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BANGKOK BUSINESS BRIEF April 2012
BUSINESS BRIEF
Vol. No. 1, Issue No. 5
1
April 2012
Daily business news briefs at www.bangkokbusinessbrief.com
Thailand’s ‘birth dearth’ has dramatic implications Inside
General Interest Economy Government Finance/Investment Production Infrastructure/Logistics Retail/Services IT/Comms Tourism Real Estate Environment/CSR Business Organizations The Chambers The Calendar
By Dean Outerson
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 22
While the Thai government finalizes plans to buy 900,000 tablets for schoolchildren in the Kingdom, one fact that may go unnoticed is that in coming years, fewer and fewer educational tools like tablets will be needed. The reason? Thai children are fast becoming an ‘endangered species’, as the country’s fertility rate has been in decline for decades. In other words, Thailand, like the rest of Asia, is getting old with alarming speed. It is common knowledge that
developed economies like Japan, the U.S., and Europe have had falling birthrates and greying populations for many years. But many developing economies are now facing the same crisis, and nowhere is that happening faster than in Asia. In an article in Foreign Policy magazine published in November 2010 titled, “Think Again: Global Aging”, Philip Longman said, “No society has ever experienced the speed of population aging… now seen throughout Asia.”
velopment Bank to respond. As reported in the Financial Times in September 2011, the Asian Development Bank published an update to its annual economic outlook report that highlighted the long-term changes and effects of Asia’s demographic transformation. According to Changyong Rhee, the chief economist of the Asian Development Bank, “Asia’s population is aging at a speed unprecedented in human history. As the population dividend that fuelled Asia’s labor-intensive growth becomes The ‘birth dearth’ crisis in Asia a tax, the region must find more has even prompted the Asian DeStory continues on Page 20.
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Briefs General Interest
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ThaiTV3 to air Premier League matches
Bangkok Entertainment Company (BEC), the operator of ThaiTV3, plans to be an official broadcast partner of music and entertainment giant GMM Grammy for English Premier League soccer matches from 2013-2016 if the latter firm wins the bidding for EPL broadcast rights.
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...added that the company had set aside a significant investment budget of Bt200 million to Bt300 million for overseas expansion. Full story at http://goo.gl/bH6PF
Thai economic, social, educational and cultural organisations to do an objective evaluation of their future relations with the Islamic Four Thais and one Thai per- world in order to take advantage manent resident made the 2012 of the many positive opportunities Forbes billionaire list, the annual that await. survey of the world’s richest people conducted by the US maga- Noting the billions of dollars in zine. losses that had been suffered by Thailand in the wake of the Saudi Dhanin Chearavanont and family gems and jewellery scandal, which were the richest in Thailand, with has never been fully solved, Anirut total wealth estimated at US$7 Samutkochorn said Thailand can ill billion (214.34 billion baht). Mr afford to go down the same path in Dhanin is chairman and CEO of the wake of the latest crisis with anCP Group, an agribusiness, food other Islamic country, Iran. and retail enterprise with global operations. It operates more than Mr Anirut, the first Thai to open a 6,000 7-Eleven convenience stores Thai spa in Iran, noted... in Thailand. True Corporation, the Full story at http://goo.gl/itLBC telecommunications company,... Full story at http://goo.gl/jHuyG Red Bull’s Chaleo a
Five from Thailand join ‘Forbes’ billionaires club
BEC managing director Pravit Maleenont said yesterday that the company was keen on international sports content because such programming could improve Iran sanctions revenue in non-prime-time slots unfair to Thai at the channel, as well as expand businesses its viewer base, complementing its The chairman of the Thai Iranian entertainment and news... Business Council has called on the Full story at http://goo.gl/AsQaL Thai government and the many
business genius
Red Bull founder Chaleo Yoovidhya, who grew from humble origins to become one of Thailand’s wealthiest men, passed away from natural causes at a Bangkok hospital yesterday at the age of 90.
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Chaleo will be remembered as a business and marketing genius who made the Thai energy drink famous around the world. Chaleo was chosen among the most acclaimed Thais internationally in The Nation’s State of the Nation II project. In a recent interview for (the) project, Chaleo’s son Saravudh talked fondly about his father and Red Bull. It is part of a series that will be aired starting... Full story at http://goo.gl/bHZwC
Risk management tops priorities
Former Bank of Thailand governor Tarisa Watanagase stressed risk management while urging companies to draw up the right strategies for competitive positioning amid the global economic uncertainties, the upcoming Asean Economic Community (AEC) and domestic political situations: “Risk management is essential. Do not overdo yourself. Don’t overborrow.” Many Thai companies... Full story at http://goo.gl/gv7EP
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With Myanmar open, Thai trade may thrive
Thai executives should heed rules and regulations in Myanmar now that the country is opening to the world and embracing investors from around the globe, says the International Trade Promotion Department. The military-ruled country has become the centre of attention for investors near and far. Leading a trade mission to Myanmar recently, department director-general Nuntawan Sakuntanaga said that country’s economy will likely expand and provide opportunities for Thai entrepreneurs to use Yangon as a centre to distribute goods upcountry.
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...added that the set aside a signi company had budget of Bt20 ficant investment million for over0 million to Bt300 seas expansion Full story at http: . //goo.gl/bH6PF
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F
Nature and life in JuliusCaesar. 1997-98 wa are cyclical _ the impact of s a blessing, as the mains seasons of the yea 2008 would ha above the Europ the phases of the r, life and death, far worse ve been ean average. for the region, mo http://goo.gl/o on, the tides. ” Azman In Caught up in da zbNM India, China ily details, we eas Mokhtar, the managing and Thailand, ily forget that dir ect of or Kh Asia stands to rou aza ghly 12 percent nah the business wo of has cycles, too. rld told the CI Nasional of Malaysia, tion contribute to a the populaWe are all fam MB Asean Confe gain from W pension, while iliar with the econo rence. the we es t mi ak c ne bu sse sin s ess of cycle His com slowdown of expansion, con sion system are Thailand’s penments were... ... covery. Howe traction and re- Full story Full story at htt The shift of eco ver, other cyc at http://goo.gl/d nomic growth p:/ /goo.gl/rtpH3 lic ph al fu2 en u om ena affect... momentum to the Thailand near Preventing up numerous East has opened Full story at http://goo.gl/fJ to p opportunities olr of list of wor that Asian countries Bangkok from out, suggests an should not miss Panel: Asia bett weakest pensld’s sinking bigges economist. io off, not immun er n t systems: stud challenge The robust eco y from global cr e, no Greece, India, Ch Land subsidence China and em mic growth of Our services: is es ina and Thailand erging economi caused by groun are home to the water losses top will open a ne es KUALA LUMPUR : The As d weakest na w s the ian cri – Total Facilities – Cleaning - pensionManagement Asian economi opportunity for sis in the late 1990s was a systems in the tional lems that must be sol list of probwa es to increase the kecal up ved wo l for in rld cri Ba , & Systems – Gardening the region that – Security Personnel pp wealth from tra ir has turned eig led by a mix of acute sover- kok to mitigate the impact ngde in goods an out to be of the n de climate– ch services at a tim a blessing in d bt, young retire – Inventory & Audit Catering ange on dis e States and Europ when the United nearly 15 years later, as the guise high ratios of pension ment ages, a study by multin flooding, says region’s ers an e ational agencies – Mechanical &d Electrical ers to work– Pest Management financial sec Full story at htt are... . p://goo.gl/S65D6 able to sus tor is now strong and study poor pension take-up, a The conclusio showed. tain a certai–nWashroom Hygiene n de is gre contained in of shocks from e Grow with th a rep ort the entitled “Clim e flow Western Hemi fallout in the The Allianz ate Risks and Ad of cycles sphere, accord ing sion Susta Global Investors Pen- Megac aptation in Asian Coastal to a panellist at a recent As inability Index, ities”, jointly con ‘There is a tid ean conference. ducted by the which Asian De tracks the rel e velop ati men, which, tak in the affairs of ity of nationa ve sustainabil- Internation ment Bank, the Japan l al leads on to for en at the flood, “There wi in 44 countries pension systems and the Wo Cooperation Agency ll be more crises tune”, wrote Wi around the wo rld Bank in 201 l- future, an in the showe rld, 0. d the Asian crisis in tirees d the number of Greek reThe report recom to people of wo rking age reFull story at htt mended a... p://goo.gl/20yMD Sponsored by
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should not in itself drag heavily on the country’s rating, but the government’s response remains an important factor in our assessment of the country, Fitch Ratings says. Targeted reconstruction spending following the floods, by both the government and private sector, could boost full-year GDP in 2012 (for which we currently forecast growth of 4%) and could strengthen the Thai economy’s supply potential as well as the sovereign credit profile over... Full story at http://goo.gl/U0BVa
Thai firms ‘must embrace Asean’
Thai companies, big and small, must consider overseas expansion as they will soon come under pressure from demographic changes, a shrinking domestic market, labour shortages as well as higher wages, said Bangkok Bank’s executive chairman.
To Kosit Panpiemras, Asean counMyanmar’s trade policies benefiting tries are attractive destinations Thai operators include the... thanks to the regional single marFull story at http://goo.gl/CMp1t ket under the Asean Economic Community, which will take shape Thailand is on the in 2015 and ensure free flows of comeback trail: trade and investment. While big Thai companies like Siam Cement Moody’s Thailand’s economy is staging a Group, PTT and Banpu led the first strong comeback following last wave of expansion abroad, small year’s floods, as flood reconstruc- and medium-sized enterprises will tion and pent-up consumer de- follow, particularly those in the mand will spur growth in 2012, automotive, food, electrical-applisaid an analyst of Moody’s Analyt- ance and textile industries – which ics. Moody’s Analytics is a unit of are the underlying economic Moody’s Investors Service. strengths of the Kingdom. Based in Sydney, Matthew Cir- “Venturing overseas is a must,... costa noted that Thailand’s post- Full story at http://goo.gl/snBMB flood recovery is on track after the economy shrank at its sharp- Waves from Europe est rate on record from October to may wash ashore December. but won’t sink Asia Europe confronts a complex set of The fourth quarter’s 10.7 per cent political and economic challenges. quarter-on-quarter contraction Recent weakness in asset markets left GDP growth at just 0.1 per in Asia shows that investors now cent for all of 2011. believe Europe’s woes will put these regions at risk of a severe “Based on January’s data, our deterioration in economic and fitracker model is looking for... nancial conditions. Exploring two Full story at http://goo.gl/hZnJZ possible scenarios in Europe can help us understand if this fear is Fitch: Thai fiscal justified: (1) a complete euro zone response more breakup, and (2) a painful and long deleveraging that pushes the important than European economy close to or into flat GDP a recession. Those who strongly The almost static performance believe in the first scenario have... of the Thai economy in 2011 Full story at http://goo.gl/tcmGV
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Few cars sold under Government first-buyer scheme
Government
Sponsoredhttp://goo.gl/EIbH6 by TISCO Financial
Private sector lauds two decree approvals
The government’s first-time car buyer scheme has attracted few takers so far, as only a few thousand units have been purchased under the tax-deduction offer.
Launched in October, the policy’s many restrictions appear to have put consumers off. However, the timing of its launch – just as the flood disaster was causing myriad problems to consumers and carmakers alike – may be the main The private sector is pinning its reason for the small response, and hopes on the government to pro- that could rectify itself before the ceed with megaprojects quickly scheme expires this year. afterward even though businesses are lukewarm to the idea of impos- The Excise Department said about... ing decrees. “This is just a relief, as Full story at http://goo.gl/yAOuF earlier we worried the decrees may not get endorsed, given the public Customs wants to doubts,” said Pornsil Patchrita- make it easier nakul, deputy secretary-general of The Customs Department aims to the Board of Trade of Thailand. improve the country’s ranking for ease of doing business by allowing “The government can now proceed... exporters and importers to pay Full story at http://goo.gl/ARNXO taxes online and deploying X-ray Business leaders exhaled yesterday after the Constitutional Court endorsed two executive decrees, especially one regarding 350 billion baht in emergency loans.
...added that the company had set aside a significant investment budget of Bt200 million to Bt300 million for overseas expansion. Full story at http://goo.gl/bH6PF
goo.gl/bH6PF
machines to facilitate faster cus- help boost awareness among small toms clearance at border check- and medium-sized enterprises points. (SMEs) of the coming Asean Economic Community (AEC) and The World Bank this year ranked boost their competitiveness. With Thailand No 17 in its index for do- less than three years to go before ing business, down from 16 last the AEC takes effect, many SMEs year. “We can improve our rank- remain unaware and unprepared, ing by improving our paperless and this should be a major cone-customs,” Tanat Suvattanam- cern for Thailand, (he said). etakul, deputy director-general of the Customs Department, said Thaksin said certain local industries yesterday. have no choice but to improve... Full story at http://goo.gl/3erJz He said importers and exporters could now pay customs tariff BoI offers heaps of online. The department will also tax breaks to firms deploy X-ray machines at check- Government measures to help points across the country to facili- flood-hit companies including a tate faster cross-border goods... corporate income tax extension Full story at http://goo.gl/Zai1s are now pending approval from Deputy Prime Minister Kittiratt Thaksin: Time’s Na-Ranong and will likely take efa-wastin’ for SME fect soon, says Industry Minister M.R. Pongsvas Svasti. The Board competitiveness of Investment (BoI) suggested the Former prime minister Thaksin measures late last year. Shinawatra is urging the government, under the premiership of The privileges can be grouped into... his youngest sister Yingluck, to Full story at http://goo.gl/t2HrH
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Briefs 5
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December 20 11
rest
To read the fu ll article of a story brief, enter the shor t code at the end the story into your browser: of liam Shakespe are
...added that the set aside a signi company had budget of Bt20 ficant investment million for over0 million to Bt300 seas expansion Full story at http: . //goo.gl/bH6PF
goo.gl/bH6P
F
Nature and life in JuliusCaesar. 1997-98 wa are cyclical _ the impact of s a blessing, as the mains seasons of the yea 2008 would ha above the Europ the phases of the r, life and death, far worse ve been ean average. for the region, mo http://goo.gl/o on, the tides. ” Azman In Caught up in da zbNM India, China ily details, we eas Mokhtar, the managing and Thailand, ily forget that dir ect of or Kh Asia stands to rou aza ghly 12 percent nah the business wo of has cycles, too. rld told the CI Nasional of Malaysia, tion contribute to a the populaWe are all fam MB Asean Confe gain from W pension, while iliar with the econo rence. the we es t mi ak c ne bu sse sin s ess of cycle His com slowdown of expansion, con sion system are Thailand’s penments were... ... covery. Howe traction and re- Full story Full story at htt The shift of eco ver, other cyc at http://goo.gl/d nomic growth p:/ /goo.gl/rtpH3 lic ph al fu2 en u om ena affect... momentum to the Thailand near Preventing up numerous East has opened Full story at http://goo.gl/fJ to p opportunities olr of list of wor that Asian countries Bangkok from out, suggests an should not miss Panel: Asia bett weakest pensld’s sinking bigges economist. io off, not immun er n t systems: stud challenge The robust eco y from global cr e, no Greece, India, Ch Land subsidence China and em mic growth of is es ina and Thailand erging economi caused by groun are home to the water losses top will open a ne es KUALA LUMPUR : The As d weake w s ian cri- pensi on systems in st national lems that must the list of probAsian economi opportunity for sis in the late 1990s was a wa es to increase the be the kesol cal up ved wo l for in rld cri Ba , the region that pp wealth from tra ir has turned eig led by a mix of acute sover- kok to mitigate the impact ngde in goods an out to be of the n debt, young climate change services at a tim a blessing in d retire dis e on States and Europ when the United nearly 15 years later, as the guise high ratios of pension ment ages, a study by multin flooding, says region’s ers an ers to worke ational agencies financial sec Full story at htt are... d . p://goo.gl/S65D6 able to sus tor is now strong and study poor pension take-up, a The conclusio showed. tain a certain n de is gre contained in of shocks from e Grow with th a rep ort the entitled “Clim e flow Western Hemi fallout in the The Allianz ate Risks and Ad of cycles sphere, accord ing sion Susta Global Investors Pen- Megac aptation in Asian Coastal to a panellist at a recent As inability Index, ities”, jointly con ‘There is a tid ean conference. ducted by the which Asian De tracks the rel e velop ati men, which, tak in the affairs of ity of nationa ve sustainabil- Internation ment Bank, the Japan l al leads on to for en at the flood, “There wi in 44 countries pension systems and the Wo Cooperation Agency ll be more crises tune”, wrote Wi around the wo rld Bank in 201 l- future, an in the showe rld, 0. d the Asian crisis in tirees d the number of Greek reThe report recom to people of wo rking age reFull story at htt mended a... p://goo.gl/20yMD Sponsored by
...
Tesco Lotus property fund enjoys good SET debut
The Tesco Lotus Retail Growth Freehold and Leasehold Property Kingdom still top Fund (TLGF TB), a property fund for investment, says of Tesco’s Thai unit, increased 9.6 Samsung executive per cent to Bt11.40 per share on its The head of Samsung Electron- trading debut yesterday. ics said yesterday that although manufacturers were hit hard by Ek-Chai Distribution System, conthe floods last year, Thailand re- trolled by Britain’s largest retailer mained attractive for investment. Tesco, this month raised Bt18.4 billion in an initial public offering of the “Thailand is very important for fund. It sold shares at Bt10.40 each. Samsung in this region. That’s why The Thai property fund debuted on we chose Bangkok to showcase the Bangkok Stock Exchange yesits diverse array of new products terday after raising US$600 million at the Samsung South East Asia, (Bt18.4 billion) when it priced the Oceania and Taiwan Forum 2012,” IPO at Bt10.40 per share. said Gregory Lee, president and chief executive officer of Samsung The offering is expected to raise Asia. He heads the regional head- about Bt18 billion and will be the quarters for all of Samsung Elec- largest property-fund IPO in Thaitronics’ businesses in Southeast land’s history, and the largest IPO Asia and Oceania. on the SET since July 2006... Full story at http://goo.gl/rTTQO The company will continue to invest here in the future, as the Repayment period Kingdom is its second-largest upped for SMEs manufacturing base in South- TMB Bank has extended the repayeast Asia after Vietnam, he said. ment period of its SME loans to a Though Lee declined to comment maximum of 30 years, the longest on the capital-expenditure budget, in the banking industry, in a bid Samsung aims to... to boost such loans by 40 per cent Full story at http://goo.gl/JAk8A this year. Paphon Mangkhalathanak said yesterday that it was offering What’s keeping “TMB SME 30 Plus 3” loans for inThai bankers vestment or refinancing with a term of 30 years, compared with seven awake at night? If you think Thai banks have been years in the banking industry. The competing fiercely in the past few maximum loan is Bt20 million. The years, you are absolutely correct. interest rate is 3 per cent in the first But no, their toughest competitor- three years and MLR (minimum shave not been Asean banks seek- lending rate) plus 2.00-2.25 percenting dominance as the Asean Eco- age points in the remaining years. A nomic Community draws closer screening and approval system is... in 2015. Nor have they been Chi- Full story at http://goo.gl/S5Ezh nese banks looking to expand into this region. Surprisingly, the most KBank targets unforeseen, yet aggravating, com- more deposits from petitors are those that have shared wealthy customers home turf with Thai commercial Kasikornbank plans to acquire more banks for almost 100 years: the deposits from the country’s 150,000 government-backed specialised affluent and high-net-worth indifinancial institutions (SFIs). viduals. “We aim to increase our share by 10 percentage points this These state-backed institutions year from 50 per cent in assets under have been growing at a breathtak- management from affluent individing rate. Back in 2003, commercial uals. That means we have to expand banks’ loans were 4.6 times those the customer base to the provinces of the SFIs and deposits were 4.8 and offer exclusive services at our times. Eight years later, the same Wisdom centres,” Krisada Lamsam, figures were 2.7 and 2.6 times, re- senior executive vice president, said spectively. These figures translate... yesterday. KBank aims to... Full story at http://goo.gl/9NED8 Full story at http://goo.gl/l2HR1
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Cover photo by Manuel W. was found on Flickr and used under the Creative Commons License. Volume 1, Issue 5 • April 2012 Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
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Yamaha Thailand looks to JV for motorcycle output in Burma Yamaha Motor Thailand plans to form a joint venture with a group of investors in Burma to produce its motorcycles as the neighbouring country has started to open its doors wider for overseas investment since last year. The Thai unit is in talks with its parent company in Japan over details of the plan and its business direction. Forming a joint venture with Burmese partners would help secure its business expansion. Also, they would know the market outlook and also have access to distribution networks. Yamaha... Full story at http://goo.gl/hN6tc
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...added that the company had set aside a significant investment budget of Bt200 million to Bt300 million for overseas expansion. Full story at http://goo.gl/bH6PF
vest Bt1.25 billion this year on a new bottling line at its plant and on a series of marketing campaigns for Minute Maid prodThe local automobile industry is ucts. The company is aiming for expected to experience a boom a 20-per-cent increase in revenue this year, said Piangjai Kaewsu- during the year. wan, president of the Thai Automotive Industry Association. Charnvit Chanrindhorn, said yesterday that construction of the Record output at or above 2.1 mil- Bt600-million Nitro-Hotfill botlion units in 2012 is anticipated. tling line should commence this In the domestic market, sales of year. The investment will double... 1.1 million vehicles are expected, Full story at http://goo.gl/gPESW while exports of Thai-built vehicles are seen hitting 1 million Japan urges disaster cooperation units. The Japan International CooperaHonda’s plants in Ayutthaya prov- tion Agency (JICA) has asked Thai ince have not been able to produce industrial-estate operators and invehicles during this first quarter. dustries in Thailand for cooperaThe company’s facilities are still tionin creating a “sister cluster” of being restored and will open open back-up manufacturing bases for at the end of this month. Ms Pi- both sides in a bid to diversify and angjai said the rapid recovery of... manage risk from natural disasters, Full story at http://goo.gl/XWwB3 and also work together to expand markets and increase profitability.
Auto industry staging major rebound
goo.gl/bH6PF
ernments in November. JICA calls it Otagai Business Continuity, which means a plan to help each other. JICA is conducting a feasibility study to select the first pilot project, which would involve a couple of industrial estates from both countries. It expects to start the pilot project between October and December this year, said Daisuke Matsushima, a JICA representative, who is now working with Thailand’s National... Full story at http://goo.gl/I7byz
Bridgestone to build plant
Amata City facility worth Bt19 bn – Bridgestone Corp plans to establish a Bt19-billion plant in Thailand,making the Kingdom the third country for production of its off-road radial (ORR) tyres for mining and construction vehicles after Japan and the United States. Entering Thailand in 1967, Bridgestone now operates in 44 countries. “The new plant in Thailand will alLocal Coca-Cola low Bridgestone to enhance global unit to expand The idea, initiated by JICA, was pro- ORR capacity while responding... Coca-Cola (Thailand) plans to in- posed to the Japanese and Thai gov- Full story at http://goo.gl/LjEUu
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BANGKOK BUSINESS BRIEF April 2012
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Expatriate Medical Insurance ...added that the set aside a signi company had budget of Bt20 ficant investment million for over0 million to Bt300 seas expansion Full story at http: . //goo.gl/bH6PF
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F
Nature and life in JuliusCaesar. 1997-98 wa are cyclical _ the impact of s a blessing, as the mains seasons of the yea 2008 would ha above the Europ the phases of the r, life and death, far worse ve been ean average. for the region, mo http://goo.gl/o on, the tides. ” Azman In Caught up in da zbNM India, China ily details, we eas Mokhtar, the managing and Thailand, ily forget that dir ect of or Kh Asia stands to rou aza ghly 12 percent nah the business wo of has cycles, too. rld told the CI Nasional of Malaysia, tion contribute to a the populaWe are all fam MB Asean Confe gain from W pension, while iliar with the econo rence. the we es t mi ak c ne bu sse sin s ess of cycle His com slowdown of expansion, con sion system are Thailand’s penments were... ... covery. Howe traction and re- Full story Full story at htt The shift of eco ver, other cyc at http://goo.gl/d nomic growth p:/ /goo.gl/rtpH3 lic ph al fu2 en u om ena affect... momentum to the Thailand near Preventing up numerous East has opened Full story at http://goo.gl/fJ to p opportunities olr of list of wor that Asian countries Bangkok from out, suggests an should not miss Panel: Asia bett weakest pensld’s sinking bigges economist. io off, not immun er n t systems: stud challenge The robust eco y from global cr e, no Greece, India, Ch Land subsidence China and em mic growth of is es ina and Thailand erging economi caused by groun are home to the water losses top will open a ne es KUALA LUMPUR : The As d weake w s ian cri- pensi on systems in st national lems that must the list of probAsian economi opportunity for sis in the late 1990s was a wa es to increase the be the kesol cal up ved wo l for in rld cri Ba , the region that pp wealth from tra ir has turned eig led by a mix of acute sover- kok to mitigate the impact ngde in goods an out to be of the n debt, young climate change services at a tim a blessing in d retire dis e on States and Europ when the United nearly 15 years later, as the guise high ratios of pension ment ages, a study by multin flooding, says region’s ers an ers to worke ational agencies financial sec Full story at htt are... d . p://goo.gl/S65D6 able to sus tor is now strong and study poor pension take-up, a The conclusio showed. tain a certain n de is gre contained in of shocks from e Grow with th a rep ort the entitled “Clim e flow Western Hemi fallout in the The Allianz ate Risks and Ad of cycles sphere, accord ing sion Susta Global Investors Pen- Megac aptation in Asian Coastal to a panellist at a recent As inability Index, ities”, jointly con ‘There is a tid ean conference. ducted by the which Asian De tracks the rel e velop ati men, which, tak in the affairs of ity of nationa ve sustainabil- Internation ment Bank, the Japan l al leads on to for en at the flood, “There wi in 44 countries pension systems and the Wo Cooperation Agency ll be more crises tune”, wrote Wi around the wo rld Bank in 201 l- future, an in the showe rld, 0. d the Asian crisis in tirees d the number of Greek reThe report recom to people of wo rking age reFull story at htt mended a... p://goo.gl/20yMD Sponsored by
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Infrastructure/Logistics hub for this city,” he said.
http://goo.gl/Tg0b7
Mr Tyler, head of the world’s global airline coalition and formerly the chief executive of Cathay Pacific, cited two reasons: it allows... Full story at http://goo.gl/iCdFR
UN Escap convenes Japan extends ministerial assistance to postconference on flood reconstruction transport Japan is considering a grant worth Governments of countries across the Asia-Pacific region will meet in Bangkok from today until March 16, for high-level talks on strengthening cooperation in regional transport connectivity.
Over the past decade, most countries in the Asia and Pacific region have experienced positive economic growth. The creation of a reliable and efficient regional transport system is vital for sustaining this growth, as well as to enhance opportunities for the least developed, landlocked developing and small island developing states of the region to engage more fully in international trade.
7-8 billion yen to Thailand, to finance the elevation of Bangkok’s outer ringroad and the water gate construction at Pasak River.
Japan revealed the intention to help Thailand reconstruct flood-management infrastructure during the meeting between Thailand’s Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on March 7, according to www.thaigov.go.th.
Yingluck detailed the Thai government’s actions to prevent another flood disaster and thanked the Japanese government for assistance, particularly through Japan International Cooperation To discuss strategies to improve Agency’s assistance in revising the regional transport connectivity, flood-management master plan. ministers of transport and other related ministries from the Asia During the meeting, both leaders and Pacific region will gather in showed support to the Japan – Bangkok at the United Nations Thailand Economic Partnership... Conference Centre for the second Full story at http://goo.gl/1AGic session of the Ministerial ConferAEC could learn ence on Transport. The... lessions from EU: Full story at http://goo.gl/XsVo4
Two-airport strategy criticised
DHL
Thailand should not overlook its neighbours in its bid to capitalise Thailand should not be tempted to on the upcoming Asean Economturn Don Mueang airport into an- ic Community as it cannot win other international option, focus- alone, said a top DHL executive. ing instead on developing Suvarnabhumi airport as a single hub, Thomas Tieber, CEO for South says the International Air Trans- Asia of DHL Global Forwarding port Association (IATA). (Thailand), said last week that on issues concerning the AEC, ThaiThe statement was in response to land needs to further harmonise recycled suggestions that Bang- procedures, rules and standards kok’s old airport should resume with Asean countries especially its previous role in serving flights in terms of customs, administrabeyond point-to-point domestic tion and transportation. “Not only routes. talking about air or ocean freight, you will also have to talk for exIATA director-general Tony Tyler ample about cross-border truckacknowledged Don Mueang can ing from Singapore up to Malaysia fill a role offering relief capacity in and Burma, or further to Vietnam the short term for Suvarnabhumi. and China,” he said. “But let’s not let that distract Some key lessons for the AEC are us from the long-term solution extremely similar to those the... which has to be a single strong Full story at http://goo.gl/Lej6M
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BANGKOK BUSINESS BRIEF
Briefs Retail/Services
www.bangkokbusinessbrief.com
April 2012
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AirAsia goes BIG with mileage plan
...added that the company had set aside a significant investment budget of Bt200 million to Bt300 million for overseas expansion. Full story at http://goo.gl/bH6PF
Traditional retailers Rolls-Royce still rule in Burma appoints authorised As it opens up to new foreign indealership in vestments, Burma shows strong potential for retail business, ac- Bangkok
Low-cost carrier (LCC) AirAsia has aped a key marketing tool long deployed by full-service airlines _ cording to a study by Thailand’s Motorcycle market a loyalty programme that allows Hypertrade Consulting. passengers to earn points to be redown The motorcycle market suffered deemed for free plane tickets. According to the survey, the value an unhealthy start to the year with of Burma’s retail market is about January registrations falling by AirAsia announced yesterday its US$5 billion (Bt150 billion) and 20.1% year-on-year to 129,080 units latest gimmick to strengthen its grew by 20 per cent last year (indue to the massive flooding late core airline business. The air mile- clusive of exchange-rate varialast year. The drop in registrations age scheme, which plays a key tions). was especially severe for Japanese role in legacy airlines maintainbrands, as all production was halted ing their clientele, has hardly been The survey estimates that traon parts supply disruptions. “The used by LCCs because of costs and ditional trade represents about fall in registrations had nothing to complications involved. 90 per cent of the retail market do with consumer demand, as the in Burma. These stores come in economy and consumer purchasing The budget carrier’s sister airline many shapes and sizes. The main power remain sound,” said Suchart in Thailand, Thai AirAsia (TAA), types are dry-food stores, nonArunsaengroj, the general manager has linked with 21 local busi- food stores, and a growing numfor sales at AP Honda Co, Thailand’s nesses, including banks, restau- ber of beauty shops. largest motorcycle distributor. rants, hotels and car rentals, to create a mileage programme that They have an average of 16 suppliHonda saw a 25% year-on-year de- enables cost sharing. BIG card ers in two main groups, wholesalcrease in January registrations to members can earn points when ers and large distributors such as 86,998 motorcycles but retained the buying goods and services from DKSH and Mega. The typical store market leadership with a 67%... in this category carries between... participating... Full story at http://goo.gl/CU5Gr Full story at http://goo.gl/L1oHP Full story at http://goo.gl/SG0hM http://goo.gl/QyrTE
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Rolls-Royce has appointed an authorised dealership in Thailand and is planning to step into the Thai luxury-car market this month. Thailand’s luxury-car market is expected to remain stable at 10,000 units this year, and Rolls-Royce, long considered the world’s most luxurious car brand, wants to be a part of it. Millionaire Auto (Thailand) Co is Thailand’s first authorised RollsRoyce dealer. Its first showroom will be opened on Rama III Road in the second half of this year. The company is part of the Master Group Corporation (Asia), which is also involved in sales of BMW and Mini through authorised dealers such as Millennium Auto Co. In 2011 the group’s earnings exceeded Bt8.5 billion. After an absence from the Thai market for several years, the re-entry of Rolls-Royce is part of... Full story at http://goo.gl/YJwFY
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IT / Comms
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Executive picks the top-10 storage trends this year
Hubert Yoshida, vice president and chief technology officer at Hitachi Data Systems, has offered his insights on the top-10 storage trends for 2012, which will be driven by the events of 2011, including a mix of natural disasters, political upheaval and financial crisis that have prompted companies to plan for 2012 against a backdrop of economic turmoil and great uncertainty
rest
December 20 11
To read the fu ll article of a BUSINESS BRIEF story BANGKOK enter the shor brief, ...added t code at the that the set aside a signi company had end the story into budget of Bt20 ficant investment goo.gl/bH6P your browser: of 0 milli on to Bt30 million for over seas expansion 0 F liam Shakespe Full story at http: . //goo.gl/b are
April 2012
9
ber of “app economy” jobs totalled 466,000 in the US last year compared with zero in 2007. The figure shows that each application development creates various jobs, from... Hewlett-Packard, the world’s larg- Full story at http://goo.gl/v1m7q est technology firm, has selected Thailand as one of its 14 strategic Ad firms links social emerging countries to invest in to media, real world capitalise on potential IT spend- Digital marketing in the new age ing growth. must encourage social media users to go out and experience onThe California-based firm also ground events as well as real prodrestructured its local operating ucts and services, according to structure by shifting from a prod- Y&R, a global advertising firm. uct segmentation to industrybased customer strategy. David Sable, global CEO, said yesterday that this global trend is “We want to assist the Thai gov- becoming increasingly important ernment and private firms to ap- for leading companies like Amaply technologies to improve their zon, ebay, Microsoft, Google and competitiveness in preparation for Walmart. For instance, Amazon, the Asean Economic Community a leading online retailer, plans to (AEC) in 2015,” said Dhanawat have its own real outlets to conSuthumpun, the new manag- nect its core customers with real ing director of Hewlett-Packard activities and events. (Thailand). Social media are among the most HP also expects to gain more effective forms of communication revenue from the higher-margin in digital marketing to create brand sales of software and IT manage- loyalty and engage people with the ment services instead of relying on brand. So it might be better if adhardware sales. vertisers and marketers can use it to bring such customers to participate Narinder Kapoor, the managing with their on-ground marketing director and a vice-president of events, Sable said. HP Southeast Asia, said Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam have all Hari Ramanathan, regional planbeen selected for... ning director for Y&R Asia, said Full story at http://goo.gl/WMIJ0 high-potential customers were already seen in social media like FaceTapping the book and Twitter, while those... app wave Full story at http://goo.gl/FmDYn
HP targets Thailand for emerging markets
H6PF Nature and life in JuliusCaesar. 1997-98 wa are cyclical _ the impact of s a blessing, as the mains seasons of the yea 2008 would ha above the Europ the phases of the r, life and death, far worse ve been ean average. for the region, http://goo.gl/o ” Azman In Caught up in da moon, the tides. Mokhtar, zbNM India, China the managing ily details, we eas and Thailand, ily forget that dir ect of or Kh Asia stands to rou aza ghly 12 percent nah the business wo of has cycles, too. rld told the CI Nasional of Malaysia, tion contribute to a the populaWe are all fam MB Asean Confe gain from W pension, while iliar with the econo rence. the we es t mi ak c ne bu sse sin s ess of cycle His com slowdown of expansion, con sion system are Thailand’s penments were... ... covery. Howe traction and re- Full story Full story at htt The shift of eco ver, other cyc at http://goo.gl/d nomic growth p:/ /goo.gl/rtpH3 lic ph al fu2 en u om ena affect... momentum to the Thailand near Preventing up numerous East has opened Full story at http://goo.gl/fJ to p opportunities olr of list of wor that Asian countries Bangkok from out, suggests an should not miss Panel: Asia bett weakest pensld’s sinking bigges economist. io off, not immun er n t systems: stud challenge The robust eco y from global cr e, no Greece, India, Ch Land subsidence China and em mic growth of is es ina and Thailand erging economi caused by groun are home to the water losses top will open a ne es KUALA LUMPUR : The As d weake w s ian cri- pensi on systems in st national lems that must the list of probAsian economi opportunity for sis in the late 1990s was a wa es to increase the be the kesol cal up ved wo l for in rld cri Ba , the region that pp wealth from tra ir has turned eig led by a mix of acute sover- kok to mitigate the impact ngde in goods an out to be of the n debt, young climate change services at a tim a blessing in d retire dis e on States and Europ when the United nearly 15 years later, as the guise high ratios of pension ment ages, a study by multin flooding, says region’s ers an ers to worke ational agencies financial sec Full story at htt are... d . p://goo.gl/S65D6 able to sus tor is now strong and study poor pension take-up, a The conclusio showed. tain a certain n de is gre contained in of shocks from e Grow with th a rep ort the entitled “Clim e flow Western Hemi fallout in the The Allianz ate Risks and Ad of cycles sphere, accord ing sion Susta Global Investors Pen- Megac aptation in Asian Coastal to a panellist at a recent As inability Index, ities”, jointly con ‘There is a tid ean conference. ducted by the which Asian De tracks the rel e velop ati men, which, tak in the affairs of ity of nationa ve sustainabil- Internation ment Bank, the Japan l al leads on to for en at the flood, “There wi in 44 countries pension systems and the Wo Cooperation Agency ll be more crises tune”, wrote Wi around the wo rld Bank in 201 l- future, an in the showe rld, 0. d the Asian crisis in tirees d the number of Greek reThe report recom to people of wo rking age reFull story at htt mended a... p://goo.gl/20yMD
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cult to get people to communicate in English, so I really could have used a tool like us,” he said. The company hired certified native translators from each country to work on 10 topics covering areas such as... Full story at http://goo.gl/4ZiVQ
Simultaneous 3G, 4G is TOT’s latest gambit
The TOT board is proposing strategies to provide 3G and 4G longterm evolution (LTE) commercial services simultaneously in a bid to close its anticipated loophole on 3G network availability. The state telecom enterprise will ask the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) for permission to use 30 megahertz of its 64-MHz bandwidth on the 2300-MHz frequency to provide 4G LTE service.
However, in certain areas of business, there are still some certainties. One such area is that of data storage and storage infrastructure, for which demand will undoubtedly intensify in the year ahead, continu- The exact proportion between 3G ing the trend in recent years of ex- and 4G services will be finalised ponential growth. this month. TOT initially said it would launch commercial 3G serThe challenge for IT profession- vice on the 2100-MHz frequency als is to tackle these pressures with this May with 5,200 base stations. limited budgets, dictated by the global financial crisis, that make TOT chairman Panthep Chamrasacquisition and rollout of new infra- romran said: “We plan to build... structure difficult. Besides careful Full story at http://goo.gl/k6gYF budget management, they need to accurately gauge the real impact of Expedia launches the systems in place, such as cloud B20m Thai website technology, in order to build on it Expedia Inc, the world’s leading oneffectively. Such evaluation is partic- line travel company, has invested 20 ularly difficult amid the distortions million baht to introduce its Thai caused by the economic crisis. website to build brand awareness. To offer some guidance, Yoshida... The Thai website, www.expedia. Full story at http://goo.gl/1thTB co.th, is expected to be a one-stop shop for airline tickets and Asean app plans to online holiday packages with a best price speak 11 languages guarantee. It’s the second full-serFinally, an app that can facilitate vice rollout of Expedia in Southeast communication within Asean, not Asia after Singapore last October. only developed by Thais but also the first of its kind in Southeast “Thailand is one of the fastest growAsia. The Asean One app, still in its ing online travel markets in this refirst phase, translates common and gion and it plays a vital role in our practical phrases into 11 languages growth. The launch of our Thai including English. website reflects our commitment to the market,” said Dan Lynn, CEO of Jirath Pavaravadhana, the chief ex- AirAsiaExpedia. US-based Expedia ecutive of Ignite Asia Co, a social joined with the Malaysian budget networking agency, said the app was airline AirAsia to form a joint vendeveloped three months ago amid ture in Singapore which will look rising demand for information after the Thai operation as well. sharing among Asean members. In 2010, the market value of online “I travel a lot, and when I went to travel booking in Thailand was... Malaysia and Vietnam it was diffi- Full story at http://goo.gl/HpJjF
Now a league of their own, mo- Labour union files bile applications have trans- complaint against formed the software development landscape, and Thailand TOT exec has a lot to gain by accommodat- TOT Plc’s labour union has filed a ing the trend. corruption complaint against an executive over soft-switch purchases. The trend is also creating a new breed of services _ mobile soft- The union asked the National Antiware development _ and accel- Corruption Commission (NACC) erating demand for mobile-app to probe what it calls irregularities developers in the country. in the 194-million-baht soft-switch purchasing project at Suvarnabhu“Given the competitive rates mi airport. charged by Thai skilled-labour resources and the country’s reliable It also plans to file a wrongful-act business infrastructure, Thailand charge against the TOT board if has an opportunity to become a no verification progress has been mobile development hub in Asia,” made, said union president Pongsaid Sean Choi, chief executive of thiti Pongsilamanee. Appsphere Group, a South Korean-Thai mobile software develop- The union submitted a letter to ment joint venture. TOT’s chairman on Jan 20 about a possible corruption claim against A recent study conducted by Tech- Yongyuth Wattanasin, the executive Net, the bipartisan policy and po- vice-president who headed the prolitical network of technology CEOs curement committee for the project. that promotes the growth of the in- The committee decided to hire a... novation economy, finds the num- Full story at http://goo.gl/CavFc
10
BANGKOK BUSINESS BRIEF
Briefs Tourism
http://goo.gl/fxE4d
www.bangkokbusinessbrief.com
April 2012
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...added that the company had set aside a significant investment budget of Bt200 million to Bt300 million for overseas expansion. Full story at http://goo.gl/bH6PF
raft rides and one of the world’s largest interactive water-play fortresses. When fully operational, the park is expected to attract... Full story at http://goo.gl/iluaJ
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Thai hotelier Cartoon Network Central Plaza sees water park to rise in 2012 profit up 50 Bang Saray Turner Broadcasting System Asia- pct, eyes Myanmar Pacific has announced plans for the world’s first Cartoon Networkthemed water park in Bang Saray, a tourist destination 20 kilometres south of Pattaya. The first phase of the project, Cartoon Network Amazone, is being developed with the local Amazon Falls Co and will open next year.
Central Plaza Hotel Pcl, Thailand’s second-largest listed hotelier by market value, expects 2012 net profit growth of 50 percent as tourism recovers and the company is considering a joint-venture opportunity in Myanmar, its executive said. Ronnachit Mahattanapreut, senior vicepresident of finance, told Reuters the company’s 2012 revenue would grow 20 percent to 13.7 billion baht, with net profit growth rising by half from a year earlier thanks to rising contributions of recently opened hotels in Thailand and fees from hotel management overseas.
The water park is being built on 35 rai at a cost of 1 billion baht. It will feature a lush Amazon rainforest and cartoon heroes like Ben 10, the Powerpuff Girls and Johnny Bravo. Attractions will include a giant wave pool, a winding adventure “We’re having a very busy year,”... river, speed-racing slides, family Full story at http://goo.gl/wCMaQ
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New golf course to build on tradition
Siam Motors Group plans to invest more than 500 million baht to develop a Pattaya golf course called Siam Country Club New Course to open in March 2014. IMG, a world leader in sports, entertainment and media, has been selected to design the new course next to the existing 18-hole Siam Country Club Old Course and the 27-hole Plantation course. The New Course will feature waterfront and friendly concepts but still have the same championship qualities of the successful Old Course... Full story at http://goo.gl/st6yu
TAT focuses on upscale Indian golfers, movies and marriages
The Tourism Authority of Thailand will continue to focus on upscale visitors from India this year, targeting 1 million arrivals and Bt33.8 billion in receipts. Sethaphan Buddhani, director of TAT’s Mumbai office, said yesterday that weddings, golf and film shoots remain the top priority of TAT’s strategy to lure big spenders from India. Last year about 11 Indian weddings were held in Thailand, generating about Bt165 million in income. Each wedding party had 250-350 members. Already eight Indian couples have booked weddings in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Krabi and Phang-Nga this year. Each is expected to inject Bt10 million-Bt15 million into the economy.
LETAPARTMENT.COM
Relief for immigration headaches at BKK?
Steps are being taken to provide at least short-term relief for the understaffed immigration force at Suvarnabhumi airport and address the root cause of the congestion woes that have been the subject of so many complaints. Authorities are seeking a change in regulations so that the service charges levied on airlines and passengers for passport screening during off-official hours at the airport are passed on to the onsite officers, sources with knowledge of the issue said yesterday. The collection of overtime charges _ 200 baht per flight imposed on airlines and 10 baht for each passenger _ has gone to the Finance Ministry’s Treasury before the amount is... Full story at http://goo.gl/0S0xC
Medical tourism thrives
Qatar tour operators see positive signs in the medical tourism industry here, thanks to competitive prices and the international standards of medical facilities. In the past, rich Qataris preferred to seek medical treatment in Europe. However, aggressive Thai medical tourism promotions by Thai tourism operators and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in the Middle East could sway the flow.
Farooq Siddiqui, manager of Regency Travel & Tours in Qatar, said the medical tourism industry in Thailand has room to much grow with Middle Eastern patients. “Medical TAT will introduce golf packages... treatment in Thailand... Full story at http://goo.gl/Nvc7d Full story at http://goo.gl/p6x4o
2
BANGKOK BUSINESS BRIEF April 2012
BANGKOK BU SINESS BRIEF
Briefs 11
General Inte
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Real Estate
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Pattaya wants 70% foreign condo limit Pattaya officials want condominium foreign ownership limits increased to 70% from 49% to help keep Thailand competitive once the Asean Economic Community (AEC) is formed in 2015. “Pattaya needs to get ready for the AEC. If we wait until 2015, it may be too late as other countries in Asean are now preparing for the single regional common market,” said deputy mayor Ronakit Ekasingh. Pattaya would propose the idea to help promote investment in Thailand, he said. Pattaya is a special administrative area. The policy should be applied as a pilot programme in Pattaya and Phuket, major tourist destinations that have their own administrative authority. The foreign quota on condominium ownership is regulated by the Interior Ministry at 49% of saleable space. Allowing a higher limit would help developers already up against their foreign ownership quota sell more units. If the limits are increased,... Full story at http://goo.gl/uRSVg
Amata gets nod for 2nd industrial park in VN
After first investing in Vietnam in 1994, Amata Corp is expanding its presence with a second industrial estate covering nearly 10,000 rai. The company said yesterday that the Vietnamese government has awarded it a licence to construct and operate an integrated industrial estate in Dong Nai province.
December 20 11
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Nature and life in JuliusCaesar. 1997-98 wa are cyclical _ the impact of s a blessing, as the mains seasons of the yea 2008 would ha above the Europ the phases of the r, life and death, far worse ve been ean average. for the region, mo http://goo.gl/o on, the tides. ” Azman In Caught up in da zbNM India, China ily details, we eas Mokhtar, the managing and Thailand, ily forget that dir ect of or Kh Asia stands to rou aza ghly 12 percent nah the business wo of has cycles, too. rld told the CI Nasional of Malaysia, tion contribute to a the populaWe are all fam MB Asean Confe gain from W pension, while iliar with the econo rence. the we es t mi ak c ne bu sse sin s ess of cycle His com slowdown of expansion, con sion system are Thailand’s penments were... ... covery. Howe traction and re- Full story Full story at htt The shift of eco ver, other cyc at http://goo.gl/d nomic growth p:/ /goo.gl/rtpH3 lic ph al fu2 en u om ena affect... momentum to the Thailand near Preventing up numerous East has opened Full story at http://goo.gl/fJ to p opportunities olr of list of wor that Asian countries Bangkok from out, suggests an should not miss Panel: Asia bett weakest pensld’s sinking bigges economist. io off, not immun er n t systems: stud challenge The robust eco y from global cr e, no Greece, India, Ch Land subsidence China and em mic growth of is es ina and Thailand erging economi caused by groun are home to the water losses top will open a ne es KUALA LUMPUR : The As d weake w s ian cri- pensi on systems in st national lems that must the list of probAsian economi opportunity for sis in the late 1990s was a wa es to increase the be the kesol cal up ved wo l for in rld cri Ba , the region that pp wealth from tra ir has turned eig led by a mix of acute sover- kok to mitigate the impact ngde in goods an out to be of the n debt, young climate change services at a tim a blessing in d retire dis e on States and Europ when the United nearly 15 years later, as the guise high ratios of pension ment ages, a study by multin flooding, says region’s ers an ers to worke ational agencies financial sec Full story at htt are... d . p://goo.gl/S65D6 able to sus tor is now strong and study poor pension take-up, a The conclusio showed. tain a certain n de is gre contained in of shocks from e Grow with th a rep ort the entitled “Clim e flow Western Hemi fallout in the The Allianz ate Risks and Ad of cycles sphere, accord ing sion Susta Global Investors Pen- Megac aptation in Asian Coastal to a panellist at a recent As inability Index, ities”, jointly con ‘There is a tid ean conference. ducted by the which Asian De tracks the rel e velop ati men, which, tak in the affairs of ity of nationa ve sustainabil- Internation ment Bank, the Japan l al leads on to for en at the flood, “There wi in 44 countries pension systems and the Wo Cooperation Agency ll be more crises tune”, wrote Wi around the wo rld Bank in 201 l- future, an in the showe rld, 0. d the Asian crisis in tirees d the number of Greek reThe report recom to people of wo rking age reFull story at htt mended a... p://goo.gl/20yMD Sponsored by
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About half of the area will be developed specifically for hi-tech industries. While the investment details are being fleshed out, the first phase is expected to be... Full story at http://goo.gl/qSbzz
Magnolia plans 5 properties at Bt11 bn
Property firm Magnolia Qual-ity Development Corporation will invest Bt11 billion to develop five new residential and luxury-hotel projects from this year through 2014. Half of the budget will come from existing cash flow and capital; the rest will come from bank loans. The company’s managing director, Visit Malaisirirat, told a news conference yesterday that about Bt6 billion, or more than half of the total investment budget, would be spent on a mixed-use project called Magnolias Ratchadamri Boulevard, which will comprise a 325-unit condominium complex and a 170-room luxury hotel. Hilton Worldwide Hotels and Resorts will manage the hotel under a 30-year contract. The remaining Bt5 billion will be allocated to the development of four new residential projects in... Full story at http://goo.gl/eiTh0
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minium development should be postponed. Supalai Plc managing director Atip Bijanonda said it was not worth buying plots for new projects, as planning requirements Condo demand to may end up being stricter in some rise after floods areas. “Developers should be very Residential supply and demand cautious. High-rise construction must adapt to new housing trends earlier allowed in some locations after the floods. Samma Kitsin, may be restricted,” he said. director-general of the Real Estate Information Center (REIC), said The Bangkok governor and the Inthere is additional demand for terior Ministry want to change regcondominiums, as some people ulations related to road width and shy away from low-rise houses in construction area in the new city flood-prone areas. plan, said Mr Atip.
Developers have taken note and launched 25 condominium projects with 13,600 units in the first two months of the year, he told a seminar last week. Most were deThe 9,375-rai Amata Express City layed from last year’s fourth quaris located close to the new Long ter due to the flooding. More than Thanh International Airport near half of the units are one-bedroom. Ho Chi Minh City and the Dong Nai River. The airport can accom- Some 14 low-rise projects with modate 52 million passengers 2,000 units were launched during annually and up to 1.5 million the same period. “Most of them tonnes of cargo daily. Facilitating are in eastern zones such as... goods transportation would be an Full story at http://goo.gl/iKh4N outer ring road network. Somhatai Panicjewa, chief business officer of Amata Corp, said the project would include accommodations and other services.
...added that the set aside a signi company had budget of Bt20 ficant investment million for over0 million to Bt300 seas expansion Full story at http: . //goo.gl/bH6PF
Supalai will this year spend 4 billion baht to buy new land plots. It will increase the number of new projects launched this year to... Full story at http://goo.gl/VwL9z
Before you lease, beware of hazards
ty, he said. Owners, occupiers, juristic persons and property managers must plan to ensure a development is fire-safe. They must understand the main causes of fires, work to prevent them and also be prepared for firefighting if a fire occurs. Sprinkler systems can be installed in buildings that are already constructed. When buildings do not have sprinklers, landlords should... Full story at http://goo.gl/t1epi
Condo demand up in tourist areas
The demand to buy condominiums at tourist destinations is showing strong growth at a time when there is a slowdown in Bangkok, property agency Knight Frank Thailand said. The company’s associate director of research and valuation, Risinee Sarikaputra, said that after the floods hit Bangkok and its suburbs in the third and fourth quarters of last year, Bangkokians have temporarily relocated to resort cities such as Pattaya, Hua Hin and Rayong, reflecting the increase in the demand for condos in the resort cities, amid the declining demand in the capital city.
Safety standards should be included on a checklist when tenants consider leasing properties, suggests property consultant Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL). Dexter Norville, the director for property and asset management, says owners of buildings constructSupalai warns of ed before the tightening of regularisks ahead of new tions must understand the need for Developers have diversified their safety. investment plans by shifting out of city plan With the new Bangkok city plan not Bangkok to avoid oversupply... yet finalised, land deals for condo- Fire safety is everyone’s responsibili- Full story at http://goo.gl/XyviX
12
BANGKOK BUSINESS BRIEF
Briefs Environment / CSR
http://goo.gl/Y09sv
Eco-cars could be new champion product for Thailand
To read the full article of a story brief, enter the short code at the end of the story into your browser: seen many of these cars being launched. Auto companies in Thailand agree that... Full story at http://goo.gl/Y81bj
Mitsubishi launches new Thai model eco-car
Mitsubishi Motors Thailand on Tuesday launched its new Mirage Thailand has long relied on its eco-car model, a compact that pickup truck industry, which over promises 22 kilometres to the litre the years has made the country the and a low price due to the governworld’s second-largest producer. ment tax incentives. Thailand is also the largest exporter of 1-ton pickup trucks, with major auto-makers setting up production and export bases in the country.
www.bangkokbusinessbrief.com
April 2012
Mitsubishi is the third Japanese automobile manufactuer to design and produce an eco-model for the domestic and export markets under the Thai government’s promoHowever, the Thai government, tional scheme launched in 2006. through the Ministry of Industry and the Thai Automotive Institute, Suzuki Motors is scheduled to has initiated a new programme that launch its own model on Wedneswould give Thailand another cham- day. Nissan Motors was the first pion product. to produce a Thai-made eco car, the March, and Honda Motors The eco-car project would see Thai- launched the Brio last year. Toyota land becoming a producer and ex- Motors is expected to launch a porter of small and fuel-efficient new model for the Thai market by passenger cars, and today we have year-end 2012.
...added that the company had set aside a significant investment budget of Bt200 million to Bt300 million for overseas expansion. Full story at http://goo.gl/bH6PF
goo.gl/bH6PF
Manufacturers of low carbon EVT developing emission vehicles enjoy reduced excise taxes, as long as they meet Kingdom’s first electronic road car government requirements on... Full story at http://goo.gl/rDpax Thailand’s first electric road car is be introduced in Bangkok in the Ratch-partnered JV to near future by Electric Vehicles begins solar power (Thailand). EVT makes a variety of electric cars for use in limited production spaces such as airports, hospitals, Ratchaburi Electricity Generating hotels and resorts, universities and Holding (RATCH) yesterday an- golf courses. The company also nounced commencement of op- makes green-energy tuk-tuks and erations at the Korat3 solar farm motorbikes. of Solar Power (Korat3) Co, a joint venture between RATCH and So- The company is looking for partlar Power Co. ners for technological support, possibly in Taiwan or mainland The joint venture will supply elec- China. “We want to see EVT betricity to the Provincial Electricity come the national brand for elecAuthority (PEA). RATCH and So- tric cars like Proton is Malaysia’s lar Power Co are shareholders of passenger-car brand, so customers Solar Power (Korat3) with respec- always think of us when thinking tive stakes of 40 and 60 per cent. of electric cars,” said general manager Phakapapha Kosanantachai. Noppol Milinthanggoon, chief executive officer of RATCH, dis- Phakapapha and her brother Krit, closed that the Korat3 solar farm managing director of the comwas the second operation accom- pany, have jointly run the family plished after the Sai Sena solar business since their father Boonfarm in Ayutthaya province. The ake died in 2000. As the family’s venture reflects the company’s second generation growing up in a commitment to develop renew- digital era, they have focused on... able energy to tap potential fuel Full story at http://goo.gl/rk6PE sources such as solar, wind and biomass. It also aims to support CO2-emission tax delayed the government’s policy on... Full story at http://goo.gl/SXMDg A proposal to implement a carbon dioxide (CO2) emissionNokia promotes based excise tax rate for vehicles mobile phone will likely be delayed for another four months so it can be studied recycling in greater detail and more discusPeople own around 5 phones in sions can be held with relevant their lives, yet only 9 per cent of parties. mobile phone owners are recycling their used or old phones, ac- “We have been trying to base this cording to a survey by Nokia. policy on European standards, and companies such as Ford, MazThe global consumer survey also da and Japanese companies have reveals that 44 per cent of old mo- agreed [with the idea], but they bile phones are lying in drawers at want it to be fair to all companies. home and not being recycled. I have assured them we are listening and will be transparent,” said The survey encouraged Nokia Industry Minister M.R. Pongsvas Thailand to launch a recycling Svasti. He said the issue involves project, in cooperation with Fu- not only the Finance Ministry but ture Park, and the Pollution Con- also the size of the car and its entrol Department. From today to gine. Sept 12, “Weee Can Do Project” campaign calls for drop-offs of The deadline for a new tax rate unused mobile device or acces- submission to the cabinet is July. sorty with names and addresses at the shopping centre, to entitle Thailand’s current excise tax sysparticipants to a lucky draw for a tem for vehicles is calculated based new Nokia phone. Nokia will also on engine size and horsepower. donate money for every phone... The new policy will charge... Full story at http://goo.gl/HyA2j Full story at http://goo.gl/XhfVT
2
BANGKOK BUSINESS BRIEF April 2012
BANGKOK BU SINESS BRIEF
Briefs13
General Inte
Use the QR Code reader in your smartphone to see all the stories in a certain category.
December 20 11
rest
To read the fu ll article of a story brief, enter the shor t code at the end the story into your browser: of liam Shakespe are
...
of The Boston Consulting Group, speaking at the Asean Business Forum 2012 held by the Thai Management Association in Bangkok.
http://goo.gl/PaEbK
Citing the rising trade volume from Asean to the world, its high... Full story at http://goo.gl/BvHeI
The years ahead will be remembered as the Decade of Asia and Asean, with many exciting developments in this part of the world to attract investment and lead to another economic boom.
F
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‘Hey, a farang’s on the phone. Can someone take the phone call?” You’ll often hear this in offices around Thailand. And it is usually easy to find someone to take the call, as a good number of Thais Not many people realise this yet, have learned English and are well but Southeast Asia will enter a new versed in Western culture. investment cycle. The impetus will come from various directions, in- But if a call comes in from a neighcluding the upcoming Asean Eco- bouring country, there is often nomic Community (AEC), free no one around to do the talking. trade agreements with major trad- While some countries in Asean ing partners such as China and may share borders with Thailand, India, the opening up of Myan- the language and cultural gaps mar, and new infrastructure being are huge. This fact will be a real built such as dams, road networks, problem in the workplace once railways, electricity grids and gas the Asean Economic Community pipelines. (AEC) is established in 2015, say experts. This investment cycle will last for some time. During this period Korrakod Padungjit, a deputy secthere will be intense competition retary-general of the Federation to invest in Southeast Asia, with of Thai Industries, said it is imChina, India, Japan, the US and portant for companies to adapt to Europe all strategically jockeying cross cultural differences. “Thais for position _ as well as invest- don’t have an interest in Asean ment from Asean countries them- countries. Instead we look towards selves, including Thailand. Thai- Japan, China and the West. I think land’s role in this boom will be... our neighbours are skilled in... Full story at http://goo.gl/8rpDc Full story at http://goo.gl/68Ure
AEC no magic ticket Academics: Security to prosperity worry after AEC Big gap remains between rosy government views of regional integration and business realities, say most experts. With nearly 600 million people and robust economic growth, Asean could be compared as a rising economic power to the much-hyped BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) group once the Asean Economic Community (AEC) materialises in 2015
goo.gl/bH6P
Nature and life in JuliusCaesar. 1997-98 wa are cyclical _ the impact of s a blessing, as the mains seasons of the yea 2008 would ha above the Europ the phases of the r, life and death, far worse ve been ean average. for the region, mo http://goo.gl/o on, the tides. ” Azman In Caught up in da zbNM India, China ily details, we eas Mokhtar, the managing and Thailand, ily forget that dir ect of or Kh Asia stands to rou aza ghly 12 percent nah the business wo of has cycles, too. rld told the CI Nasional of Malaysia, tion contribute to a the populaWe are all fam MB Asean Confe gain from W pension, while iliar with the econo rence. the we es t mi ak c ne bu sse sin s ess of cycle His com slowdown of expansion, con sion system are Thailand’s penments were... ... covery. Howe traction and re- Full story Full story at htt The shift of eco ver, other cyc at http://goo.gl/d nomic growth p:/ /goo.gl/rtpH3 lic ph al fu2 en u om ena affect... momentum to the Thailand near Preventing up numerous East has opened Full story at http://goo.gl/fJ to p opportunities olr of list of wor that Asian countries Bangkok from out, suggests an should not miss Panel: Asia bett weakest pensld’s sinking bigges economist. io off, not immun er n t systems: stud challenge The robust eco y from global cr e, no Greece, India, Ch Land subsidence China and em mic growth of is es ina and Thailand erging economi caused by groun are home to the water losses top will open a ne es KUALA LUMPUR : The As d weake w s ian cri- pensi on systems in st national lems that must the list of probAsian economi opportunity for sis in the late 1990s was a wa es to increase the be the kesol cal up ved wo l for in rld cri Ba , the region that pp wealth from tra ir has turned eig led by a mix of acute sover- kok to mitigate the impact ngde in goods an out to be of the n debt, young climate change services at a tim a blessing in d retire dis e on States and Europ when the United nearly 15 years later, as the guise high ratios of pension ment ages, a study by multin flooding, says region’s ers an ers to worke ational agencies financial sec Full story at htt are... d . p://goo.gl/S65D6 able to sus tor is now strong and study poor pension take-up, a The conclusio showed. tain a certain n de is gre contained in of shocks from e Grow with th a rep ort the entitled “Clim e flow Western Hemi fallout in the The Allianz ate Risks and Ad of cycles sphere, accord ing sion Susta Global Investors Pen- Megac aptation in Asian Coastal to a panellist at a recent As inability Index, ities”, jointly con ‘There is a tid ean conference. ducted by the which Asian De tracks the rel e velop ati men, which, tak in the affairs of ity of nationa ve sustainabil- Internation ment Bank, the Japan l al leads on to for en at the flood, “There wi in 44 countries pension systems and the Wo Cooperation Agency ll be more crises tune”, wrote Wi around the wo rld Bank in 201 l- future, an in the showe rld, 0. d the Asian crisis in tirees d the number of Greek reThe report recom to people of wo rking age reFull story at htt mended a... p://goo.gl/20yMD Sponsored by
Business Organizations
The decade of Asia and Asean
...added that the set aside a signi company had budget of Bt20 ficant investment million for over0 million to Bt300 seas expansion Full story at http: . //goo.gl/bH6PF
The Asean Economic Community (AEC) will expose the regional grouping to further security issues and exploitation of natural resources from hegemonic powers like the United States and China, according to a seminar on “Will Thailand Survive the AEC?”
In theory, the appeal of a single Asean market with free movement of goods, services and people should cause demand for investment in the region to surge, but a lot still needs to be done before this scenario becomes a reality.
Narong Petprasert, a political economist and a member of the National Reform Assembly, said on Thursday that the 10-member community – to be officially realised in 2015 – could not sustain the sweep of major power contentions in infiltrating cultural values and security and exploiting economic resources.
“By any means the Asean grouping should be considered [in a similar way to] BRIC,” said Douglas Jackson, partner and managing director
“Since the AEC will not be able to survive the globalising agenda of reaping and extracting natural... Full story at http://goo.gl/DG7sw
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14
BANGKOK BUSINESS BRIEF
BANGKOK BU SINESS BRIEF
Briefs
December 20 11
www.bangkokbusinessbrief.com
April 2012
The Chambers
General Inte
rest
liam Shakespe are Nature and life ar seasons of the yea the phases of the r http://goo.gl/o Caught up in da m zbNM ily ily forget that Asia stands to the b has cycles, too. We gain from W with the econo mi slowdown est of expansion, con c tra cov ery. However, The shift of eco o no mentum to the mic growth mo- phenomena affect... up numerous East has opened Full story at http://go op Asian countries portunities that out, suggests an should not miss Panel: Asia b economist. off, not immu The robust eco fr om global c nomic growth China and em of erging economi will open a ne es KUALA LUMPUR : Th w opportunity sis in the late 1990 for Asian economi s wa es wealth from tra to increase their call for the region that de in goods an out to be services at a tim a blessing i d e States and Europ when the United nearly 15 years later, as t e financial sec Full story at htt are... p://goo.gl/S65D6 able to sus tor is now tain a cer of shocks from the ta Grow with th fallo e fl ow We ste rn Hemisphere, of cycles to a panellist at a rece ‘There is a tid con ference. e men, which, tak in the affairs of leads on to for en at the flood, “There wi ll be more cris tune”, wrote Wi l- future, an d the Asian Sponsored by
Use your smartphone’s QR Code scanner or enter the short code to go directly to AMCHAM’s website.
...
The American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand (AMCHAM Thailand) 7th Floor, GPF Witthayu Tower A, 93/1 Wireless Road, Lumpini, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 Tel: +66 (0)2 254 1041 Fax: +66 (0)2 251 1605 Website: www.amchamthailand.com Email: service@amchamthailand.com Thai-American Business Magazine (T-AB) The March edition of T-AB magazine features stories on Continuity Planning and also provides business guidance, financial reports and AMCHAM professional and social updates. Content includes an interview with Western Digital’s Senior Vice President of Hard Drive Operations Asia, Joe Bunya, who describes Western Digital’s 2011 flood response and recovery;
Yum! Thailand’s Managing Director, Milind Pant, explains how the flood affected his company’s highly diversified supply chain. Douglas Mancill, chair of AMCHAM’s Legal Committee and a partner in PriceSanond, explains the The Not So Simple Amity Treaty Exception to the Foreign Business Act; James Pitchon, Executive Director of CB Richard Ellis (Thailand), summarizes his company’s 2012 Thai Property Market Outlook
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study; there’s also the AMCHAM and AMCHAM Charitable Foundation’s financial reports for 2011, reports from the U.S. Embassy’s Commercial Section and a rundown of AMCHAM membership happenings, committee reports, social events and more. A digital version of the magazine is available to all on the AMCHAM Thailand website.
To re enter the sto
http://goo.gl/mbUpG courage the U.S. and other Western nations to lift sanctions. USA Fair 2012 at CentralWorld On April 19-22, leading U.S. companies and top U.S. brands will make CentralWorld Bangkok’s center of American shopping and entertainment.
Event Partners Ford, Coke and Amway have created showcase exhibits to show-off their best products, Doing Business in Burma American business interest in Bur- which will includes Ford’s vehicle ma was evident at AMCHAM’s theater and Coke’s outdoor enter“Doing Business in Burma” tainment area. seminar, held on February 27th. Over 100 AMCHAM members and Chevron will present Brand USA, guests heard a panel of Burmese a pavilion where visitors can meet experts discuss the Burmese regu- with the U.S. Embassy officials latory framework. U.S. companies and learn how to obtain travel and conducting business in and with education visas. Within the same Burma have applauded the Burmese pavilion, United and Delta airlines government’s recent announcement will assist visitors to schedule U.S. of political and economic reforms. flights. These reforms would have the dual benefit of making the resource-rich, Other great brands on display and largely untapped market a more at- for sale include Harley Davidson tractive business destination and motorcycles, True Value tools and may lead to the lifting of U.S. sanc- BBQs, shoes and clothing from Jaspal and AA Footwear, health and tions. foods choices, such as Blue DiaFollowing Burma’s 2010 general mond Nuts, Nature Valley Granola election, a thawing of Burma’s iso- Bars, Ligo Juices, Gallo Wines and lation from the Western world has GNC nutrition supplements, along occurred. The government has with educational exhibits from leadembarked on a series of reforms, ing international schools and many including liberalized elections, the more exhibitors and products. releasing of political prisoners, instituting new labor laws, a relaxation of There will also be games and conpress censorship and regulations of tests with chances to win KFC gift currency practices. Burma also wel- certificates, USA themed gifts and comed its highest level U.S. Govern- two chances to win round-trip tickment official in almost two decades ets to the USA aboard United Airwhen U.S. Secretary of State Hillary lines! Clinton visited Burma in December 2011. U.S. companies are awaiting See more on Facebook the upcoming April 1, 2012 general at USA Fair 2012 or visit elections and its effect on further www.usafair2012.com and reform, to see whether this will en- www.centralworld.co.th.
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2
16
BANGKOK BUSINESS BRIEF
BANGKOK BU SINESS BRIEF
Briefs
December 20 11
www.bangkokbusinessbrief.com
April 2012
The Chambers
General Inte
rest
liam Shakespe are Nature and life ar seasons of the yea the phases of the r http://goo.gl/o Caught up in da m zbNM ily ily forget that Asia stands to the b has cycles, too. We gain from W with the econo mi slowdown est of expansion, con c tra cov ery. However, The shift of eco o no mentum to the mic growth mo- phenomena affect... up numerous East has opened Full story at http://go op Asian countries portunities that out, suggests an should not miss Panel: Asia b economist. off, not immu The robust eco fr om global c nomic growth China and em of erging economi will open a ne es KUALA LUMPUR : Th w opportunity sis in the late 1990 for Asian economi s wa es wealth from tra to increase their call for the region that de in goods an out to be services at a tim a blessing i d e States and Europ when the United nearly 15 years later, as t e financial sec Full story at htt are... p://goo.gl/S65D6 able to sus tor is now tain a cer of shocks from the ta Grow with th fallo e fl ow We ste rn Hemisphere, of cycles to a panellist at a rece ‘There is a tid con ference. e men, which, tak in the affairs of leads on to for en at the flood, “There wi ll be more cris tune”, wrote Wi l- future, an d the Asian Sponsored by
Use your smartphone’s QR Code scanner or enter the short code to go directly to AustCham’s website.
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The Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce (AustChamThailand) 20th Floor, Thai CC Tower, 889 South Sathorn Road, Yannawa, Bangkok 10120 Tel: +66 (0)2 210 0216-8 Fax: +66 (0)2 675 6696 Website: www.austchamthailand.com Email: admin@austchamthailand.com
http://goo.gl/N47Gg
AustCham Events for Your Calendar in April Sundowners Sundowners is AustCham Thailand’s monthly business networking function. It is a great opportunity for members and guests of the Chamber to meet, network and exchange views in a social environment. Date: Wednesday, 4 April 2012 Time: 18:00 - 21:00 (last drinks served at 20.30) Cost: Baht 500 for members and Baht 950 for non-members Location: “amBar”, Rooftop, Four Points by Sheraton Bangkok, Sukhumvit 15 BTS: Asoke / Sukhumvit Map: tinyurl.com/7t8h23g To book: visit www.austchamthailand.com
Treasurer Leigh Scott-Kemmis – DBM (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
Highlight Events from February / March Chatree Gold Mine Site Visit - Friday 24 February AustCham members and guests were treated to a rare opportunity to tour the Chatree Gold Mine in Phichit. Deemed the world’s safest gold mine, Chatree employs over 980 people and generates significant foreign exchange income for Thailand of over US$1 billion per year. It has also established the world’s best practice in environmental management, workplace relations, health and safety and community interaction winning numerous awards in Thailand. Located 280km north of Bangkok, Chatree was Thailand’s first modern gold mine, commencing operations in November 2001.
Alan Polivnick – Watson, Farley & Williams (Thailand) Limited
The tour will began at the “open cut” mine where simple drill, blast and excavate mining methods are used. Visitors were then be walked through the processes of gold recovery and finally witnessed a gold pour firsthand. AustCham Thailand Annual General Meeting - Tuesday 6 March at Grand Hyatt Erawan AustCham is proud to announce its Board of Directors for 2012/2013 who were elected at last month’s AGM. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the two Directors who chose not to stand for re-election this year: long serving Director in charge of the legal portfolio, Ben Yong; and Khun Suganya Ransigutta who has also contributed substantially to the Chamber, in particular the trade and commerce program. We are most grateful for your support of the Chamber. The Board of Directors for this year comprises of: President John Anderson – Meinhardt (Thailand) Ltd. Vice Presidents M.L. Laksasubha Kridakon – Baan Laksasubha Resort Hua Hin Belinda Skinner – TopTalentAsia
To re enter the sto
Other Board Members David Bell – Crestcom - Ra-Kahng Associates Ltd. Khun Jurairat Jammanee – HASSELL Warwick Kneale – Baker Tilly Thailand Limited Sam Mizzi – McConnell Dowell Constructors Thai Ltd. Sriram Narayan – Qantas / British Airways
Charles Wrightman – Natural Ville & Lenotre Saeed Zaki, Ph.D. – dwp Ex-Officio Member Maurine Lam – Austrade On behalf of the membership, we congratulate the members of the new Board.
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BANGKOK BU SINESS BRIEF
December 20 11
Briefs 17
www.bangkokbusinessbrief.com
BANGKOK BUSINESS BRIEF April 2012 General Inte
The Chambers
rest
liam Shakespe are Nature and life ar seasons of the yea the phases of the r http://goo.gl/o Caught up in da m zbNM ily ily forget that Asia stands to the b has cycles, too. We gain from W with the econo mi slowdown est of expansion, con c tra cov ery. However, The shift of eco o no mentum to the mic growth mo- phenomena affect... up numerous East has opened Full story at http://go op Asian countries portunities that out, suggests an should not miss Panel: Asia b economist. off, not immu The robust eco fr om global c nomic growth China and em of erging economi will open a ne es KUALA LUMPUR : Th w opportunity sis in the late 1990 for Asian economi s wa es wealth from tra to increase their call for the region that de in goods an out to be services at a tim a blessing i d e States and Europ when the United nearly 15 years later, as t e financial sec Full story at htt are... p://goo.gl/S65D6 able to sus tor is now tain a cer of shocks from the ta Grow with th fallo e fl ow We ste rn Hemisphere, of cycles to a panellist at a rece ‘There is a tid con ference. e men, which, tak in the affairs of leads on to for en at the flood, “There wi ll be more cris tune”, wrote Wi l- future, an d the Asian Sponsored by
Use your smartphone’s QR Code scanner or enter the short code to go directly to BCCT’s website.
...
British Chamber of Commerce Thailand (BCCT) 7th Floor, 208 Wireless Road, Lumphini, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 Tel: +66 (0)2 651 5350-3 Fax: +66 (0)2 651 5354 Website: www.bccthai.com Email: greg@bccthai.com UK Minister of State for Trade and to the floods last year is something Investment visits Thailand that we can all learn from - a combination of moving generosity, workLord Stephen Green, the UK’s Min- ing alongside government to help ister of State for Trade and Invest- the most affected, and impressive ment, met with the business com- resilience, with many quickly remunity and Thailand’s Commerce establishing their businesses even Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom after devastating damage. You have during his trip to Southeast Asia. shown that, at times of adversity, The key purpose of his visit is to adaptability is key to recovery”. strengthen trading ties with Thailand – identified by the UK Trade & “On this visit, my first to Thailand in Investment as a high-growth mar- my role as minister for trade, I will ket. be looking at where Thailand and the UK can work together, combinIn his meeting with Commerce Min- ing our respective skills through ister Boonsong Teriyapirom they partnership work and the exchange discussed opportunities for Thai- of expertise. Thailand has long been land and the UK to work together. a key partner to the UK, and we He emphasised the UK’s commit- want to build on these ties and rement to Thailand, highlighting the spective strengths.” UK’s engineering, design and flood management expertise and contin- “I will be looking at how the UK ued commitment to building the can work with Thailand to support strong relationship the two countries more of its companies do business have enjoyed. globally. We now need to build on our strong relationship and provide Lord Green said, “Thailand has long the best environment for business to been a key partner to the UK and flourish. We face similar challenges, we want to build on these ties and adapting our economies to an unrespective strengths. Our relation- certain global environment. But we ship with Thailand goes back some also share a vision for the future that 400 years and it is one that I expect will unlock opportunities, foster talto flourish and prosper for decades ent and stimulate knowledge.” to come. During his trip Lord Green also “British visitors have long admired engaged in a discussion with the resilience and energy of Thai- BCCT members and its board land’s businesses and your reaction at a dinner hosted by the Chamber, co-sponsored by HSBC and Boots Thailand.
Lord Stephen Green
http://goo.gl/Vav3Q
From left: Andrew McBean, Jane Bailey, Charn Saralertsophon, Simon Landy, H.E. Lord Stephen Green, H.E. Asif Ahmad, Pongsak Assakul, Matthew Lobner, Dean Thompson and Toni Weber
Upcoming events for April:
Highlight events in March:
BCCT Membership Meeting (Members only) 3/4/2012 - Special Events
Third Thursday Networking Evening 19/4/2012 - Networking Evening
In the final week of March, BCCT held a number of key events including an open discussion forum on doing business in Myanmar / Burma, and our Annual Lecture Dinner with Khun Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary General ASEAN, as guest speaker. Detailed reports on these events will be available in Issue 2 of The Brief.
Eastern Seaboard Networking Evening 20/4/2012 - Networking Evening
Office Hours:
BCCT Board Meeting (closed event) 19/4/2012 - Board Meeting
Special BCCT Luncheon with M.R. Pongsvas Svasti, Minister of Industry 25/4/2012 – Luncheon
BCCT Half-Day Seminar (Labour & Employment Law) (Members only) Lord Stephen Green is Minister of 26/4/2012 - Seminar State for Trade and Investment in the UK’s Department for Business In- Special BCCT Lunch novation and Skills. Lord Green took (Doing Business in Indonesia) up his appointment after a 28-year 27/4/2012 - Luncheon career with HSBC, which culminated in his appointment as group chair- For further details and to book man of HSBC Holdings in 2006. visit www.bccthai.com
To re enter the sto
Open weekdays from 8.30 am – 5.30 pm, the BCCT office also incorporates a small library providing access to UK and Thai trade directories/CD ROMs, Chambers of Commerce handbooks, business journals and magazines. There is also a small meeting room available for members use during office hours. For more information visit www.bccthai.com or ‘like’ us on Facebook (‘British Chamber of Commerce Thailand’).
2
18
BANGKOK BUSINESS BRIEF
BANGKOK BU SINESS BRIEF
Briefs
December 20 11
www.bangkokbusinessbrief.com
April 2012
The Chambers
General Inte
rest
To re enter the sto
liam Shakespe are Nature and life ar seasons of the yea the phases of the r http://goo.gl/o Caught up in da m zbNM ily ily forget that Asia stands to the b has cycles, too. We gain from W with the econo mi slowdown est of expansion, con c tra cov ery. However, The shift of eco o no mentum to the mic growth mo- phenomena affect... up numerous East has opened Full story at http://go op Asian countries portunities that out, suggests an should not miss Panel: Asia b economist. off, not immu The robust eco fr om global c nomic growth China and em of erging economi will open a ne es KUALA LUMPUR : Th w opportunity sis in the late 1990 for Asian economi s wa es wealth from tra to increase their call for the region that de in goods an out to be services at a tim a blessing i d e States and Europ when the United nearly 15 years later, as t e financial sec Full story at htt are... p://goo.gl/S65D6 able to sus tor is now tain a cer of shocks from the ta Grow with th fallo e fl ow We ste rn Hemisphere, of cycles to a panellist at a rece ‘There is a tid con ference. e men, which, tak in the affairs of leads on to for en at the flood, “There wi ll be more cris tune”, wrote Wi l- future, an d the Asian Sponsored by
Use your smartphone’s QR Code scanner or enter the short code to go directly to a Chamber’s website.
...
Belgian-Luxembourg/ Thai CC (BeLuThai) 15 Soi Tonson, Ploenchit Road Lumpini, Pathumwan Bangkok 10330 Tel: +66 (0)2 309 5250 Website: www.beluthai.org Email: info@beluthai.org
Japanese CC (JCC) 3601 36th Floor, Q Houses Lumpini Bldg., South Sathorn Rd., Tungmahamek, Sathorn Bangkok 10120 Tel: +66 (0)2 677 7393 Fax: +66 (0)2 677 7394 Website: www.mtcc.or.th Email: admin@mtcc.or.th
Thai-Canadian CC (TCCC) 139 Pan Road, Sethiwan Tower, 9th Floor, Silom, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500 Tel: +66 (0)2 266 6085/6 Fax: +66 (0)2 266 6087 Website: www.tccc.or.th Email: tccc@loxinfo.co.th
Thai-Norwegian CC (TNCC) 888/142 Ploenchit Rd, 14th Fl., Mahatun Plaza, Lumpini, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 Tel: +66 (0)2 650 8444 Fax: +66 (0)2 627 3042 Website: www.norcham.com Email: contact@norcham.com
Danish-Thai CC (Dancham) 34 C.P. Tower 3, 9th Floor Tower A, Phayathai Road, Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400 Tel: +66 (0)2 354 5220 Fax: +66 (0)2 354 5221 Website: www.dancham.or.th Email: contact@dancham.or.th
Korean-Thai CC (KTCC) 6th Fl. Rajapark Bldg, 163 Asoke Sukhumvit 21 Rd, Klong Toey Nua, Wattana Bangkok 10110 Tel: +66 (0)2 204 2503 Fax: +66 (0)2 204 2504 Website: www.korchamthai.com Email: ktcc@korchamthai.com
Thai-Chinese CC (Thai-CC) Thai C. C. Tower 9th Fl., 889 South Sathorn Rd., Sathorn Bangkok 10120 Tel: +66 (0)2 675 8577-84 Fax: +66 (0)2 212 3916-7 Website: www.thaicc.org Email: info@thaicc.org
Thai-Pakistan CC (TPCC) Thai Samut Asset Co., Ltd., Unit J, 16th Floor, 163 Suriwongse Road, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500 Tel: +66 (0)2 634 0147-8 Fax: +66 (0)2 634 0149 Website: http://goo.gl/Z1VOd Contact: http://goo.gl/OKPmC
Franco-Thai CC (FTCC) 5th Floor, Indosuez House, 152 Wireless Road, Lumpini, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 Tel: +66 (0)2 650 9613-4 Fax: +66 (0)2 650 9739 Website: www.francothaicc.com Email: contact@francothaicc.com
Netherlands-Thai CC (NTCC) 15 Soi Tonson, Ploenchit Road Lumpini, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 Tel: +66 (0)2 309 5250 Website: www.ntccthailand.org Email: info@ntccthailand.org
Thai-Finnish CC (TFCC) C/O Netpoint SEA Ltd. 2nd Floor Wandee Siam Bldg, 58/84 Muangthong Thani, Chaengwattana, Klongklua, Nonthaburi 11120 Tel: +66 (0)2 574 2879-80 Fax: +66 (0)2 574 2877 Website: www.thaifin.or.th Email: tfcc@thaifin.or.th
Thai-Russian CC (TRCC) 14th Floor Loxley Bldg, 102 Na Ranong Road, Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110 Tel: +66 (0)2 348 8873 Fax: +66 (0)2 240 3307 Website: www.trcc.or.th Email: admin@trcc.or.th
German-Thai CC (GTCC) 25th Fl., Empire Tower 3, 195 South Sathorn Road, Yannawa, Sathorn, Bangkok 10120 Tel: +66 (0)2 670 0600 Fax: +66 (0)2 670 0601 Website: www.gtcc.org Email: services@gtcc.org
New Zealand Thai CC (NZTCC) 9th Floor, ITF Tower, 140/26 Silom Road, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500 Tel: +66 (0)2 634 3283 Fax: +66 (0)2 634 3004 Website: www.nztcc.org Email: director@nztcc.org
Thai-Hong Kong Trade Association (THTA) Empire Tower, 25th Floor, 195 South Sathorn Road, Yannawa, Bangkok 10120 Tel: +66 (0)2 343 9000 Fax: +66 (0)2 343 9029 Website: www.thta.or.th Email: thai-hongkong@thta.or.th
Thai-Swedish CC (TSCC) 34 C.P Tower 3, 9th Floor Tower A, Phyathai Rd, Ratchathewi Bangkok 10400 Tel: +66 (0)2 354 5229-31 Fax: +66 (0)2 354 5232 Website: www.swecham.com Email: contact@swecham.com
India-Thai CC (ITCC) No. 13, Sathorn Soi 1, Thungmahamek, Sathorn, Bangkok 10120 Tel: +66 (0)2 287 3001 Fax: +66 (0)2 679 7720 Website: www.itcc.or.th Email: info@itcc.or.th
Singapore-Thai CC (STCC) 193/8 Lake Rajada Office Complex, 1st Floor Rachadapisek Road, Klongtoey, Klongtoey, Bangkok 10110 Tel: +66 (0)2 264 0680-4 Fax: +66 (0)2 264 0688 Website: http://goo.gl/WrTpX Contact: http://goo.gl/L727M
Thai-Israel CC (TICC) 14th Fl., Manorom Building, 3354/45 Rama 4 Rd., Klongton, Klongtoey, Bangkok 10110 Tel: +66 (0)2 672 7020 Fax: +66 (0)2 672 7021 Website: www.thaisraelcc.com Email: ticc@thaisraelcc.com
Thai-Taiwan Business Association (TTBA) No. 30/207 Sukhumvit Soi 39, Sukhumvit Rd., Kiongtannua, Bangkok 10110 Tel: +66 (0)2 662 7335-6, 662 7385 Fax: +66 (0)2 662 7382 Website: www.ttba.or.th Email: ttba@ttba.or.th
Irish Thai CC (ITCC) Maneeya Center Bldg, 7th Fl, 518/5 Ploenchit Road, Lumpini, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 Tel: +66 (0)2 652 0848 Fax: +66 (0)2 652 0671 Website: www.irishthaicc.com Email: info@irishthaicc.com
South African-Thai CC (SATCC) 10/143 (1503A), 15th Fl, Trendy Bldg, Soi Sukhumvit 13, Klongtoey-Nua, Wattana Bangkok 10110 Tel: +66 (0)2 168 7416-7 Fax: +66 (0)2 168 7418 Website: www.satcc.net Email: satcc@satcc.net
Thai-Italian CC (TICC) 1126/2 Vanit II Bldg, 16th Fl, 1601B New Petchburi Rd., Makkasan, Rajdhevee, Bangkok 10400 Tel: +66 (0)2 255 8695 Fax: +66 (0)2 253 9896 Website: www.thaitch.org Email: info@thaitch.org
Joint Foreign CC of Thailand (JFCCT) 38th Floor, State Tower 1055/914 Silom Rd, Silom, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500 Tel: +66 (0)2 630 6307 Fax: +66 (0)2 630 6303 Website: www.jfcct.org Email: secretary@jfcct.org
Japanese CC (JCC) 15th floor Amarin Tower, 500 Ploenchit Road, Kwang Lumpini, Khet Patumwan Bangkok 10330 Tel: +66 (0)2 256 9170-3 Fax: +66 (0)2 652 0931 Website: www.jcc.or.th Email: info@jcc.or.th
Swiss Thai CC (STCC) 36/9-10 Chaengwattana Road Kwaeng Thungsonghong, Khet Laksi Bangkok 10210 Tel: +66 (0)2 982 4896 Fax: +66 (0)2 982 4897 Website: www.swissthai.com Email: info@swissthai.com
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Thailand’s ‘birth dearth’ has dramatic implications Story continued from Page 1.
www.bangkokbusinessbrief.com
April 2012
decline’ from 1970-1990; ‘Low fertility’ from 1991-1996; and ‘Below replacement fertility’ from 1997-present.
innovative ways to sustain its economic expansion.” Urbanization, economic growth and opportunity, the rising cost Thailand is one of the countries of raising a child, and more upfacing this dramatic demograph- wardly mobile women in the ic shift. For most of the 20th workforce have all contributed to century, the country had tre- the steady decline of Thailand’s mendous and rapid population birth rate. Throw in increased growth, especially during the overall longevity, and Thai soci1950s, 1960s and even into the ety is fast becoming quite elderly. 1970s. In 1910, Thailand’s popu- According to the UNFPA report, lation was 8.3 million. By 1960, in 2010, the percentage of the it was 26.3 million, and in 2010, Thai population over age 65 was it had stabilized at 65.4 million. 8.7%. By 2020, the report projects that figure will be 12.4% and However, Thailand’s growth by 2030, 17.4% of the population slowed significantly in the lat- will be age 65 or over. Combined ter half of the century. In the with the declining child and early 1960s, Thailand’s birth young adult population, these rate stood at 6. Today, it is 1.5, dramatic changes will mean that far below what experts call the Thailand’s ‘age pyramids’ will es‘replacement rate’ of 2.1. In sentially be inverted. fact, Thailand’s fertility rate has been at sub-replacement levels The implications for the Thai since 1997. A 2010 report by the economy go far beyond declinUnited Nations Population Fund ing numbers of schoolchildren. (UNFPA) titled “Demographic Thailand, like most Asian econChange in Thailand” states that omies, has relied on a young Thailand has had four peri- workforce to drive economic ods of fertility transition: ‘High growth – the so-called ‘demofertility’ before 1970; ‘Fertility graphic dividend’.
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According to the Asian Development Bank, from 2011-2030, this will change significantly as the contribution of the age structure to per capita growth in Asian economies will fall from 1.0% to 0.6%. As this demographic dividend disappears, Thailand, and the rest of Asia, will have to find ways to maintain growth despite these demographic handicaps. The current demographic trends in Thailand mean a contraction in the workforce, a declining rural population in this agriculture-focused country, and a continuing shift in the urban-rural demographic split. Education budgets will also be affected, as fewer children will be enrolling in the public school system in coming years.
Thailand’s youth-driven culture gives way to a greyer reality, hiring bias towards young employees will have to change, as more and more older people look for work in order to sustain themselves. Thailand, like the rest of Asia, has enjoyed tremendous economic growth for decades because of the young, vibrant workforce that has driven its economy. But as the country ages and the Thai workforce is not replaced at the same rate as in the past, the Thai government and Thai industry will be faced with some tough policy decisions.
And when Thailand’s current schoolchildren receive their tablets from the government in the coming months, they will not realize that the Thailand they will Thailand will also need to find grow up in will be very different new ways to handle its greying from the one that their parents population. Traditional fam- and grandparents knew. ily care for seniors is declining, as smaller and smaller families Read fresh business attempt to deal with aging famnews briefs about ily members. The government will need to strengthen pension Bangkok, Thailand, and and social security schemes, and Asia every weekday at business will have to adapt to www.bangkokbusinessbrief.com changing employee profiles. As
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April 2012
The Calendar
For event details, enter the short code below the event into your browser:
1
2
Sunday
goo.gl/6ngBg
Tuesday
Monday
3 AMCHAM: Board of Governors http://goo.gl/tr5ct BCCT: Membership Mtg http://goo.gl/sxxh7
Bangkok Trader: Networking Night http://goo.gl/EnNbR
8
Bangkok Trader Networking Party http://goo.gl/6ngBg
9
10 AMCHAM: Marketing: New opportunities for marketers in new media landscape http://goo.gl/iUOdi
15
April
AMCHAM: Ten AMCHAM: HR Cmte – Steps to Advocacy Success Healthy Workplace http://goo.gl/68BUZ http://goo.gl/AdmHh AMCHAM: Tax Cmte AMCHAM: http://goo.gl/kytp1 Marketing Cmte Bangkok Entrepreneurs http://goo.gl/tYHz5 http://goo.gl/U98Ux
22
16
AMCHAM: ICT Cmte http://goo.gl/hAXZH
23 Bangkok Entrepreneurs http://goo.gl/U98Ux
USA Fair 2012 http://goo.gl/vGTXA
29
17
24
AustCham: ANZAC Day http://goo.gl/u33zQ AMCHAM: Monthly Luncheon http://goo.gl/KeTcZ More events for today: http://goo.gl/qD2op
30
1 Bangkok Trader: Networking Night http://goo.gl/EnNbR
6
7
8
AMCHAM: HR Cmte http://goo.gl/WEQLR AMCHAM: Board/Govs. http://goo.gl/Uucjt AustCham: Board/Dirs. http://goo.gl/iLrSj AMCHAM: Mktg. Cmte http://goo.gl/UPHQP
www.bangkokbusinessbrief.com
BANGKOK BUSINESS BRIEF April 2012
23
Send us your business event details for the May issue by April 19th to calendar@bangkokbusinessbrief.com Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
4
AMCHAM: Seminar Killer Sales Managers http://goo.gl/xyEuK AMCHAM: F&A Cmte http://goo.gl/bQras AustCham: Sundowners http://goo.gl/ou0ec
11 AMCHAM: SME Cmte – Foreign Corrupt Practice ACT http://goo.gl/6pyGF
18 AMCHAM: Energy Cmte http://goo.gl/tshJs
25 BCCT: Special Luncheon http://goo.gl/OzRMg
2
AMCHAM: F&A http://goo.gl/FkhXK AMCHAM: Michael Jensen: Creating Leaders http://goo.gl/Kpfmc AustCham: Sundowners http://goo.gl/o4hMR
9
AMCHAM: Security/ OSAC Cmte http://goo.gl/0ahgi AMCHAM: SME / Tax Cmte – Taxes & Changes http://goo.gl/uTxho AMCHAM: Social Netwk http://goo.gl/EBTjn
5
Saturday
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7
13
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AMCHAM: Travel & Tourism Cmte http://goo.gl/LG3ye AMCHAM: Young Professional Networking http://goo.gl/dhZln
12 AMCHAM: Transportation Logistic Cmte http://goo.gl/PLbNO
19
USA Fair 2012 http://goo.gl/vGTXA BCCT: Board Meeting http://goo.gl/YpI6x BCCT: Third Thursday Networking Evening http://goo.gl/LhPC5
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USA Fair 2012 http://goo.gl/vGTXA Joint Chambers Eastern Seaboard Networking Evening http://goo.gl/gSXoe
USA Fair 2012 http://goo.gl/vGTXA
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3
4
5
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AMCHAM: Charitable Foundation http://goo.gl/NrE7K BCCT: Half-Day Seminar (Labour & Employment Law) http://goo.gl/zeQDd AMCHAM: Healthcare Cmte http://goo.gl/KpM0C AMCHAM: Travel & Tourism Cmte http://goo.gl/LeJ8N AMCHAM: Young Professional Cmte http://goo.gl/voke4
AMCHAM: Transportation Logistic Cmte http://goo.gl/OrOyn BCCT: Joint Professional Women’s Group Networking http://goo.gl/eQQeE
AMCHAM: Independence Day Picnic Cmte http://goo.gl/hSm5o BCCT: Special Lunch (Doing Business in Indonesia) http://goo.gl/TZo32