in: • Increased number of European companies (especially SMEs) operating in Thailand • Increased export and investment of European companies

EABC main activities are : • Drafting, publishing and dissemination of joint European industry position papers and lobby them to the Royal Thai Government in regards to new and existing regulations • Supporting with trade related information, legal analysis and advisory services (IPR & Standard Helpdesk) • Organising European flagship events/conferences, seminars and EU pavilions at trade fairs to foster the European dimension in the business community • Interacting as the European business voice in Thailand

Building Bridges in Thailand The Brief

October / November 2011

55

BOI Update

BOI Fair set to showcase innovation in Thailand T

he 2011 BOI Fair is set to showcase Thailand’s worldclass industrial capacity, modern technology and knack for innovation, with emphasis on environment-friendly manufacturing and services.

The Fair takes place from 10-25 November at Muang Thong Thani (pictured right) on the outskirts of Bangkok and is part of the nationwide celebrations to mark King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 84th birthday.

Over 800 companies, Thai and international, will exhibit at this year’s event. The outdoor exhibition, which covers 166,000 sqm, will feature highlights of 39 pavilions from different industries and services including automotive, electrical and electronics, agriculture, paper, petrochemicals and software.

The BOI aims to make the 2011 event the first low-carbon fair in Thailand.

It states that a series of measures have been planned to reduce carbon emission. Many exhibitors are resorting to natural, recyclable or recycled materials when constructing pavilions. Renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, will also be used.

Exhibitions at the Royal Pavilion will focus on King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s principle of self sufficiency economy and the interdependence between water, earth, forests and man. The Thailand Pavilion will present the key characteristics of Thailand’s four regions through sophisticated multimedia technologies whilst the BOI Pavilion will display the history of Thailand’s investment promotion

56

The Brief

October / November 2011

and the move towards attracting ‘green’ investment.

Another feature is the launch of the EXPO 2020 Pavilion as a part of the campaign to demonstrate Thailand’s capability as a host candidate for World Expo 2020. Under the theme ‘Redefine Globalisation – Balanced Life, Sustainable Living’ the pavilion will offer an overview of the World Expo and Thailand’s history as well as presenting the master plan of the country’s host bid.

The CEO Forum, organised by the BOI and the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau, will feature more than 300 senior executives sharing experiences on investment in Thailand and Asia. The BOI has also organised more than 200 seminars covering a variety of topics of interest to industry and society.

The BOI claims that the 2011 Fair will strengthen domestic and foreign investors’ confidence in the Thai economy with the economic contribution of this event to the local economy amounting to some seven billion baht.

Getting there For transport to BOI Fair 2011, special shuttle bus lines operated along with park-and-ride connections to and from Muang Thong Thani will be available at various locations such as Victory Monument, Mochit 2 bus terminal and Thammasat University (Rangsit campus).

For more details: http://www.boifair2011.com or http://www.facebook.com/ NongChangJumBOI2011 Tel: (+66) 2553 8111 ext. 8254

BCCT welcomes new faces to Wireless Road HQ

T

he chamber is pleased to welcome three new members of staff to its headquarters in Wireless Road, Bangkok.

Deputy Director Khun Sarinthorn Sachavirawong (pictured right) has several years of project management experience in the public affairs, development and international relations fields in Asia and Australia.

Her most recent assignment was with the Events and Communications unit of the NSW Government in Australia.

Other projects managed by Khun Sarinthorn include the AusAID funded ‘Youth Ambassadors for Development’ in Thailand, the EU funded ‘women empowerment in Malaysia’ and most recently, coordination of the independent election observation mission for the Thai general elections in July.

She has also worked extensively in the marketing and public relations field, including managing the marketing of Australian education in Thailand.

Khun Sarinthorn has facilitated collaborations and partnerships amongst multi-stakeholders across Asia and the Pacific, including a role as the inaugural coordinator for the Economic Freedom Network Asia. She has conducted programme evaluations and project impact assessment studies and designed corporate social responsibilities projects.

Her primary roles with the Chamber embrace public relations, membership and sponsorship – particularly to Thai contacts in member companies and the Thai community at large. She will also have oversight of administration and finance.

She may be reached at Sarinthorn@ bccthai.com. Please contact Khun Sarinthorn for any comments and suggestions you may have with regard to your membership and your involvement with the Chamber.

Khun Marissada Charnsilp (above left) has joined the BCCT as an Events Coordinator, assisting the Chamber’s in-house team until mid-December. Khun Marissada graduated with a bachelor degree from Chulalongkorn University (majoring in French) and a master degree from Queen Mary,

University of London (majoring in Management and Organisational Innovation). Email: marissada@ bccthai.com Khun Sivaporn Peungpian (above right), formerly a Client Representative with Veritas Enterprises, is studying for her bachelor degree at Ramkhamhaeng University (majoring in English).

She expects to graduate early next year. Khun Sivaporn is covering the duties for the vacant Membership Manager position. Email: sivaporn @bccthai.com

The Brief

October / November 2011

57

Dataconsult

Chamber Events

Thailand performance/forecast

By the Numbers

Chris Bruton Director, Dataconsult Ltd.

A

s we enter the fourth quarter of 2011 Thailand will be affected, as with other Asian countries, by an easing of manufactured exports as well as relatively weak public spending.

Commodity exports will remain strong, but the manufacturing sector will experience little growth until the second quarter of 2012.

Hold-ups in public construction work should be resolved during the coming quarter, provided that the incoming government can maintain political stability. However, for the international community, political risk will remain Thailand’s main point of concern especially given the uncertainties regarding the effective government leadership and the role and prospective return to centre stage of Dr. Thaksin Shinawatra.

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

GDP real growth, %

5.0

2.5

-2.3

7.8

3.2

5.4

- Personal consumption

1.8

2.9

-1.1

4.8

3.5

4.0

- Gross fixed investment

1.5

1.2

-9.2

9.4

7.2

10.0

- Manufacturing

6.2

3.9

-6.1

13.9

-1.0

4.0

- Construction

2.5

-5.3

0.4

6.8

1.5

6.0

Inflation CPI, year average

2.2

5.4

-0.9

3.3

4.0

3.5

Export growth, % US$ basis

26.7

9.3

-15.0

28.5

15.0

16.5

Import growth, % US$ basis

16.8

19.7

-26.3

37.1

18.2

17.5

Current account, % of GDP

6.3

0.7

8.3

4.6

2.8

2.8

Central bank rate, % year average

3.25

2.75

1.25

2.00

3.75

4.25

US$ x-rate, year average

32.2

33.0

34.3

31.7

29.8

28.6

- change, %

17.6

-2.3

-3.9

8.2

6.5

4.0 Source: IMA Asia

At this stage our GDP forecast stands at 3.2 per cent, compared with 7.8 percent in 2010, with personal consumption (3.5 percent), and gross fixed investment (7.2 percent) both also lower than in the revival year 2010.

Manufacturing is forecast as a decline on 2010 and construction is forecast to have very modest growth (1.5 percent). Inflation, at four percent, will be higher than in 2010.

import growth, at 18.2 percent, will be halved compared with the performance of 2010 – although the 2010 figures reflected recovery from a very weak 2009.

Central bank rates will continue their rise while the exchange rate against the US dollar will continue to show baht appreciation. Overall, we are still looking at a continuing recovery into 2012 without too severe an impact from the staggering economies of the USA and the Eurozone.

Both export growth, at 15 percent, and

Thailand Statistical Update (September 2011) 2011

Item

Jul

Jun

2010

May

Apr

Mar

Feb

Jan

Dec

Nov

Oct

Sep

Aug -9.9

Production Indicators Agricultural Production Index (y-on-y %)

-7.3

-8.1

5.8

39.0

32.3

4.4

7.5

-1.2

0.4

-4.9

-0.5

Manufacturing Production Index (y-on-y %)

-1.1

3.8

-3.7

-8.1

-6.7

-3.0

4.1

-3.4

5.7

6.0

8.1

8.4

Industrial capacity Utilisation (%)

63.0

64.1

58.8

54.4

66.1

59.5

62.3

62.4

63.6

63.9

64.4

63.6

Key domestic product sales Electricity (KWH bn.)

13.70

13.47

13.77

12.58

13.12

11.86

11.91

12.18

12.28

12.96

12.99

13.05

Benzene/gasohol (mn. litres)

384.28

362.12

374.46

392.05

389.25

406.52

426.98

441.39

384.08

430.23

433.33

434.72

Beer (mn. litres)

132.96

144.83

130.09

149.79

177.98

139.98

126.04

200.39

166.46

134.64

129.08

134.53

Soda / soft drinks (mn. litres)

41.90

48.32

44.92

47.21

57.13

49.79

50.70

57.96

49.82

43.59

43.26

45.93

Passenger cars (000 units)

25.55

26.91

15.74

22.90

35.54

30.95

29.00

32.24

31.54

31.16

27.27

24.52

Motorcycles (000 units)

192.25

197.01

180.72

148.64

187.14

154.50

158.22

152.43

160.32

155.91

147.86

149.29

Commercial vehicles (000 units)

39.21

30.31

24.71

25.85

41.89

37.66

33.29

40.29

40.55

37.10

34.14

31.72

Cement (mn. metric tonnes)

2.29

2.38

2.51

2.21

2.65

2.43

2.33

2.25

2.12

1.92

2.08

2.15

Passenger cars (y-on-y %)

12.2

-0.5

-15.2

17.8

80.3

49.6

49.6

28.2

39.7

42.7

46.6

58.0

Motorcycles (y-on-y %)

11.6

18.2

23.8

11.0

13.1

15.7

5.3

10.0

10.8

15.3

19.4

33.7

Commercial vehicles (y-on-y %)

10.1

-0.3

-6.2

17.7

28.5

37.6

29.7

29.9

37.3

29.6

35.4

47.7

Cement (y-on-y %)

8.6

4.0

-5.8

-1.0

2.2

1.3

0.9

2.7

-2.5

-7.8

4.9

-1.5 164.9

Producer / Consumer Price Indicators Producer Price Index

137.1

138.7

138.3

139.3

137.4

137.3

134.0

166.9

168.8

167.7

166.3

Change (m-on-m %)

-1.2

0.3

-0.7

1.4

0.1

2.5

1.4

-1.1

0.7

0.8

0.8

0.2

Change (y-on-y %)

5.2

4.5

6.2

6.6

5.9

7.4

6.0

6.7

5.9

6.3

9.0

10.7

120.8

120.1

120.2

119.7

119.0

117.9

117.7

143.4

142.3

141.3

142.0

141.3

0.6

-0.1

0.4

0.6

0.9

0.2

2.0

0.8

0.7

-0.5

0.5

1.0

Construction Materials Price Index Change (m-on-m %)

58

The Brief

October / November 2011

2011

Item

2010

Jul

Jun

May

Apr

Mar

Feb

Jan

Dec

Nov

Oct

Sep

7.3

6.7

4.8

4.5

6.6

6.0

6.0

3.5

2.4

0.4

0.6

0.9

112.7

112.5

112.4

112.0

110.5

110.0

109.5

108.9

108.8

108.5

108.5

108.6

Change (m-on-m %)

0.2

0.1

0.3

1.4

0.5

0.4

0.5

0.2

0.2

0.0

-0.1

0.2

Change (y-on-y %)

4.1

4.1

4.2

4.0

3.1

2.9

3.0

3.0

2.8

2.8

3.0

3.3

106.4

106.3

106.1

105.6

104.8

104.5

104.4

104.2

103.9

103.8

103.7

103.7

Change (m-on-m %)

0.1

0.2

0.5

0.7

0.3

0.1

0.2

0.4

0.0

0.1

0.0

0.0

Change (y-on-y %)

2.6

2.5

2.5

2.1

1.6

1.5

1.3

1.4

1.1

1.1

1.1

1.2

Industrial Confidence Index

105.2

107.4

108.3

106.6

102.3

108.2

112.7

109.7

99.7

98.7

100.8

102.4

Business Sentiment Index

51.2

53.1

50.9

47.3

54.1

52.3

52.8

51.6

52.5

50.0

50.6

50.3

Private Consumption Index

138.0

141.3

141.3

140.0

141.7

137.9

138.4

137.2

137.3

132.7

134.0

135.7

Private Investment Index

201.9

201.7

206.9

205.2

208.2

198.5

195.5

187.8

188.9

188.4

189.9

190.5

Consumer Confidence Index

30.6

22.4

18.4

17.7

16.0

18.9

20.4

24.6

24.9

25.9

24.9

22.1

Change (y-on-y %) Consumer Price Index (headline) (2007 = 100)

Core Inflation (2007 = 100)

Aug

Consumption & Confidence Indicators

Fuel Prices Benzene 91 (Baht per litre)

43.02

42.41

43.09

43.41

42.12

40.36

39.06

37.45

36.04

35.33

34.44

35.52

Diesel (Baht/litre)

29.99

29.99

29.99

29.99

29.96

29.99

29.99

29.89

29.26

28.56

27.79

28.58

Manufactured products (Baht bn.)

573.74

544.86

501.55

461.37

554.18

497.11

431.99

446.16

459.90

464.27

504.30

472.12

Agricultural products (Baht bn.)

63.13

58.74

64.51

52.25

75.95

62.42

57.37

57.08

50.51

44.36

45.89

41.83

Total exports (Baht bn.)

652.09

633.71

580.05

527.62

646.28

573.01

501.08

516.62

524.80

522.38

565.87

527.22

Total exports (y-on-y %)

38.3

16.8

17.6

25.0

30.6

31.0

22.3

18.8

28.5

15.7

21.2

23.9

Foreign Trade of Thailand: exports

Foreign Trade of Thailand: imports Consumer goods (Baht bn.)

46.55

48.82

46.99

45.63

50.81

40.89

44.89

42.56

46.06

42.33

46.08

47.08

Raw materials (Baht bn.)

220.41

241.32

230.19

224.67

231.91

198.32

205.37

194.25

197.97

194.86

201.04

197.21

Capital goods (Baht bn.)

141.76

155.32

125.84

136.79

168.20

129.63

135.16

115.05

121.84

117.00

126.28

133.74

Other Imports (Baht bn.)

165.71

157.44

176.05

151.43

148.44

156.82

148.17

132.13

153.38

108.23

101.92

134.50

Total Imports (Baht bn.)

574.43

602.90

579.07

558.53

599.37

525.66

533.58

484.00

519.25

462.42

475.32

512.52

Total Imports (y-on-y %)

13.5

26.1

33.8

27.9

28.4

22.2

33.3

11.4

35.3

14.8

16.0

41.1

Tourism Indicators Suvarnabhumi Arrivals (000 persons)

1,124

964

889

1,004

1,101

1,142

1,183

1,143

1,003

864

784

834

Change (y-on-y %)

32.86

64.42

91.64

48.61

15.77

6.75

6.20

3.32

4.55

0.15

7.48

3.80 1,252

Nationwide Arrivals (000 persons)

1,516

1,485

1,369

1,498

1,759

1,805

1,792

1,802

1,473

1,314

1,192

Change (y-on-y %)

18.80

53.90

65.61

35.17

22.23

11.80

11.62

6.95

8.17

8.61

14.53

8.90

Hotel Occupancy Rate (%)

57.41

49.82

50.01

56.04

62.49

68.93

62.69

58.44

55.36

49.03

45.77

48.77

Loans (Baht billion)

n.a

9,466.3

9,540.6

9,636.7

9,244.9

9,405.8

9,073.6

8,591.4

8,767.6

8,672.7

8,109.2

8,260.5

Deposits (Baht billion)

n.a

7,568.0

7,670.9

7,598.7

7,625.9

7,598.0

7,446.9

7,468.7

7,312.6

7,201.9

7,164.5

7,124.1 913.19

Commercial Banking Indicators

Stock Exchange and Foreign Investment indicators 1,133.53

1,041.48

1,073.83

1,093.56

1047.48

987.91

964.10

1032.76

1,005.12

984.46

975.30

Market Capitalisation (bn. Baht)

SET Index (1975 = 100)

9,271

8,513

8,742

8,860

8,488

8,004

7,811

8,335

8,163

7,989

7,893

7,380

Foreign Purchase (bn. Baht)

168.36

114.96

125.82

144.49

157.33

141.65

166.21

138.34

135.01

129.05

172.39

115.13

Foreign Sale (bn. Baht)

130.49

141.86

142.53

114.98

137.73

133.20

194.84

107.40

141.28

113.57

136.38

99.11

Foreign Equity Investment (net, bn. Baht)

n.a

19.35

15.39

14.60

19.08

19.39

-22.17

16.89

14.23

8.70

15.80

15.70

Foreign Direct Investment (net, bn. Baht)

n.a

16.80

10.08

13.82

12.43

17.82

-23.12

10.21

13.13

7.80

20.63

16.80

Foreign Portfolio Investment (net, bn. Baht)

n.a

-5.03

6.19

18.49

12.90

2.03

-15.65

29.62

1.86

20.45

11.55

1.80

Board of Investment indicators Applications (Baht bn.)

53.5

42.7

37.9

52.4

46.3

39.9

26.8

71.4

42.1

53.7

18.3

53.8

Approvals (Baht bn.)

11.7

68.9

38.6

35.8

30.7

57.0

22.3

35.3

60.2

19.8

42.1

30.5

Certificates (Baht bn.)

40.5

47.2

39.8

47.8

28.1

17.7

46.8

25.7

32.3

56.8

30.1

74.1

International monetary indicators US$ / Baht (mid-rate)

30.08

30.51

30.24

30.05

30.37

30.72

30.58

30.12

29.89

29.97

30.79

31.70

ÂŁ / Baht (mid-rate)

48.54

49.52

49.42

49.19

49.09

49.54

48.23

46.97

47.74

47.50

47.91

49.67 40.94

Euro / Baht (mid-rate)

42.99

43.91

43.30

43.43

42.51

41.97

40.83

39.76

40.89

41.60

40.18

Japan (100) Yen / Baht (mid-rate)

37.90

37.90

37.26

36.18

37.16

37.23

37.01

36.13

36.27

36.58

36.48

37.11

Exports (f.o.b. US$ bn.)

21.10

20.82

19.28

17.24

21.07

18.41

16.52

17.22

17.58

17.04

17.95

16.30

Imports (c.i.f. US$$ bn.)

-18.39

-18.93

-19.01

-17.72

-19.18

-16.38

-17.11

-15.89

-17.08

-14.77

-14.70

-15.44

Trade balance (US$ mn.)

2,705.11

1,885.50

274.29

-477.03

1,891.78

2,030.62

-587.95

1,326.64

501.59

2,275.71

3,248.32

866.60

Current account balance ( US$ mn.)

3,574.34

2,498.71

-510.77

-165.12

1,880.73

3,823.37

1,090.47

1,767.27

1,030.42

2,742.62

2,772.58

295.38

Balance of payments ( US$ mn.)

541.20

-971.59

-2,599.60

3,570.40

1,364.60

4,270.89

1,688.90

2,262.79

820.29

5,821.70

4,269.79

3,589.40

Foreign currency reserves ( US$ bn.)

187.64

184.89

185.47

189.88

181.58

179.45

173.99

172.13

167.97

171.06

163.24

155.19

Statistical sources: these statistics have been derived from the following official sources: Bank of Thailand, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Finance (Department of Customs, Fiscal Policy Office), Ministry of Industry, Board of Investment, Immigration Department, Stock Exchange of Thailand. The above statistics represent the principal economic indicators for Thailand, but the original sources provide much more extensive and detailed coverage of different aspects of the economy. Statistics as presented are, in most cases, provisional figures, which will be adjusted at a later date when final returns are available from the respective sources. While best efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, readers are referred to original sources for definitive statistics.

Note 1: month-by-month figures are updated as adjustments are made in the original statistical sources Note 2: up to December 2010, Index was 2000 = 100; From January 2011, Index is 2005 = 100

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Chamber Events

Chamber Events BCCT Half-Day Workshop 5 August 2011 On 5 August 2011, the BCCT Management Development Group in collaboration with HSBC offered a half-day workshop on the topic of ‘Performance Management – Basic Concepts’. It gave BCCT members opportunities to practices on how the employees can manage their own performance, and how the people managers are equipped to effectively manage the performance of their teams and businesses. Thank you to our sponsor, HSBC.

ERRATUM In the last issue we inadvertently omitted the logo of M&C Energy as a sponsor of the Joint Special Luncheon with AustCham and AMCHAM on July 7th. We are happy to acknowledge the kind support of M&C Energy.

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01 (From left to right) - Voranat Soponpis, T.C.C. Commercial Property Management Co., Ltd.

IBAP/BCCT Evening in Phuket 12 August 2011 Thailand - Same Same but Different - From Traditionalist Patronage Democracy to Capitalist Patronage Democracy On 12th August 2011, the International Business Association of Phuket (IBAP) with BCCT support held a meeting in Phuket with Voranai Vanijaka, Political & Social Commentator for the Bangkok Post at Full Moon Brewwork Microbrewery & Restaurant.

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Thank you to our generous sponsor....

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01 (From left to right) - Graham Macdonald, MBMG Group and BCCT Chairman - Voranai Vanijaka, The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. 02 - James Firth, EAST Furniture and Interiors and IBAP President - Grant Upton, IBAP member

Chamber Events

Third Thursday Social Networking Evening 18 August 2011 Creative thinking Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong Hotel sponsored the T3 - Third Thursday Social Networking at R Bar on 21st July. It was a great night and well attended. Thank you to our sponsor for their support of this event.

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01 (From left to right) - Chris Thatcher, BCCT Board Director - Daryn Hudson, Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong Hotel - Simon Matthews, Manpower Thailand and BCCT Board Director

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02 - Richard Greaves, Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok and BCCT Board Director - Bradley Jones, British Embassy Bangkok

BCCT Half-Day Seminar 24 August 2011 New Thai Financial Reporting Standard: BCCT in collaboration with Mazars (Thailand) Ltd. offered a seminar on the new Thai Financial Reporting Standards (‘TFRS’) for Non-Publicly Accountable Entities (‘NPAEs’). This seminar examined in detail the key changes that will impact your company’s financial reporting. Thank you to our sponsor Mazars (Thailand) Ltd.

01 - Blake Dimsdale, Mazars (Thailand) Ltd. 01

02 - Renu Sachdev, HSBC

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Thank you to our generous sponsor....

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Chamber Events

BCCT Networking in Chiang Mai 25 August 2011 Creative thinking BCCT & AA Insurance Broker in collaboration with MBMG Group and Lanna Classic Cars hosted a networking in Chiang Mai at Mokador on 25th August 2011. Grateful thanks to our sponsors for their support of this event.

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01 (from left to right) - Graham Macdonald, MBMG Group and BCCT Chairman - Clive Richardson, Lanna Classic Cars - Peter Smith, AA Insurance Broker

02 - Ben Svasti Thomson, British Consulate in Chiang Mai - Colin Jarvis, Eseana

BCCT Eastern Seaboard Networking Evening 26 August 2011 The BCCT organised an Eastern Seaboard Networking Evening at Cafe G, Holiday Inn Pattaya. Thank you to our sponsors Allied Pickfords - Thailand, Cornerstone Management Company Limited, Simplicity International Co., Ltd., Resource Link Consulting Group Co.,Ltd., Jotun Thailand Limited, Pattaya Mail Publishing Co., Ltd., Air France - KLM and Holiday Inn Pattaya.

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01 (from left to right) - Alexander Hutton-Potts, Simplicity International Co., Ltd. - Richard Bell, Cornerstone Management Company Limited - Tony Malhotra, Pattaya Mail Publishing Co., Ltd. - Athitkrit Saksataporn, Air France / KLM - Kerry Matisin, Allied Pickfords – Thailand - Markus Wehrhahn, Resource Link Consulting Group Co., Ltd. 02 - Stephen Frost, Bangkok International Associates Ltd and BCCT Board Director - Greg Watkins, BCCT - Simon Matthews, Manpower Thailand and BCCT Board Director - John Pollard, Meinhardt (Thailand) Ltd.

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Thank you to our generous sponsor....

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Chamber Events

BCCT Half-Day Workshop 1 September 2011 Communicating with Confidence and Credibility for Senior Managers The BCCT Management Development Group in collaboration with ATA Lifecoach Company Limited offered a half day inter-active workshop on the topic of ‘ Communicating with Confidence and Credibility’ on 1st September 2011 at Shangri-La Hotel.

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01 - Christina Dodd, ATA Lifecoach Company Limited

02 (from left to right) - Supranee Taecharungroj, New International School of Thailand - Jacqueline Patterson, New International School of Thailand

Joint BCCT/NZTCC Rugby Networking Evening 6 September 2011 The September FREE featured event On 6th September 2011, the BCCT in co-operation with the Irish Thai Chamber of Commerce in co-operation held a rugby networking evening at Molly Malone’s Irish pub. Thank you to our sponsor Lawton Asia Insurance Brokers.

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01 (from left to right) - Chris Thatcher, BCCT Vice Chairman - Jerome Kelly, LawtonAsia Insurance Brokers Ltd. - Robert Pincock, Molly Malone’s Irish Pub

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02 - Clive Butcher, Highfield Equity - Graham Macdonald, MBMG Group and BCCT Chairman - Simon Matthews, Manpower Thailand and BCCT board director

Thank you to our generous sponsor....

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Chamber Events

Jesters Care for Kids 11 September 2011 The BCCT participated in the Jesters ‘Care for Kids’ Children’s Fair in Pattaya at Diana Garden Resort and Driving Range for the second year. Khun Ittipol Khunplome, Pattaya Mayor, gave an opening speech and performed the ribbon-cutting.

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01 - Ittipol Khunplome, Pattaya Mayor

Joint AMCHAM, AustCham, BCCT and TCCC Seminar 12 September 2011 How to handle fraud and misconduct in your Organisation The BCCT joined with AMCHAM, AustCham and TCCC for a seminar on 12th September 2011 at Crowne Plaza Bangkok Lumpini Park. Guest speakers were Say Sujintaya, Chaiporn Supvoranid from Baker & Mackenzie and Vorapong Sutanont from PricewaterhouseCoopers.

01 (from left to right) - Greg Watkins, BCCT - Mark Carroll, Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce - Say Sujintaya, Baker & Mackenzie - Vorapong Sutanont, PricewaterhouseCoopers - Chaiporn Supvoranid, Baker & Mackenzie - Judy Benn, The American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand

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Thank you to our generous sponsor....

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Chamber Events

Joint AMCHAM/AustCham/BCCT Special Luncheon 15 September 2011 The Fight Against Corruption – Thailand’s Outlook The BCCT joined with AMCHAM and AustCham for a luncheon on 15th September at the JW Marriott Bangkok. Guest speaker was Dr. Sirilaksana Khoman, Senior Advisor, National AntiCorruption Commission on the topic of ‘The Fight Against Corruption - Thailand’s Outlook’.

01 (from left to right) - David Bell, Ra-Kahng Associates Ltd. and AustCham Director - Graham Macdonald, MBMG Group and BCCT Chairman - Dr. Sirilaksana Khoman, National AntiCorruption Commission - John Anderson, Meinhardt (Thailand) Ltd. and AustCham President - David Lyman, Tilleke & Gibbins International Ltd. and Amcham Governor

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Third Thursday Social Networking Evening 15 September 2011 HSBC and JW Marriott Bangkok sponsored the T3 - Third Thursday Social Networking at Sake Bar on 15th September. It was a great night and well attended. Thank you to sponsor, for their support of this event.

01 (from left to right) - Simon Matthews, Manpower Thailand and BCCT Board Director - Dieter Greigeritsch, JW Marriott Bangkok

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02 - Salinla Seehaphan, HSBC - Piyachat Amorntanomchoke, HSBC

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Thank you to our generous sponsor....

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Forthcoming Events October

18/11 - Special BCCT Luncheon (Bank of Thailand) Venue: Banyan Tree Time: 12.00 - 2.30 pm Speaker: Dr. Prasarn Trairatvorakul, Governor, The Bank of Thailand

NOVEMBER

6/10 - BCCT Evening Panel Discussion Venue: Junior Ballroom II, Grand Millennium Sukhumvit, Bangkok Time: 6.30 pm Topic: ‘How do you successfully integrate new university graduates into the workforce?’

13/10 - BCCT BOI SME Lunch Venue: New York room, The Conrad Bangkok Time: 12.00 pm Speaker: Khun Duangjai Asawachintachit, Assistant Secretary General, Office of the Board of Investment 14/10 - BCCT One-Day Workshop (Managing Teamwork) This course is conducted in Thai Time: 9.00 am - 5.00 pm Venue: Pathumwan Princess Hotel 14/10 - BCCT Eastern Seaboard P&I Panel Discussion

2/11 – BCCT Half-Day Workshop (Motivation and Time Management) This course will be conducted in English Venue: TBC Time: 8.30 - 12.00 pm 3/11 - BCCT Half-Day Workshop (Implementing Change) This course is conducted in Thai Venue: Bangkok Hotel Lotus Sukhumvit Time: 8.30 am - 12.00 pm 3/11 - Joint BCCT & BeLuThai Chamber Football Dinner Venue: Dusit Thani Bangkok Time: 6.30 pm 8/11 Joint BCCT/AMCHAM P&I BREAKFAST BRIEFING Venue: Le Meridien Bangkok Time: 7.30 am

18/11 - BCCT Eastern Seaboard Networking Evening Venue: Horseshoe Point Resort & Residence Time: 6.30 - 8.00 pm 26/11 - Ploenchit Fair by the River Venue: Shrewsbury International School Bangkok, 1922 Charoen Krung Road Bangkok Time: 10.00 am - 8.00 pm 30/11 - Special BCCT Luncheon Venue: JW Marriott Bangkok Time: 12.00 - 2.30 pm Speaker: Khun Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, Secretary-General, National Economic and Social Development Board

DECEMBER 9/12 - BCCT Eastern Seaboard Networking Evening

10-25/11 - BOI Fair

Venue: Amari Orchid Pattaya Time: 6.30 - 8.00 pm

Venue: Amari Orchid Pattaya Time: 4.30 pm Topic: ‘The High Speed Rail Project in Thailand and how this will benefit the Eastern Seaboard’ Speakers: - Khun Chula Sukmanop, Deputy Directory - General, The Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and planning (OTP) - Abigail Evans, Executive Traffic Planner, Meinhardt

Venue: Impact Muang Thong Thani Time: 10.00 am

14/12 - BCCT Christmas Luncheon

17/11 - BCCT Life & Style Garden Party

Venue: Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok Time: 11.00 am - 2.30 pm

14/10 - Oktoberfest in Pattaya

Comings and Goings

Venue: Amari Orchid Pattaya Time: 6.00 pm - 10.30 pm 20/10 - Third Thursday Social Event Venue: Syn Bar, Nai Lert Park Hotel Time: 6.30 - 8.00 pm 31/10 - BCCT/TCCC VISIT TO AMATA NAKORN & TRIUMPH MOTORCYCLES Venue: Amata Nakorn Time: 12.00 noon

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Venue: The Residence, British Embassy Time: 6.30 pm

Please check the BCCT website for more details about these events.

The British Chamber of Commerce Thailand welcomes the following new members: Akara Mining Limited 92/54-55 Sathorn Thani Building II 19th Floor, North Sathorn Road Silom, Banrak, Bangkok 10500 Tel: +66 (0) 2233-9469-73 Fax: +66 (0) 2236-5512 Representative: Mr. Pakorn Sukhum, CEO Business Activity: Management Consultancy / Executive Search

Asia West Fine Foods Co., Ltd. 888/39 Soi Yingcharoen 2 Bangplee-Tamru Road, Bangplee Yai Bangkok 10540 Tel: +66 (0) 382-5236 Fax: +66 (0) 382-5478 Representative: Mr. Sean Fowler, Operations Manager Business Activity: Manufacturing (Mean Products)

bbk Partners Co., Ltd. 4th Floor, 409 The Opus 139 Soi Thong Lor 10 Sukhumvit, Wattana Bangkok 10110 Tel: +66 (0) 2715-9400 Fax: +66 (0) 2715-9400 Representative: Ms. Lisa Barnes-Kolman, Director Business Activity: Market Research

PFS International Consultants Co., Ltd. 2105, 21st Floor, Two Pacific Place 142 Sukhumvit Road Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110 Tel: +66 (0) 2653-1971 Fax: +66 (0) 2653-1976 Representative: Mr. Lee Frost, Regional Director Business Activity: Financial Services

C.A.T Accounting & Tax Co., Ltd. 64/70 M. 12 Thepprasit Road, Nongprue Banglamung, Chonburi 20150 Tel: +66 (0) 38-301-019 Fax: +66 (0) 38-300-510 Representative: Mr. Ennio Castelli, Managing Director Business Activity: Accounting

Thaitan Logistics Co., Ltd. 53 M. 9 Talaythong Tower 9th Floor, Sukhumvit Road Thungsukla, Sriracha, Chonburi 20230 Tel: +66 (0) 38-494-811 Fax: +66 (0) 38-490-799 Representative: Mr. Peera Thaweechart, Procurement Manager Business Activity: Logistics, Express, Air Freight

Haad Sai Ngen Co., Ltd. 41 Taweewongse Road Patong Beach, Kathu Phuket 83150 Tel: +66 (0) 76-340-138 Fax: +66 (0) 76-340-178 Representative: Mr. Satra Satrapai, Director of Sales & Marketing Business Activity: Hotel Jet Airways (India) Ltd. 8/15-16 Cathay House 4th Floor, North Sathorn Road Silom, Bangrak Tel: +66 (0) 2696-8960 Fax: +66 (0) 2696-8955 Representative: Mr. Anindam Choudhury, Regional Manager Thailand & Malaysia Business Activity: Aviation MI Squared Ltd. 99 Berli Jucker Building 16th Floor, Soi Rubia Sukhumvit 42 Road, Phrakanong Klongtoey, Bangkok 10110 Tel: +66 (0) 2635-7756 Fax: +66 (0) 2381-5137 Representative: Mr. Jim Sabot, Vice President of Marketing, Anantara Vacation Club Business Activity: Hotel (Time Sharing)

Boncafe (Thailand) Ltd. 21st Floor, Muang Thai Phatra Tower 2 252/110 Ratchadaphisek Road Huaykwang, Bangkok 10310 Tel: +66 (0) 2693-2570 Fax: +66 (0) 2693-2579 Representative: Mr. Charles Kutner, Vice President of Sales & Marketing Business Activity: Food & Beverage Coffee Manufacturer and Exporter Davinci International Co., Ltd. 24 M. Pheuksacharti 4/1 Ramkhamhaeng 114, Saphansoong District Bangkok 10240 Tel: +66 (0) 2729-5041, +66 (0) 2372-1241 Fax: +66 (0) 2729-6487 Representative: Dr. Paktano Duangviangkham, Managing Director Business Activity: Legal Services Inis (Thailand) Company Limited 25/5 Soi 17, Nimmanhemin Road T. Suthep, A. Muang Chiang Mai 50200 Tel: +66 (0) 53-224-887 Fax: +66 (0) 53-224-897 Representative: Dr. Tim France, Managing Director Business Activity: Publishing

South Asia Law Co., Ltd. 5th Floor, Zuellig House Building 1 Silom Road, Silom Sub-district Bangrak District, Bangkok 10500 Tel: +66 (0) 2636-0585 Fax: +66 (0) 2636-0587 Representative: Mr. Gary Biesty, Authorised Director Business Activity: Legal Services Resignations: • GEMCITY Engineering and Manufacturing • Mr. Graham Catterwell • Gulf Air • Hilton Hua Hin Resort & Spa • Matrix Group • Paul Poole (South East Asia) Company Limited • Phyathai Group of Hospitals • Shenanigans (Convent Entertainment Bangkok Ltd.) • Wine Connection Co., Ltd. New Company Representatives: • Boots Retail (Thailand) Ltd., change from Mr. Ritu Mohan, to Mr. Dean Thompson • Conrad Bangkok, The, change from Mr. Manfred Pieper, to Mr. Vincent Mercurio • Cunningham Lindsey (Thailand) Ltd., changed from Mr. Mr. Stuart J. Devine, to Mr. Gareth D. Sampson • JVK, changed from Ms. Sarah Allen, to Mr. Craig Somerville • Sofitel Bangkok Silom, changed from Mr. Christophe L.M. Caron, to Mr. Guy Poujoulat • Bangkok Exhibition Services Limited., change from Mr. David Aitken, to Mr. Justin Pau • Marsh PB Co., Ltd., change from Mr. Robin Armstrong, to Mr. Duncan Buchanan • Sofitel Centara Grand Bangkok, change from Mr. Martin J. Reed, to Mr. Michel Serrano Changes of address: • AstraZeneca (Thailand) Ltd. • Briardene Asia Limited • Cunningham Lindsey (Thailand) Ltd. • Moby Elite (Wvision Co Ltd) • Mufasa Co., Ltd

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Join us at the UK Schools & Colleges Fair Saturday 5 November 2011, 1-6 pm.

Plaza Athenee Hotel (BTS Ploenchit) Meet representatives from UK Schools & Colleges

Special seminars by Vanisa Race on Children’s capability development (limited seats are available)

Special seminars on various topics!

• The difference between A level and IB Diploma • How to get into UK top universities • Choosing the right subjects for GCSE & A level

For further information, please contact 02 657 5678

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