German Industry prefers the Eastern Seaboard

German Ambassador presides at German Business Lunch

by Elfi Seitz

The Eastern Seaboard German Speaking Business Club meets regularly every month for lunch at Royal Wing’s Benjarong Restaurant. This club was initiated by renowned international journalist, Christel Pilz approximately 2 1/2 years ago. “It is not a club in the true sense of word,” Christel explains, “Since we have no president, no board, no organizing committee and no statutes. This circle of business people represents German language countries here at the Eastern Seaboard and meet on invitation only.”

German Ambassador to Thailand, HE Andreas von Stechow (center) and the Eastern Seaboard German Speaking Business Club

To make it more colorful, the spouses of those business people are welcome to join and guest speakers with interesting topics are invited. Even though it is a business lunch, there is definitely nothing stiff about it. The guests may ask questions of the speaker during the speech and, since lunch is served at the same time, “everybody gets accustomed to speaking with a full mouth,” Christel added with tongue in cheek.

Recently the guest speaker was none other than the German Ambassador to Thailand, His Excellency, Andreas von Stechow. Only appointed a short time ago to his post in Bangkok, he was the economic attach้ in Japan for many years and after that in Berlin, he was more than predestined to be the guest speaker for this group. His topics covered world trade and economy, especially its situation in Asia and Thailand, about the expanding of the bilateral trade between Germany and Thailand and the German participation in the fight against terrorism. He also announced that the founding of a high-ranking German-Thai trade group was agreed 3 1/2 weeks ago. The formal foundation, by the Federal Minister of Economy, Dr. Muller, will be held in January in Bangkok. This new group is expected to work hand in hand with the already existing infrastructure group.

The floor’s reaction to the ambassador’s explanations was filled with interest and enthusiasm. Walter Kretschmar of TGI (Thai-German-Institute) thanked the ambassador in the name of the group. He than offered, in co-operation with Hans Dieter Westphal, managing director of Rieckermann and Dr. Paschalis, vice president of TPI, to organize a 1/2 day seminar for interested business people, to talk, in a constructive way, about the programs of the German government.

At the following discussion, many of the distinguished business people agreed that the Eastern Seaboard is becoming more important to German industry, if not more important than Bangkok right now, and, as the ambassador pointed out, with Pattaya playing a big role in this area.

World Thread Ltd. has signed to lease a ready built factory from Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate (Rayong) developed by Hemaraj Land and Development PLC. The new Japanese joint venture will produce polyester filament yarn (thread). Shown exchanging the contract are Kazuo Sugita (right) from World Thread Ltd.’s parent company Daikoku Limited (Japan), and David Nardone (left) Hemaraj’s president.