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Gov’t delays amending environment act
Waits for panel resolution on Maptaput
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Thursday that the government
decided to delay the amendment of the 1992 Environment Promotion and
Preservation Act, waiting for a result from the four party panel set up to
resolve the Maptaput Industrial Estate’s problems.
Meanwhile, former prime minister Anand Panyarachun, chairman of the panel,
told reporters after its first meeting Thursday that it will try to settle
the problem overall within 4-5 months and expects to have urgent short-term
measures in 4-5 weeks.
Comprised of representatives of four parties, the committee includes
government, private, and public sectors and specialized experts with four
representatives each.
Anand said that the panel would not indicate which parties are right or
wrong in the controversies, but its main task is to focus on the facts
mission and have the parties exchange opinions. The panel seeks a solution
allowing coexistence and ending the conflict between local communities and
factories, not to identify winners or losers.
The panel chair said he expected to determine short-term measures to help 76
industrial projects impacted by the court ruling within 4-5 weeks and find
an overall long term solution to help other projects in industrial estates
which may face similar environmental legal action.
The committee agreed to meet twice weekly, on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Members will visit Maptaput on December 5-6 to register more information.
The panel will meet at the site on December 6.
PM Abhisit said the government did not want to be seen as rushing to amend
the act so it moved to hold the plan until the next session of Parliament in
order to wait for the four-party committee come up with its solutions.
The draft amendment establishing an independent agency to scrutinize
investment projects was approved by the Cabinet on October 13. The House of
Representatives was due to deliberate the legislation Wednesday.
The Central Administrative Court in September ordered 76 industrial projects
in the Maptaput industrial estate in the Eastern Seaboard province of Rayong
to temporarily halt operations amid continuing concern about critical
environmental and health impacts.
The court’s decision came after the Stop Global Warming Association and 43
local residents living near the estate filed suit with the court in August
seeking an emergency hearing and an injunction to suspend all projects at
Maptaput.
Local residents claimed that license approvals for industrial projects there
were not in accord with Article 67 of Thailand’s Constitution and that it
would benefit investors doing business in the pollution control zone.
(TNA)
Thai exports’ decline
improves in October
Thai exports in October shrank three percent year-on-year, a
slower decline than the 8.53 percent year-on-year fall in September due to an
increased volume of several exported items including rice, cassava and shrimp
products, said Thai Commerce Minister Pornthiva Nakasai.
Due to improving major export markets and new markets, Thai exports in the first
ten months, worth US$124 billion, contracted 19.6 percent.
Gold exports in September worth $1 billion dropped by 50 percent to $500 million
owing to fluctuations in gold speculation. Imports in October, accounting for
$13 billion contracted 17.5 percent, but were used to produce exports.
Increased imports of auto parts, fuel and capital goods in October were applied
to the production of exports, Pornthiva said.
Imports in the first ten months of this year, worth $1.6 billion, contracted
31.2 percent.
Thailand enjoyed a trade surplus of $1.7 billion in October and $17 billion in
the first ten months.
The commerce minister also said although the appreciation of the Thai baht at 33
baht to a dollar on average was an obstacle to Thai exports, agencies concerned
have tried to maintain baht stabilization to prevent fluctuation that can cause
problem on Thai exporters.
Economies of several countries which are key markets, such as the US, the
European Union and Southeast Asia, have recovered with more orders for Thai
goods.
It is expected that exports in the last two months of this year will turn
positive 5 to 10 percent each month on average, leading to 2009 exports
contracting by 13-15 percent, or $154 billion.
The ministry is confident that the country will enjoy a trade surplus of $15
billion this year.
The Department of Export Promotion (DEP) is adjusting structures and strategies
and the 2010 export plan is expected to be cleared in mid-December. Thailand has
continued to receive more orders thanks to the recovery of main markets.
It is expected that exports in 2010 will grow by 10-15 percent or $160 billion
based on the assumptions that the Thai baht stays at 33 against the dollar and
that domestic politics stabilize. (TNA)
Thailand’s unemployment drops steadily
to 1.1% in November
Reflecting the current sluggish economy in Thailand, the
unemployment rate in September dropped to 1.2 percent with signs
that it will dwindle further to 1.1 percent in November,
according to an announcement released by the Labor Ministry’s
Employment Department.
The announcement said more than 280,000 persons were unemployed
during the first ten months this year.
It said the number of unemployed who had registered and sought
government assistance had also fallen sharply after soaring to a
record high in February at 101,939 following the economic
slowdown last October to only 47,836 persons in September.
Meanwhile, the National Statistics Office (NSO) said the number
of employed in September this year rose by about 610,000
compared to the same period of last year, or an increase of 1.6
percent.
The NSO said jobless people at end-September stood at 460,000,
up approximately 30,000 year-on-year and an increase of about
10,000 from August.
According to NSO, unemployment in the Northeast topped the list
with about 130,000 persons followed by the Central 120,000;
90,000 in the North, 70,000 in the South and 50,000 in Bangkok.
(TNA)
Air Berlin increases profits
Press release
In the third quarter of 2009, Air Berlin PLC increased its net profit to
€95.2 million, an increase of 111 percent over the previous year’s quarter.
Despite a challenging economic environment, operating profit improved by 33.5
percent to €118 million. Revenue decreased by 8.2 percent to €974 million, due
to targeted capacity adjustments based on lower demand.
As Joachim Hunold, CEO of Air Berlin stated, “Air Berlin is one of the few
airline companies that was able to improve profit in the third quarter of 2009.”
The “Jump” efficiency improvement program introduced in 2008 and consistently
adhered to in 2009 contributed significantly to the good results obtained in the
third quarter. Although the number of passengers transported decreased slightly
to 8.3 million (-4.1 percent) as a result of the financial and economic crisis,
Air Berlin’s capacity adjustments enabled the company to counter the effects of
this decrease and show a good performance. This is all the more remarkable in
that the third quarter results were burdened by three days of strike.
Furthermore, the bomb attack on the island of Majorca in July and the discussion
surrounding the swine flu temporarily dampened demand for this destination.
Revenue per passenger kilometer increased from 7.65 to 8.24 eurocents, an
increase of 7.7 percent. EBITDAR (Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation,
amortization and leasing expenses) for the quarter under review reached €228.7
million (Q3/2008: €209 million). EBIT (Earnings before interest and taxes)
increased by 33.5 percent to €118 million (Q3/2008: €88.4 million). The
financial results have been affected by proceeds from payments on a convertible
bond, amounting to approximately €20 million.
Furthermore, foreign exchange losses were lower than in 2008. As a result, the
financial results significantly improved from - €15 million in 2008 to €3.2
million. Net profit for the third quarter of 2009 reached €95.2 million
(Q3/2008: €45.1 million). The previous year’s figures have been restated in
accordance with valuation changes under IFRIC 13 (“Customer Loyalty
Programmes”).
The accumulated earnings for the first nine months of 2009 developed in a
positive manner. For the period from January to September 2009, EBITDAR
increased by 2.6 percent to €390.7 million. At the end of the third quarter
2009, EBIT improved by 49.4 percent to €48.3 million. The decrease in leasing
expenses is one of the reasons for this improvement. Whereas net profit for the
first nine months of 2008 amounted to € -7.1 million, net profit rose to €13.8
million (+294 percent) for the 2009 period under review. For the first nine
months of 2009, the number of passengers welcomed on board decreased by 5.1
percent to 21 million. Capacity utilization decreased by 1.3 percentage points
to 77.9 percent, due to the capacity adjustment.
In the first nine months of 2009, Air Berlin’s balance sheet structure improved
in a sustainable manner. Equity increased from 15 to 22 percent and liquidity
improved from 11 to 18 percent. The improvement in liquidity stems from
operations as well as from the implemented capital measures. The capital
increase, the placement of a new convertible bond and the partial redemption of
an existing convertible bond have resulted in a considerable decrease in net
indebtedness. From the beginning of January to the end of September 2009, net
indebtedness decreased from €762 million to €548 million. Thus, the promise to
lower net indebtedness to €600 million by the end of the year has already been
more than fulfilled.
On the occasion of the presentation of the quarterly figures, Joachim Hunold,
CEO of Air Berlin, stated in Berlin on Thursday, “We are more than pleased with
the results. Despite the generally difficult economic environment, we have
delivered attractive figures to our shareholders. We continue to expect a
positive operating income for 2009.”
Nevertheless, it is still too early to make a forecast for the year 2010, due to
the persistently challenging economic situation.
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