Silom Road closes for stint as walking street; 55 shops participate

A stretch of Silom Road, in the heart of the Thai capital’s business district, is closed to traffic Sunday from 10am to midnight to allow people to freely wander and shop in the area.

More than 100,000 people are expected to roam the usually busy road as the stretch of it between the Sala Daeng intersection in front of the Dusit Thani Hotel and Narathiwat Rajanakarin intersection closed to traffic during the period for a distance of two kilometres.

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New campaign brings researchers and entrepreneurs together

Technology Management Center (TMC) announces the Lab to Market (L2M) project to support the conversion of technological ideas into products.

Ms Chachanart Thebtaranonth, Executive Director of TMC, said that most of the ideas and inventions created reached a dead end when the research was finished to a certain point. This project will help create funds from our ideas to further fuel our research.

The 3rd Food Festrival and SME Market by Thailand Post starts today

Keiwa Fes Photo form Flickr.com

Thailand Post invited citizens to the 3rd Food Festival and SME market which starts today until 4 December 2009.

Mrs Parisa Pananond, Corporate and Marketing Communications Manager of Thailand Post, said the project had been launched in cooperation with the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion and the Ministry of Industry in a bid to distribute income within the community as well as promoting the SME business’s market strategies.

A number of food stands from across the country have been set up at the event as well as other SME booths and other consumer products. All products have been certified by the Thai Industrial Standard Institute (TISI) Ministry of Industry and can be ordered by post.

Visitor can directly purchase quality products at the Thailand Post Changwattana office from today until 4 December 2009. (NNT)

Airline business booms in Phuket

Photo: skyscrapercity.com

Following the plan by public and private agencies to enlarge Phuket International Airport, Thailand’s second largest airport after Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi, for passenger comfort and improved facilities, the airline business is showing every sign of going well, especially when a number of air carriers are moving forward with their proactive marketing strategies for the upcoming tourism season of the Andaman coastline.

Thai AirAsia, the Thai subsidiary of Malaysia-based low-cost carrier AirAsia, has designated Phuket as its second hub linking the new routes flying from and to the province, while it has launched additional charter flights servicing Phuket–Hong Kong, Phuket–Singapore, and Phuket–Indonesia’s Medan routes.

Fashion for export: Thai-made Muslim costumes go international

Muslim Fashion Project: Flickr.com

How could a decent economy bring stability to local residents in Thailand’s far South when the ongoing southern insurgency continues? The violence that erupted in early 2004 and has continued since has left thousands of people dead in its wake and has severely affected daily life of many of the locals who see their incomes sharply depleted.

Muslim apparel and costume accessories made by villagers in the southern border provinces are one of the incentives that government-related agencies have been trying to push forward to compete in international markets so as to improve the quality of life of local residents.

Members of local dressmaking groups have been trained to improve their skills in designing, tailoring, lacing and embroidering Muslim clothing, thanks to the Industrial Promotion Department’s Industrial Development Project for Muslim Costume Products in Thailand’s Five Southernmost Provinces.

Dubai economic collapse has little impact on Thailand economy

The Business Bay Executive Towers in Dubai Metropolis: Flickr.com

Dubai economic fallout would not affect trading between Thailand and Dubai, according to the Director of the Center for Economic and Business Forecasting (CEBF) of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Thanavath Phonvichai.

Mr Thanavath stated that the case of the Dubai World, the main investment company in Dubai,which requested the rescheduling of payments of US$59 billion (2.1 trillion baht) in debts last Friday had to be closely monitored during these two weeks although a clear process had been announced by Dubai government. However, he also said that the situation would depend on the central government of United Arab Emirates (UAE), adding the rescheduling of debt payment could affect the world stock market and gold price worldwide. Additionally, he believed that a clearer operation would bring back a normal situation in Dubai and global countries.

UK interests financial services in Thailand

Photo : Flickr.com

The United Kingdom has shown interest in investing in Thailand‘s financial service as satisfactory figures on export and tourism sectors have been reported.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, along with Lord Charles Powell of Bayswater and Mr Quinton Quayle, British Ambassador to Thailand, discussed economic issues in Thailand and the UK and deemed that both countries are going through a good recovery.

Mr Abhisit stated that the government has expressed interest to promote the investment of Thailand by establishing the One Start One Stop (OSOS) investment center to facilitate and provide investment services to all investors in Thailand.

Bangkok´s Mandarin Oriental Hotel voted best hotel for the second year

Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Thailand: Flickr.com

Finance Asia readers have voted Bangkok’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Singapore Airlines as the best in their sectors in an annual Asian business travel survey.

The online survey was conducted on 462 Hong Kong-based readers, with the result published in the November issue. The Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, Thailand, was voted the region’s top hotel for the second year in a row. The second best went to the Four Seasons in Hong Kong and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in the same city. For the airline sector, Singapore Airlines, which regularly wins people’s choice awards won the best business and first class service. But for long-haul flights to New York and London, Cathay Pacific emerged as the readers’ favorite.

Thailand and Poland to jointly expand trade

The Acting Director-General of the Department of Export Promotion (DEP) indicated that Thailand and Poland are promoting bilateral trade expansion by making Thailand as the gateway for Polish products to be distributed throughout Asia.

Acting Director-General of DEP, Srirat Ratthapana, said after a discussion between Thailand and Poland that there was room for trade expansion between the two countries. Both sides agreed to have a joint investment in diverse aspects to add value to trade. Poland was particularly interested to make Thailand the production base and gateway to distribute products to other markets in Asia.

Thailand and southern China strengthens economic partnership

Kunming Communist Party Secretary, Mr Qiu He and the permanent committee of Yunnan Communist Party of China yesterday paid courtesy calls to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva at Government House. The visit was aimed to strengthen trade and investment relations between Thailand and China as well as China and all ASEAN countries.

China values Thailand as the country’s economic partner, according to Mr Qiu He. Thailand-China were praised for their bilateral relations. Mr Abhisit stated that the Thai government has a plan to extend economic relations with China. The plan specifically focuses on manipulating one- on-one province relationships. The government has also considered setting up a group of Thai representatives in Guangdong to enhance both countries’ problem-solving cooperation.