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Is the Boom Over?
PMTV Exclusive Interview
An exclusive interview conducted by Tony Malhotra (right)
for Pattaya Mail on TV (PMTV) with Paisan Bundityanond, Clayton Wade and
Supap Wade about the upcoming Pattaya Real Estate Seminar to be held on
Friday, February 9 at Jomtien Palm Beach Hotel & Resort in Pattaya, was
broadcast on PMTV last Wednesday.
If you missed it, you can still watch it on Monday February 5, only on PMTV!
PMTV is broadcast on 4 cable TV stations on the Eastern Seaboard, Sophon
Cable TV in Pattaya, Jomtien Cable TV, Sattahip Cable TV and Chonburi Cable
TV.
Thai FDA to lift alcohol ad ban next month
Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration will revoke its order
totally banning the advertising of alcoholic beverages next month, FDA
secretary-general Siriwat Tiptaradol said last Wednesday.
The FDA’s move is to comply with the recent Cabinet instruction that the state
agency must act according to the Council of State’s resolution that the FDA had
no authority to impose the ban.
In November last year, the Ministry of Public Health proposed a total 24-hour
ban on all forms of advertising for beer, wine or hard liquor on TV, radio and
print ads through a regulation issued by the FDA. But the proposed order, which
was due to take effect on December 3, 2006, hit a major snag when the Council of
State invalidated it, arguing that the FDA did not have authority to do so in
the first instance.
The FDA-issued ban has prompted a fierce protest on the part of Thailand’s giant
breweries, as well as liquor importers and distributors, while the ban
supporters have pressed the interim government to use its power to help it pass
objections.
Even though it stood firm backing the ban at the beginning, the Cabinet in its
recent meeting resolved in favour of the Council of State.
Dr. Siriwat said the FDA board will meet early February to consider officially
lifting the ban.
Asked about the next move the FDA will take to control advertising for alcoholic
beverages, the FDA chief said he did not think any agencies would like to carry
forward this issue. It must be held on until a new alcohol control bill is
enacted and enforced.
Regarding the suggested possibility of instructing the Public Relations
Department to extend the hours for an alcohol ad ban on TV from the 10pm-5am at
present to a longer period, Dr. Sirawat said that a further order needed to be
issued, which would cause more difficulty. He also noted that it appeared that
the liquor industry is powerful enough to hinder any attempt to ban alcohol ads.
(TNA)
Foreign investors still wary
of proposed revisions
to investment laws
The Thai government’s assurances that the nation was not retreating from the
global economy, despite planned revisions to investment laws, was received
with caution by foreign business executives last week.
There remains concern that the draft legislation unveiled by the government
earlier last month could force some multinational companies to reduce their
Thai holdings.
Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont told a gathering of about 700 diplomats and
members of the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce in Thailand (JFCCT) last
Wednesday that the revisions to foreign ownership laws should not be cast as
an act of de-liberalisation.
He said it was a legal and technical adjustment, rather than any change of
Thailand’s overall direction.
After the talk, both the prime minister and his senior economic ministers
who accompanied him were bombarded with questions, mostly about the new
foreign business laws and the problems at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Commerce Minister Kirkkrai Jirapaet insisted the new proposed rules did not
stem from “hostility or antagonism” to foreign investors, but were drafted
for the sake of “clarity, fairness and good governance”.
Until now, Thai law had allowed foreigners to hold nominal interest of no
more than 50 per cent but exercise majority voting rights through local
nominees. But the amendments approved by the Cabinet on Jan 9 would place
new restrictions on overseas investments in companies and the use of local
nominees to circumvent limits. Foreign investors and their nominees would be
required to reduce their excess holdings within two years and one year,
respectively.
Peter van Haren, JFCCT chairman, welcomed the government’s assurances, but
added that he was not sure if the proposed new foreign business law would be
compliant with the World Trade Organization’s rules.
He said his organization would carefully study the new proposed rules and
put together a list of recommendations to be submitted to the prime minister
and his economic ministers within the next two weeks. (TNA)
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