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Thailand invites US to participate in Economic Cooperation Strategy
Thailand has invited the United States to participate in
its Economic Cooperation Strategy (ECS) Project, aimed at pulling up
economies of neighboring countries.
Speaking after meeting Theodore Stevens, Acting US Senate
Speaker, Surakiart said that the US had thanked Thailand for its cooperation
on various security projects, which had served to smooth the 100-year old
relationship between the two countries.
After hearing Surakiart speaking of Prime Minister
Thaksin Shinawatra’s ECS initiative, the US parliamentary leader had
pledged full support. Surakiart said that he would work with Stevens to push
for US participation in the project, and particular attention would be paid
to the provision of assistance to Laos and Cambodia, although reservations
remained over Myanmar.
Surakiart said that Mr. Stevens, who also chairs the US
Senate Budget Committee and is considered the fourth most important man in
the US administration, had pledged the US’s full support to Thailand in
ensuring secure trade. Projects, including cooperation between the two
countries on X-raying shipping containers at the Laem Chabang Deep-sea Port
in Thailand’s eastern province of Chonburi, were also discussed, he said,
noting that such the measure served to benefit Thailand’s private sector.
In addition, the two countries were working together to
track containers by satellite from Laem Chabang to Seattle to ensure that no
terrorist incidents occurred en route. (TNA)
Grassroots level to get ICT support
Information and Communications Technology Minister
Surapong Suebwonglee recently announced that the government is preparing a
raft of measures to stimulate the national information and communications
technology (ICT) market next year, with the focus on local tambons and rural
schools.
Surapong expressed confidence that the price of ICT
equipment would continue to fall next year, thanks in part to government
initiatives to bring down the price of broadband Internet connections and
international telephone services. Predicting huge strides in Thailand’s
ICT market next year, he attributed lower prices of computer equipment in
2003 to government stimulus measures, including the provision of cut-price
computers to the public. (TNA)
TNT supports automotive Industry
TNT
Thailand recently sponsored the Eighth Asia Pacific Automotive Industry
Roundtable set up to support and drive the automotive industry in Thailand
at the Shangri-la Hotel. Pictured from left are Norman Mummery, Director of
Operations for TNT Logistics Australia and Mr. Kevin Burrell, Business
Development Manager for TNT Logistics Thailand. The Asia Pacific Automotive
Industry Roundtable is a highly interactive meeting for senior executives
seeking new insights into strategic issues affecting Thailand’s automotive
industry, including situation, potential pitfalls and opportunities.
Thailand ready to become regional economic hub
Thailand is on track to become a regional financial
center to compete with Singapore, thanks to its sheer volume of trade,
according to an advisor to the finance minister.
Speaking in response to government initiatives to
transform Thailand into a regional financial hub, Rungrueng Phittayasiri
noted that a large volume of trade transactions had been conducted in
Thailand, while the economy had continued to grow, and government policies
had helped pull in foreign investment.
Rungrueng said, “Not only is the volume of trade
transactions extremely high when compared with the size of the overall
economy, but Thailand is also blessed with natural resources which
facilitated its role as a production base. At the same time, government
policies have encouraged small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and the
establishment of duty-free zones.”
He also pointed to the modernity of Thailand’s economic
system, noting that Thailand participated in account trade with other
nations, and had reformed several pieces of related legislation designed to
boost the confidence of foreign investors. This meant that Thailand’s
economic potential was now in fact higher than that of regional powerhouse
Singapore, he said.
“However, one must concede that in terms of becoming a hub for stock
trading, Thailand cannot yet compete with Hong Kong, as Hong Kong’s
exchange rate is more stable than that of Thailand. Therefore we have to
work to ensure the stability and strength of the baht exchange rate so that
we can compete with Hong Kong as a center for stock market trading,” he
said. (TNA)
Spas and traditional massage parlors to be regulated
Spas and traditional massage parlors will soon be
strictly supervised under the Ministry of Public Health’s regulations to
ensure that they do not offer sex services, according to Public Health
Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan.
Sudarat said, ‘The entertainment venue bill awaits the
approval of His Majesty the King, and is likely to become law early next
year. The bill is part of the government’s attempt to crack down on the
sex trade hiding in entertainment venues. When it comes into effect, the
entertainment bill will classify spas and legitimate traditional massage
parlors separately from those supervised by the Interior Ministry.”
Sudarat said all spas and traditional massage parlors
would eventually be supervised by the Public Health Ministry. Ministerial
regulations would then require the increased standard of traditional Thai
massage services to be accepted by both Thais and foreigners. Public
hearings will be held, as the regulations would be issued in early 2004, she
said. (TNA)
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