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Thailand’s textile and garment exports expected to surge this year
The Commerce Ministry projects that Thailand’s exports
of textiles and garments will almost double to US$7.5 billion this year, led
by the shipment of ready-to-wear clothes.
Presiding over the 2005 Fashion and Leather Trade Fair
held September 28-October 2 at the Bangkok International Trade Exhibition
Center (BITEC), Deputy Commerce Minister Preecha Laohapongchana said that
the joint development of fashion and textile products from upstream to
downstream items had created two million jobs.
The ministry expects that the textile and garment exports
this year will increase from US$4.6 billion to US$7.5 billion, with shipment
of the ready-to-wear clothes enjoying a growth of 48 percent. Main
destinations include the United States, European Union, and Japan.
The ministry also sets an export target for leather
products to reach US$1.53 billion, led by the shipment of sports footwear
with a value of US$450 million.
Preecha said the ministry has also planned to encourage
outsourcing, designing, and branding of Thai products so that they can gain
more recognition on the world market. (TNA)
Thailand to host APEC meeting on ‘clean’ fossil energy
Thailand has been selected to host the 13th APEC Clean
Fossil Energy Technical and Policy Seminar 2005 in its northern province of
Lampang in December.
The meeting’s goal is to build confidence in using coal
to produce electricity without negative side effects on the environment.
Sahai Rakyao, senior executive vice president - fuel of
EGAT Public Company Limited said on Tuesday that the seminar would be held
from December 7 - 9.
Several new applications using modern technology for coal
by-products will be introduced to Thailand. Some so-called ‘cutting
edge’ technologies which may attract interest here include gasification -
or the processing of coal into a compressed gas form to be used as fuel for
electricity production.
Sahai said the meeting would give participants the
opportunity to see how such new technologies could be a practical part of
the nation’s alternative to manufacturing electricity.
Energy representatives from 21 member economies of the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) will attend the event. They include
Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia,
Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Papua New
Guinea, Russia, Singapore, the US, Vietnam and Thailand.
The last meeting was held in Cebu City of Philippines in
January 2005. (TNA)
New ministerial regulation to control on-line games
The cabinet has approved an Interior Ministry proposal
on drafting a new ministerial regulation to control
computer on-line games, aiming to solve problems caused by children’s
addiction to the electronic games.
Government Spokesman Surapong Suebwonglee said after
Tuesday’s cabinet weekly meeting that Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu
Krea-Ngam, as a law expert, has been assigned by the cabinet to supervise
the drafting of the regulation, which is to provide strict and integrated
measures in solving the on-line games-related problems.
“The measures include registration of Internet cafes or
on-line game shops, otherwise they cannot provide services,” he told
journalists here.
Dr. Suraponng said that the proposed ministerial
regulation would be used as a legal tool to control a wide range of computer
materials in various forms, including video games, laser discs, digital
radio discs, CD- ROMs, hard discs, and similar others that are easily
accessible to children who tend to be addicted to them.
Many studies suggest that playing a lot of video or
on-line games causes adverse effects to children, especially to their
physical, mental and emotional health. In some cases, violence in the games
has lead to children’s aggressive behavior.
The government spokesman said that Wissanu would soon
call a meeting of experts from agencies concerned, namely the Interior,
Culture, and Information and Communication Technology Ministries to
brainstorm in drafting the regulation, and then submit it to the Office of
the Council of State for a quick revision.
“It is believed that the new regulation will be an
effective measure that can solve children’s addiction to on-line games.
It’s a serious problem in our society now,” he told journalists.
“Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra told the cabinet
that when he visited people in various areas he had heard lots of parents
complain about their kids’ addiction to on-line games; so the prime
minister instructed the Interior Ministry to find solutions to the
problem’, said the government spokesman. (TNA)
IMF praises Thailand for efficient supervision of monetary policy
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has praised
Thailand for its efficient supervision of the monetary policy, but suggested
that the Bank of Thailand (BOT) limit its intervention in the international
currency market.
The Fiscal Policy Office (FPO) reported on Monday that
IMF’s Managing Director Rodrigo de Rato and a team of executives met Thai
Finance Minister Thanong Bidaya, advisor to the Finance Minister Veerapongse
Ramangkura, and FPO’s Director-General Naris Chaiyasoot at the IMF’s
headquarters in the United States.
The IMF chief expressed his admiration for Thailand’s
economic management policy, particularly the monetary policy that could
contain inflationary pressure efficiently, and the appropriate currency
exchange rate policy.
However, he suggested that the Thai central bank limit
its intervention in the international currency market. Simultaneously, the
Thai finance minister assured the IMF that the Thai economic fundamental
remains strong. Although the country experienced many negative factors in
the first half of this year, he said, economic figures, particularly on
trade, were still satisfactory.
Additionally, fuel consumption has begun to decline and
the government has allowed local oil prices to float and has strictly coped
with oil hoarding while encouraging people to use alternative fuel.
The state-supported mega infrastructure projects began to
have a clear picture with the government determined to maintain the fiscal
discipline by limiting public debts to less than 50 percent of the
country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and put the current account deficit
under 2.5 percent of GDP, said Thanong.
Given these factors, he believed, the Thai economy would
enjoy steady and sustainable growth. (TNA)
Foreign firms welcomed to invest in Thailand’s mega projects
The Thai government welcomes foreign contractors to bid
for its mega projects worth a total of around Bt 1.7 trillion, according to
Transport Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal.
Pongsak told journalists that the government would invite
foreign firms to bid for the mega infrastructure projects, particularly
those from China, which has agreed on barter trade with Thailand.
He said the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) had already
signed a barter trade deal with its Chinese counterpart, in which Thai farm
products would be exchanged for seven Chinese locomotives. “The details of
the deal will soon be concluded by the agencies involved,” he noted.
Chinese investors are also interested in bidding for a
construction project for the new Chiang Saen Port north of Thailand,
according to Pongsak.
“The Thai government actually welcomes investors from
every country with accepted standards and qualifications to bid for the mega
infrastructure projects which are planned for the next five to six years.
This will ensure the efficiency of the government’s immense investment,”
the minister said. (TNA)
Public invited to change old coins
and notes for new two-baht coins
The general public is invited to bring in banknotes or
coins to change for new two-baht coins, starting from September 26,
according to the Treasury Department.
The department’s Director-General Wisudhi Srisuphan,
announced that the general public could change old currency for the new
two-baht coins at the Treasury Department in Bangkok, as well as at its
provincial offices or local financial offices throughout the country.
Wisudhi said that following a cabinet directive, 400
million of the new coins were minted.
“The introduction of the new coins is aimed at creating
a balance of coins circulated in the Thai economy,” he added.
Previously, only one-baht and five-baht coins were mostly
used, pushing up their costs of production, particularly those of the
one-baht coins which have been used almost two-thirds of the coins in
circulation.
The government will promote the use of the new two-baht
coins starting the next 2006 fiscal year, which begins on October 1.
Wisudhi said he believed the introduction of the new
coins would not spur inflation, as some had feared.
The new two-baht coins weigh 4.4 grams each with 21.75 mm
in diameter, and are made from nickel-coated white steel. Each coin has a
dotted line at an outer ring near its edge to distinguish it from the
similar one-baht coin.
Private firms were expected to modify their automatic
machines to accept the new coins within the next three to four months. (TNA)
AOT’s decision to call off contract signing bewilders TOT
TOT Public Company Limited (TOT)’s President Theeravit
Jaruwat conceded on Tuesday that he was bewildered by an abrupt decision by
Airport of Thailand Public Co., Ltd. (AOT) to postpone the signing of an
agreement on installation of the phone and telecommunication system in the
Suvarnabhumi Airport.
TOT organized a grand contract-signing ceremony Tuesday
evening at a hotel’s ballroom and invited around 200 guests to witness it.
But the function ended prematurely as AOT bewildered TOT’s executives and
guests by postponing the contract signing abruptly. Theerawit said he
neither knew why AOT decided to do that, nor thought it was caused by a
problem in significant content in the contract as claimed by AOT because
both sides had negotiated smoothly all along. He believed AOT needed to
postpone the ceremony since it was not ready to do that.
On news reports that other phone operators would also be
allowed to install the system at the Suvarnabhumi Airport, Theeravit said it
was inappropriate and not worth the investment.
It would be considered a duplicated investment because
TOT has already installed a network worth Bt. 1.3 billion to accommodate
100,000 phone numbers and serve the demand for up to a decade.
The numbers exceed the demand by double, he said, adding
that competition deserved support, but the stability must be taken into
account as well.
Theerawit insisted that TOT would not allow other
operators to rent the outer network laid completely around the airport by
the company.
He said TOT would continue to stick to the existing
contract under which the company is a single operator assigned to provide
services.
Should other operators want to join, it has to inform the
company to avoid duplicated installation of fiber optics. (TNA)
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