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F.A.S.T. Help
At a recent meeting of the Pattaya City Expats Club
(PCEC) Christopher Gibbins and Geoffrey Paston, the owners of the new
F.A.S.T. (Farang Aid and Support Team) Company presented their
organization’s plan for immediate help when you need it most. Anyone
joining the programme will be allocated a special a card with a telephone
number which, when called, will set in action a response team who will make
the necessary contacts needed to help in any emergency.
 Chris,
Geoff and their delightful Thai associate from the F.A.S.T. Company promoted
their service at the Pattaya City Expats Club.
Their information form, which has to be completed when
registering, contains all the personal information and contact information
that is needed. This information will become immediately available to the
response team in the case of an emergency so that contacts with hospitals,
lawyers you designate (or you can select from their list if you do not have
a designee), and local contacts or family can be made if you suddenly find
yourself in hospital, an auto accident, detained by police, or in a death
situation, and unable to make the contacts yourself.
It is stated that the service is manned 24 hours every
day with both English and Thai speakers, and with other languages available
as necessary.
Members of the PCEC found this a possible useful service
for the future and Chris, Geoff and their delightful Thai associate offered
to make appointments with members to answer questions and fill out the
forms. There are three plans available - 1900 baht per year for a basic
plan, 3000 baht for an overseas contact plan, and 1100 baht for a companion
plan. An emergency “one call” system might be one of your best
investments.
A disclaimer – the PCEC does not sponsor, nor does it,
or any member of the PCEC Board, get any benefit of any kind from the
F.A.S.T. Company.
The PCEC suggests only that for those of us living away from our
homelands, with limited language capabilities, and a limited knowledge of
the law, a service such as this could be very important when needed.
Pork prices rise in wake of expensive gasoline
Vendors accuse farms of profiteering
Narisa Nitikarn
The government announced an increase of 35 satang on
gasoline prices on April 26 this year, effectively increasing the prices of
consumer goods including pork and chicken meat, which are growing at a
higher rate than any other food products.
Pattaya Mail journalists have been following this
closely. We checked at the Larn Poh fresh food market and interviewed one of
the pork distributors, who stated that pork is 100 baht per kilogram.
However, the price was not increased when the gasoline price rose, but has
been increasing over the last three months. About two weeks before the
announcement of the gasoline price increase, the pork farm refused to sell
their pork to traders, only doing so at a higher price after the gasoline
increase. They gave the reason of higher capital costs for transportation.
Pratheep Nongna, Larn Poh market fresh food vendor, said
that each adjustment of the gasoline price has affected his business because
he has to follow by increasing his prices for food as well. Right now is a
critical period because parents are saving money and spending very carefully
for their children during the new school term, on items like clothing,
schoolbooks and school meals. Pratheep has had only half his usual income
over the past two weeks. He says he has added little to his goods because he
sympathises with his customers, who are also affected by the gasoline price
increases.
Some vendors say that it is not only the meat prices that
are increasing. Nearly all goods are going up, including dry foods and fresh
vegetables. Increased gasoline prices are not the direct reason for the
escalating vegetable prices: the dry season, with not enough water for
crops, is a prime cause. There are also fewer products, and not enough to
meet market demand. Prices inevitably go up, especially those of long green
beans, lettuce, kale and lemons.
With pork meat, all pork farms have adjusted their
distribution prices since the beginning of April. An increase of two baht at
the farm has meant an adjustment to sell wholesale from 50 baht to 52 baht.
With other reasons linked to the dry season and market demand, pork prices
have been pushed from 120 to 135 baht per kg. The Department of Inland
Trading says that the pork meat association should not allow the price to go
over 100 baht per kg, but the pork farms say that their profits are being
squeezed because the cost of animal feed has also risen in the wake of the
gasoline prices.
Siripol Yodmuangcharoen, director general of the inland
trade department, has said that the solution to rising pork prices would be
to install a neutral committee for goods and service prices that would place
pork meat onto a price control list.
PTT cuts gasoline prices by B0.40 per litre
Motorists were given a breath of fresh air this week when
the country’s largest petroleum giant, PTT Public Company Limited (PTT),
announced a Bt40 per-litre drop in the prices of gasoline and gasohol,
starting from early Tuesday.
Apisit Rujikeatkamjorn, PTT’s senior executive vice
president for oil business group, told reporters that the recent slide in
world oil prices enabled the PTT to set lower charges for gasoline on the
domestic market.
He also predicted a further drop due to the decline in
oil use in the Asian region as a whole.
But lower petrol prices will also see the government
levying higher fuel surcharges on petrol to pay into the State Oil Fund,
with the surcharges now set at Bt1.20 per litre for octane 95 fuel, or
premium gasoline, and Bt1 per litre for octane 91, or regular gasoline,
compared to only Bt0.50 per litre in the past.
Last year the government subsidised petrol to the tune of
around Bt7 billion, but hopes to have paid off this debt within the next two
years. (TNA)
SEC allows LTF to invest in MAI
The Thai business community reached new heights in
acronyms last week when the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) agreed
to allow a long-term fund (LTF) to invest in listed companies on the Market
for Alternative Investment (MAI).
A source at SEC disclosed the commission resolved at its
meeting that LTF release clear information on investment proportion and
risks of performance and cash flow if its investment in companies listed on
MAI represents more than 35% of the net asset value (NAV).
The information shall be provided in the prospectus,
semi-annual reports, and annual reports.
It was previously proposed that LTF be in a position to
invest in listed companies with a minimum amount of 65% of its net asset
value.
The source said the commission also resolved to allow
commercial banks, life insurance companies, securities firms, and other
financial institutions operating brokerage businesses to appoint common
persons as sale and purchase agents of unit trusts like mutual funds. (TNA)
Buyers snap up motorcycles at auction
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Thais and foreigners crowded into Duck Square in South
Pattaya, behind Big C, for an auction of motorcycles held on May 1 by Union
Auction Co Ltd in co-operation with the Financial Credit Institute.
The
auctioneer was busy auctioning motorcycles to Thai and foreign buyers.
Over 300 motorcycles were under the hammer and they went
quickly, auction manager Kriangsak Pandet explaining that the motorcycle
market in Pattaya is very large because of the recent gasoline price
increases.
The auction was a good opportunity to buy a second hand
motorcycle at a good price. The auctioneers had invited those interested to
inspect the vehicles over the period April 29-30, and the bidding started on
May 1 at 12 noon.
Bidders registered with 5,000 baht and had to deposit
another 5,000 baht if they won the bid. The balance had to be paid on or
before May 4, and the purchase had to be collected on or before 5 p.m. on
May 5. The company will deliver the registration documents to the buyer’s
address within one month.
The auctioned motorcycles were different models including Honda Wave 100,
Honda Wave Z, Honda CBR 150 R, Honda Dream, Honda Nova Sonic RS, Kawasaki
Boss, Kawasaki Kaza, Suzuki Smash, Yamaha Fresh, Yamaha Mio, Yamaha Nouvo
and Yamaha X – 1.
City supports pawnshop as parents spend on new school term
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Mid-May is a period when all parents spend a lot of money
on the fast-approaching new school term. This inevitably means good business
for the pawnshops and moneylenders. Pattaya Mail reporters
interviewed the owner of the Rong Cham Nam pawnshop on Soi 6, which is
particularly crowded at this time of year.
The shop’s director, Miss Apirom Rattanaratchaburi,
said the pawnshop is supported by Pattaya City authorities with a 12 million
baht budget to provide people with low rates of interest and a fair service.
This is done specifically for the new school term, she said, a time that
creates extra expense for all parents.
Pawnshops
in Pattaya do brisk business at the beginning of the school year.
The pawnshop has been open for 26 years and is very well
known by the public because of its lower rates of interest, which are better
than second-hand shops or gold shops in general.
Usually the pawnshop has an interest rate of 0.75 percent
per month for the principal of a loan not over 500 baht, and 1 percent per
month for a sum not over 3,000 baht. Between 3,000-100,000 baht the interest
rate will be 2 percent per month for the first 2,000 baht, and 1.25 percent
per month for an amount over 2,000 baht.
During the period of the new school term from April 18 to
August 15, said Apirom, they offer lower interest rates, under a policy from
the department of local administration, at the Ministry of the Interior. For
the principal of a loan not over 3,000 baht they have a 0.75 percent
interest rate per month, and for a sum over 3,000 baht but not over 5,000
baht it is 1 percent. Over 5,000 baht it becomes 1.25 percent.
The repayment period can also be extended, she said. In
the event of anyone exceeding the period the pawnshop has the right to keep
their goods. All goods obtained in this way are distributed on the first
Saturday of every month.
This pawnshop guarantees assets are secure, with valuables locked in a
safe. Electrical equipment is kept in good order. The government will
reimburse customers in the event of loss during the period of the loan.
Goods acceptable for a loan include gold, diamonds, red copper, watches,
cameras, videos, all kinds of electrical equipment, and construction
equipment. Service hours of the pawnshop are from Monday to Friday, from 8
a.m. to 4 p.m. It is closed on the weekends and public holidays.
Bangkok’s office rents rising
Office rents in Bangkok’s central business district are
expected to continue to rise steadily because of the shortage of space,
according to the latest research released on Monday by the property
consultant Jones Lang La Salle.
This may lead to the resumption of previously abandoned
projects, the property experts said.
Less than twenty percent of the city’s office space is
currently vacant, compared to the peak vacancy rate of a third.
Seven office buildings now under construction are
projected to add 240,000 square metres to the city’s office space within
the next year. There is currently 7.2 million square metres of office space
available in Bangkok, according to the Jones Lang La Salle report.
As the market for office space rental picks up, there are
incentives for developers to start new building projects, the chief
researcher at Jones Lang La Salle, Benjawan Lueprayoon told TNA.
At present, top grade office space in Bangkok’s central
business district can fetch as much as 540 to 640 baht per square metre per
month.
In the next two years, due to limited supply and growing
demand, the rate could soar to as high as 800 baht per square metre, Ms.
Benjawan said. (TNA)
Finance minister lays out poverty eradication plan
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Somkid
Jatusriphitak presented government policy for helping eradicate poverty
through the Agriculture Bank and Agricultural Union system at a conference
at Ambassador City Hotel Jomtien on April 30.
Warathep Rattanakorn, deputy minister of finance and
president of the Agriculture Bank and Agricultural Union, Theeraphong
Tangtheerasunan, director of the Agriculture Bank and Agricultural Union,
and Chonburi MPs Wittaya Khunplome and Chanyuth Hengtrakul, participated in
the meeting, designed to inform the 1,200 Agriculture Bank administrators
about the policy.
Somkid said the four-year plan has been assigned to the
Agriculture Bank and Agricultural Union to support activities that include
recording data on 2.5 million impoverished farming families. This can help
solve problems directly and in a suitable way, and can help clear debts by
bringing them into the Agriculture Bank and Agricultural Union system.
He also described how the SPV project works with the beef
industry business, the aim being to have a participation of 120,000 with
five cows being distributed to each.
A marketing plan is currently being laid out. The Village
Fund will support and develop 40,000 foundations, and by 2006 the Village
Bank will have been increased to a total of 99 banks. These will be able to
disperse loans in each village of not less than 1.2 billion baht.
The community plan for land is being pursued, which will
increase the potential for OTOP products, adding at least 20 products and
installing at least one OTOP centre per sector. There are also plans to
organise 10 OTOP tourism villages and 16 other tourism locations.
The Agriculture Bank and Agricultural Union aims more
than to just give loans, the conference was told. The intention is to
resolve the problem of poverty in the country, especially for those in
agriculture, one of the main resources of the country. Setting down a
correct system so that the plan becomes effective is projected to take four
years.
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