|
Baht rise costs industrial sector Bt100bn in revenue from exports
The
Thai industrial sector has lost revenue of around 100 billion baht from
exports since the baht appreciated early last year, according to the
Federation of Thai Industries.
FTI’s Chairman Santi Vilassakdanont said the baht had strengthened
continuously to around 36 to the US dollar now - from 41 to the dollar
earlier in 2006.
 The FTI estimated the continued appreciation of the currency had made the
industrial sector lose billions of baht of revenue from exports. The final
figures on the impact of the baht’s rise are expected to be released this
month.
Meanwhile, the FTI is in the process of submitting questionnaires to members
of the 35 industrial clubs nationwide to ascertain how much they have been
affected. Mr. Santi conceded that not all of the operators in the industrial
sector had suffered from the baht’s appreciation.
Most of the industries adversely affected are the ones who count on local
raw materials for production. They include operators in food and textile
industries. Not only have they experienced higher costs of production this
year but they have also had to compete with key rivals in the region such as
China and Vietnam.
Some industries have emerged largely untouched however. In the main, these
are enterprises who import raw materials for production and include
manufacturers of electronics and certain sectors of the electrical appliance
industries. (TNA)
Thailand cooperates with neighbouring Laos to boost trade
Thailand and Laos have drawn up a plan to triple the trade
value between the two countries to reach US$4.5 billion by 2010.
Thailand deputy director-general of Trade Negotiations Chana Kanaratanadilok
said at the first Thai-Lao meeting on a joint economic cooperation plan December
27-28, that the two countries have set a target to double the value of their
trade to US$3 billion in 2008 and US$4.5 billion in 2010.
Mutual trade reached US$1.5 billion in 2006. Thai exports to Laos were valued at
US$1 billion with the imports from Laos worth US$500 million, he said.
According to Chana, the two countries will push forward cooperation in
investments including contracts for commercial farming projects and future
agricultural markets. Agricultural product processing factories will be built in
a special economic zone in Laos and facilities will be built along the road
connecting the two countries through the second Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge.
The bridge linking Thailand’s northeastern province of Mukdahan with Savannakhet
in southern Laos was officially opened on December 20.
Thailand and Laos will develop customs service and transportation. They plan to
set up the “Single Stop Inspection” service at borders where busy markets are
located.
Thailand will help develop Lao local goods and support Lao producers to
participate in the international expos organised in Thailand.
The two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) last Wednesday to
cooperate in many fields including the development of alternative energy from
farming products. (TNA)
Future Don Muang Airport plan finalised
Don Muang Airport, recently decommissioned as Thailand’s
primary international airport, will be turned into a regional aircraft
maintenance and civil aviation training center, according to an official
responsible for drawing up a development plan for Bangkok’s former international
airport.
Boonrit Saowaprurk, director of the Civil Aviation Training Center, said that
the plan would see Don Muang Airport emerge as the region’s aircraft maintenance
hub within the next four years, rivalling Singapore. It hopes to gain up to a
quarter of the market, sharing Bt.5 billion revenue (US$138.8 million).
If the plan is approved by the transport ministry, Mr. Boonrit said, work would
start immediately on the south of the runways to build a large aircraft
maintenance facility. This would involve an investment outlay of Bt.600-700
million (US$19 million).
He expressed confidence that with Thailand’s central Southeast Asian location,
the new facility would win over businesses from Singapore, currently the
regional hub for the commercial aircraft maintenance business.
“Globally, aircraft servicing is worth over Bt.500 billion. Singapore currently
has about a fifth of that market. If we can share about a quarter of that, it
would be worth Bt.25 billion (US$694 million),” Mr. Boonrit told reporters.
According to the plan, the domestic terminal would be developed into a civil
aviation training center while the two international terminals would be left
unchanged in case the government decided to make use of the retired airport in
the future.
In October, a month after commercial flights moved to Suvarnabhumi Airport, the
National Economic and Social Advisory Council suggested that Don Muang Airport
could further serve the aviation industry, including being a locus for chartered
flights and that the airport could become an aircraft maintenance centre for
Thailand and as a hub for providing spare aircraft parts.
Aviation Department director-general Chaisak Angkasuwan earlier rejected a plea
by budget air carriers to return their operations to Don Muang, saying that the
move would double the overhead expenses in keeping both airports in operation
simultaneously.
The region’s low-cost airlines are reported to be unhappy with the higher costs
they are encountering at the new Bangkok airport, in particular the fees for
parking aircraft. (TNA)
Thailand unveils solar-powered bus
Thailand’s first solar-powered bus was announced with fanfare
last Tuesday, with developers suggesting it not only is suitable for public
transport in cities but is also noise - and pollution free.
Dr. Anond Bunyaratvej, the secretary-general of the National Research Council of
Thailand (NRCT), presided at a press conference to announce the success of
developing the country’s first solar-powered bus. Sponsored by NRCT, the
environmental friendly bus was developed by Air Marshal Morakot Charnsomruad and
his research team.
The six-wheel bus has 20 passenger seats and is seven meters in length.
Installed with 10 solar cell panels 1.5 x 0.66 meters on its roof, the cells
produce a maximum capacity of 1,200 watts, while the unit is coupled with a
6-volt battery.
Especially designed for passenger service in city zones, the vehicle has a
maximum speed of 60 km per hour, an 18,000 BTU air conditioning system, and a
radio and TV system. When there is no sunlight, a spare battery system is
installed for backup.
Marshal Morakot said that the solar bus is a research project in line with HRH
King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s initiative in energy saving and environmental
protection. While oil prices are soaring, this type of public transport is quite
suitable for city commuting, he said.
The prototype cost Bt8.5 million, Marshal Morakot said, but produced
commercially, it may cost as little as Bt 3 million. The NRCT plans to present
the success of this project to HM the King and is considering the feasibility of
putting it in full public service. (TNA)
CAT Telecom to invest in optical networks in the Indian Ocean
CAT Telecom, Thailand’s Internet regulator and sole controller of the
international gateway, said it would invest in 300 extra internet
connections via the Indian Ocean as alternatives to those in the Pacific
Ocean, following the powerful earthquake off Taiwan last week which severely
disrupted Asia’s telecom services and knocked millions of users offline.
Four of CAT’s eight optical networks had been affected by the earthquake,
causing its speed to drop by 50 per cent. The problem was expected to
continue until repairs to the undersea network were completed.
A company executive told reporters that he did not expect it to fully
normalise its operations until the end of February.
Jirachai Srichorn, vice president of CAT Telecom, told reporters that CAT
Telecom would share the maintenance costs with other members in the
submarine cable consortium. It has yet to estimate the financial losses as a
result of the damages to the undersea cable networks.
He said that users might have felt the impact of the damages more strongly,
had CAT Telecom not had alternative routes in the Indian Ocean and therefore
were able to re-route about 50% of the traffic away from damaged submarine
cables.
The cables account for about 90 per cent of total telecom services capacity,
and principally affected Thailand’s connections to Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan,
and the US.
The company has put forward a request to the Geneva-based International
Telecommunication Union, which coordinates global telecom networks and
services, to increase its Internet capacity by 600 megabits via the Indian
Ocean cable relay. (TNA)
|
