|
Legal Guidance for Foreigners seminar scheduled for November 5 and 6
Dhurakijpundit University’s Faculty of Law will sponsor
its popular seminar, Legal Guidance for Foreigners, Investing, Working and
Living in Thailand. The seminar - all in English - will be held at the
Conrad Hotel, Wireless Road, Bangkok on November 5 and 6.
The seminar features top speakers drawn from the Thai
government, judiciary, and legal practice, talking on a variety of important
issues. For example, the Hon. Judge Vichai Ariyanuntaka of the Central
Intellectual Property and International Trade Court will talk on the
Settlement of Commercial Disputes in Thailand; while the Chief Justice of
the Supreme Court, the Hon. Judge Prasobsook Boondech will talk on Law
Involving Land Ownership and Families.
Other talks are on taxation for foreign companies; laws
relating to foreign investment; latest development in financial laws; labor
law and employment issues; issues related to visas, work permit, immigration
and business start-ups; and, roles and responsibilities of directors of
Company Limited and Public Company Limited. Last year’s seminar attracted
80 participants from 25 countries worldwide.
This year’s seminar, Professor Dr. Sippanondha Ketudat,
the chairman of Dhurakijpundit University, will deliver a keynote address on
“Globalization in a Multicultural World: Implications for Professional
Learning”. Dr. Sippanondha is also a former minister of education, a
former minister of industry of Thailand and a former senator.
The fee for the 2 day event (including 2 buffet lunches
at the hotel and 4 coffee breaks, full set of conference documents, and
certificate of participation from Dhurakijpundit University) is 9,900 baht
per person.
For more information please contact Ms. Manisara
Chulasamya and Ms. Oracha Pikartporapak, Faculty of Law at
Mobile:09-813-6698,01-839-4321, respectively e-mail: [email protected]
or [email protected] or visit the web-site www.dpu.ac.th/law/ or telephone
02-954-7300 ext. 662, 308.
FPO assures Moody’s
of future economic growth
The Thai economy is expected to continue to grow in the
next five years despite external volatility, according to the Fiscal Policy
Office (FPO).
Naris Chaisutr, director-general of the office, disclosed
that a representative of the world’s leading credit rating agency
Moody’s Investors Service met with him last week to inquire about economic
data for its credit rating assessment. Naris assured Moody’s that the Thai
economy was likely to further grow 6.3% on average of the gross domestic
product (GDP) in the next five years.
This year, the economy is projected to expand 6.7%
although it has been affected by the oil price volatility. Naris said rising
oil prices had not fuelled local inflation rates, which stayed around 2.8%
against 3.1% expected earlier, partly because product prices and rentals had
declined. Despite the external volatility, he said, the country’s exports
had not been adversely affected. As well, the government’s dual-track
policy that pushed down reliance on exports to 60% from 80% of GDP had
contributed to the stimulation of the local economy. He added that the
government’s policy on decentralization has also helped improved the
living of people in the agricultural sector, who are the largest population
of the country.
Naris said Moody’s representative had focused attention
on mega investment projects initiated by the government and inquired about
the sources of funds. “We assured him that the budget on the projects will
be spent with caution and the investment will be prioritized through various
channels,” he said. (TNA)
Ministry of Commerce urges capping prices of consumer goods
The Ministry of Commerce is urging retail and wholesale
operators to continue capping the price of consumer goods until the end of
the year, the director-general of the Department of Internal Trade, Siripol
Yodmuangcharoen, revealed.
Siripol said that operators have been invited to attend a
meeting this week, when they will be urged to extend the current
price-capping period, which expires on October 31. The request comes at a
time when global oil prices are putting an increasing burden on retailers
and consumers alike.
Siripol said that operators who were genuinely unable to
shoulder the higher costs related to the oil price rise would be asked by
the government to edge up the price of their goods in stages in order to
minimize the impact on consumers. However, he warned that the Ministry of
Commerce had detailed data on which businesses were affected by the rising
oil prices, and will take action against operators who try to use higher
fuel costs as an excuse to take advantage of their customers. (TNA)
Chinese manufacturers escape piracy
by moving production bases to Thailand
Major China-based electrical goods manufacturers are
preparing to shift their production bases to Thailand in frustration at the
lack of legislation against counterfeiting in China, the director of the
Institute of Electricity and Electronics has revealed.
Jaruek Hengrassamee said that the problem of pirated
goods was prompting manufacturing companies based in China to consider
shifting their production bases to other countries, including Thailand.
Japanese companies based in China, in particular, had called on the Japanese
Chamber of Commerce in Thailand to study the feasibility of relocating their
production bases for electronic goods, Jaruek said, adding that Thailand has
offered greater investment concessions than other countries in the region.
Nonetheless, he warned that Thailand’s electrical goods industry had been
dealt a heavy blow by rising steel, oil and electricity prices, which had
pushed up production costs by 55 percent.
Noting the high competition in the electrical goods
sector, Jaruek said that manufacturers are forced to keep their prices
stable and shoulder the burden of the higher costs themselves. At the same
time, domestic companies are struggling to compete with cheap, low-quality
goods from China, whose market share is increasing each year.
While a couple of years ago the value of such goods sold
in Thailand was only around 1 billion baht, this figure had soared to 40-50
billion baht, Jaruek said. One problem, he said, was that manufacturers were
circumventing regulations on product standards by importing components and
then having them assembled in Thai factories where inspection was difficult.
Calling on the government to review anti-dumping
legislation in the steel industry, Jaruek said while manufacturers were
rushing to boost production efficiency, there was only so much that they
could do alone. (TNA)
‘Eastern Expo 2004’ to promote regional industry
The Rayong provincial authorities are finishing the final
preparations for the Eastern Expo 2004, scheduled for this weekend. The
trade fair in Thailand’s eastern province of Rayong hopes to promote the
region as a significant industrial location, according to the president of
the Rayong Provincial Federation of Industry (RPFI), Wanit Sirisanthana.
Members of the RPFI, which represents more than 2,000
firms, are taking part in the exhibition. All the booths have been fully
reserved, the chairman of the Rayong Chamber of Commerce, Pratya Samalapa
said.
The motor show is expected to be one of the highlights of
the fair. More than 15 automobile companies will offer customers special
discounts on the vehicles on display.
The exhibition will also feature jewelry, as well as
products from neighboring countries. High quality, inexpensive products will
be on sale and entertainment will be provided.
Tourism will also feature prominently, as there are many
tourist resorts in Rayong, including Koh Samet, Koh Man Nok and Koh Man Nai,
and there are more than 100 kilometers of beautiful beaches along the Rayong
coast. There are also abundant natural beauty spots, including waterfalls.
The local authorities expect the five-day exhibition to earn more than 300
million baht.
The Eastern Expo 2004 will be held in the Star Plaza
Department Store in Rayong from October 29 to November 2. (TNA)
Impact of bird
flu on public confidence is minor
Public confidence in Thai chicken products has been
scarcely dented by the latest outbreak of avian flu, with most people eating
chicken as normal, according to a survey recently published by the
University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce.
The survey of 1,200 ordinary consumers and 400 people
involved in the chicken farming industry found that the impact on domestic
public confidence in chicken products was negligible in comparison with the
first outbreak of bird flu earlier in the year, with few people refraining
from eating chicken products as a result of the virus.
During the previous outbreak of the virus as many as 76.8
percent of consumers refused to eat chicken, while only 2.37 percent of
consumers claim to be avoiding chicken products now.
However, 64.7 percent of the respondents said that they
were “extremely worried” about the avian flu situation, with fears of
human- to-human transmission of the virus emerging as the greatest point of
concern.
Tellingly for the government, the survey found that only
66.2 percent of respondents were confident in the government’s ability to
bring the disease under control, compared to 80 percent in previous surveys.
The report also suggested that the economic impact would be relatively
insignificant, with loss of revenue from chicken consumption standing at
only 1 billion baht. However, exports are still being badly hit, with
estimated losses of 30-35 billion baht, or 0.5 percent of the nation’s
gross domestic product (GDP).
Public opinion on the use of vaccines to prevent the
virus meanwhile remained divided, with 44.9 percent of respondents saying
that the vaccine should be introduced, 36.5 percent saying that it should
remain banned, and 18.5 percent failing to give any opinion. This compared
with 60 percent of those working in the chicken industry who were strongly
against the use of vaccines on the grounds that exports would be affected. (TNA)
|
