Anything & Everything About Thailand

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Friday 17 February 2006 :-

BTS chairman shown the door

Shareholders yesterday voted Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc chairman Kasem Chatikavanij from his post, paving the way for the company to enter a business-rehabilitation process.

Chief executive officer Keeree Kanjanapas told reporters after the shareholders meeting that the Skytrain operator expected to reach a deal with its creditors to restructure more than Bt40 billion in debts.

“We hope that the process can be completed within six to eight months. The company should then be ready for an initial public offering and pay dividends for the first time in March 2007. If we can’t keep that promise, I will resign,” Keeree said.

Outgoing chairman Kasem will be replaced by Paul Tong, a representative of CTF Resources Co Ltd – a Hong Kong-based company owned by New World Group, which owns a stake in BTS.

Shareholders also appointed Kin Chang as a director representing Tanayong Plc, which is owned by Keeree.

Shareholders representing 90 per cent of voting rights attended the meeting yesterday, with 70 per cent aligned against Kasem.

Keeree said that Kasem had tried hard to push the company’s debt restructuring in a direction that its creditors opposed.

“That has resulted in a long delay in the restructuring, as creditors have not yet accepted the plan. This change is necessary,” Keeree said.

He said he hopes that once the debt-restructuring deal is finalised, the company will be financially strong enough to bid for the Green Line, one of the 10 mass-transit routes the government plans to accept bids on later this year. The new route will extend the original BTS line.

Tanayong and CTF, which together control more than half of the equity of BTS, expressed displeasure at the meeting that the debt-revamp plan had yet to win creditors’ approval even though it was completed three years ago.

Keeree claimed that most shareholders were upset by the plan endorsed by Kasem, which proposed a 13-year restructuring period, after which shareholders would need to shoulder the remaining Bt27 billion in debt.

Under his plan, he said Tanayong and CTF would propose a large-scale debt-to-equity conversion to clear all debts.

The conversion should be completed and BTS should be ready to sell shares to the public by year-end.

Watcharapong Thongrung
The Nation

[U-Need]

1470 words
17 February 2006
Bangkok Post
English

In its efforts to tackle alcoholism, Thailand's Public Health Ministry has proposed new draconian steps to cut down on drinking, prompting an exasperated tourism industry to ask: When will reason prevail?

By DAVID SWARTZENTRUBER

It seems that on a weekly basis Public Health Minister Phinij Jarusombat floats new proposals to curb drinking in Thailand.

The latest suggestion - to prohibit the sale of alcohol at hotel bars and restaurants at certain times of the day - brought with it a predictable backlash from the Association of Thai Travel Agents and the Thai Hotels Association, who are demanding more public input on these "decrees".

On the face of it, the government should heed the tourist sector's request, because the new curbs smack of prohibition, which has been proven not to work. Read up on the failed Prohibition Era in the United States (1916-1933) and you will understand why.

That is why taxation and education are the tools most modern countries use, but it seems that the message has not yet reached Mr Phinij. It might be good at this point to take a step back and examine what Thailand's actual drinking problem is.

The latest figures available are the World Health Organisation's (WHO) 2004 "Global Status Report on Alcohol", which suggest that Thailand's drinking profile differs substantially from most other nations.

On page 13 of WHO's 94-page document are three lists which detail the top 20 countries in adult per capita consumption of beer, wine and spirits.

In the beer and wine categories, Thailand doesn't make a scratch; it is not among the top 20 consuming countries for those drinks. However, when it comes to spirits Thailand ranks sixth in the world, with a consumption rate of 7.13 litres of pure alcohol per person.

The countries ahead of Thailand are Dominica and Saint Lucia in the Caribbean, the Russian Federation, Reunion in the Indian Ocean, and the Republic of Moldova in Eastern Europe - heading the list with 10.94 litres of pure alcohol per capita consumed in the spirits category.

The drinking profile of more advanced countries shows that citizens consume beverages of lower alcohol content, such as beer and wine and not hard liquor. That is why Thailand's consumption profile is unique and tragic.

If this figure surprises you, it should not, as it is a mirror-image of the excise tax structure on alcoholic beverages in Thailand. When the Excise Department adjusted excise taxes on alcoholic beverages in October 2004, the tax on whiskey went up slightly, but taxes on beer and wine could not be raised as those taxes were at the highest possible level under the department's current tax structure. Thus, it is not surprising that Thais drink high-proof whiskey in large quantities - it's what they can afford.

The result is Thailand's tax on table wine is the second highest in the world, for example, and it is the world's seventh largest Scotch whiskey market, Scotch industry executives say.

Thus, the current excise tax structure encourages the consumption of beverages containing high amounts of alcohol and discourages the consumption of beverages with lower alcohol content.

This taxation system is a sure recipe for the alcoholism problem Thailand currently faces. It is actually a government-sponsored problem that goes back many years when the Thai government had a monopoly on the production of alcohol.

As the Excise Department has failed to adopt a more socially-conscious excise tax structure, it has fallen on the shoulders of the Public Health Ministry to tackle the problem.

This accounts for some of the bizarre and seemingly outlandish policies coming out of the ministry recently.

For most of last year continuing into this, the ministry has forbidden the sale of alcohol in stores or departments in stores that sell alcohol before 11am and between the hours of 2pm and 5pm. It is doubtful that this move has reduced alcoholism. The ministry has not offered any statistics that it has.

But it has caused inconvenience to shoppers and added stress to the clerks at the counter. It is totally absurd and also turns off tourists.

So what effective steps can Thailand take to combat alcoholism?

Perhaps Thailand can draw some clues from what has transpired in mainland China's most trendy city, Shanghai.

At the end of 2005, the consumption figures for alcoholic beverages in Shanghai showed a dramatic shift. For the first time in history the consumption of moderate-alcohol wine and beer topped spirits. This result is not a chance occurrence; it is a result of Chinese government policy.

In 1987, the Chinese government began urging citizens to consume more beer and wine and less spirits to reduce alcohol-related health problems. More wineries were established, now totalling 300, and excise taxes on wine, including imports, were substantially lowered. India is also following the Chinese strategy.

When the results of studies linking red wine consumption with a healthy heart reached China, wine sales really accelerated, as they also did in the United States and elsewhere.

So where is Thailand on this progressive path to better public health? It appears nowhere. Completely lost, without a clue, is the Excise Department.

About four years ago at a holiday wine tasting, this writer bumped into the then Public Health Minister, Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan.

After the traditional exchange of opening pleasantries, I told Ms Sudarat that the country's excise tax policies did not mesh with its public health goals to contain alcoholism.

She looked me in the eye and said, "You have made your point," shrugged her shoulders and then walked away. It seems even very powerful politicians are humbled by the intransigence of the Excise Department and its relationship with the liquor industry.

But Ms Sudarat is not alone; add Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to the list of politicians who have seen their power diminished by the people at Excise.

On May 28, 2005, Mr Thaksin proposed a reasonable solution to rectify the excise tax on alcoholic beverages.

During his weekly Saturday morning radio broadcast he suggested that alcoholic beverages should be taxed according to the amount of alcohol they contain - that is the "international standard", he said, and it is. That is what China has done.

In October 2005, the Excise Department trotted out its tax revision. What they did was to cobble together the traditional "ad valorem" tax (cost of production) with a coating or veneer of the international standard that has created a multi-headed monster that appears to be the worst of both systems.

The Excise spokesman who presented the new tax structure said it would "take longer" to study a more comprehensive revision of the tax method on alcoholic beverages. Most people construed that statement as bluffing on the issue.

The Excise Department had five months to heed the prime minister's words. The Excise Department's position does not serve the public interest or the health issues at stake.

What is Thailand to do?

There is a blueprint out there and it is as close as the Internet.

The United States, despite being a major tobacco producer, is generally regarded as a leader in reducing smoking rates.

In a November press release the US Centers for Disease Control indicated that the smoking rate among US adults had continued to decline, with only 20.9% of Americans describing themselves as regular puffers in 2004.

A few paragraphs later, the press release unveiled the blueprint, "Increased cigarette taxes, workplace smoking bans and state-based prevention efforts." Concise and simple.

The state-based prevention efforts are not prohibition, incidentally, but they are education. That's a big difference from Thailand's approach toward alcohol.

As that blueprint could also apply to Thailand's alcoholism issue, a child could easily see that the "black hole" in the anti-alcoholism drive in Thailand is the Excise Department, which has simply refused to join the effort in any sincere manner.

Without the cooperation of the Excise Department, Thailand will continue to be a whiskey-inebriated country and the Public Health Ministry's efforts will damage the economy but not curb alcoholism.

Unless the excise policy is re-jigged to address the problem of consumption of high-proof whiskey through taxation and education, Thailand will continue to have an ineffective grasp on the drinking issue.

Implementing the "international standard" of alcoholic beverage taxation combined with education could help Thailand get a grasp of the drinking problem and even increase tourist revenues at hotels and restaurants, rather than the prohibtionist tactics currently being proposed.

David Swartzentruber has lived in Thailand for more than six years and, in the United States, worked as a psychologist treating alcoholism and other substance abuse problems.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Friday 17 February 2006 :-

Suvarnabhumi Airport : Ready for takeoff : IT systems will provide the 'intelligence' behind the new Suvarnabhumi Airport

Sometime this year, travellers are expected to experience the largest and most advanced airport in the region, Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Located on 20,000 rai of land some 30 kilometres east of Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi Airport's technology includes an automatic baggage handling system and Airport Information Management System (AIMS) designed to support annual traffic of 45 million passengers when opened, increasing to 100 million passengers in future. The IT systems are one of the keys to dealing with such large volumes of people.

Flight and technical test-runs were conducted towards the end of last year, during which time the IT systems were also examined for both the passenger terminal and cargo area.

The Airport Information Management System alone comprises more than 40 sub-systems, of which the major ones are the Flight Information Management System (FIMS), Passenger Processing, Airport Back Office, and the Operation Centre.

The FIMS manages general information of all flights, with its database connecting to international organisations and other airports and airlines.

The FIMS system also connects to the airport operation database, the gate management system, the flight/baggage information display system, the baggage handling system, as well as government sub-systems.

The Passenger Processing comprises the common user terminal equipment (CUTE), the passenger baggage reconciliation system and the local departure control system. CUTE helps the airport to simplify travel and transportation by speeding up passenger check-in and maximizing limited resources.

The CUTE check-in system, provided by airline IT specialist SITA, offers end-to-end connectivity from host to the airport desktop and provides for flight bookings, boarding passes, barcoded luggage tags, and connecting flights.

The Airport Back Office system provides the airport authority with an administrative management system that includes automated data workflow and synchronisation, and enterprise resource planning and management.

Sanguan Treejareonwiwat, chief operating officer, government solutions, Samart Corporation, which leads the consortium of Airport Systems Integration Specialists (ASIS) that handles the AIMS operation, noted that every single system function for day-to-day operations was managed by computer - from gates, bridges and workforce to baggage belts, lounges and other facilities.

Other operation sub-systems are the Airport Operations Database (AODB), Airport Management Database (AMDB), Integration System and Web Method software running on the AIMS network.

The Web Method program integrates to other sub-systems such as air traffic control, airline host computer, official airline guide, cargo free zone, airport maintenance facility, and the Custom Free Zone.

The operation centre houses three major systems: the airport operation centre (AOC), the security control centre (SCC), and the crisis control centre (CCC).

The AOC features event handling, situation coordination and facility inspection, while the SCC handles security through CCTV monitoring, access control, building automation system, and fire detection and alarm. And in times of crisis, the CCC has information for making decisions in case of an emergency.

The supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system installed in the AOC and SCC is used as a central monitoring and control system for the water and power supply in buildings around the airport.


Testing underway
The ASIS consortium, comprising ABB Airport Technology, Siemens, Satyam, and Samart Corp, now has AIMS installed in a temporary benchmark test lab at the airport.

"The system has been in testing for two years since we won the concession," said Mr Sanguan, adding that it is already being used for training.

The project is about 90 percent complete and once the building to house the system is finished all systems will be transferred, while some functions will be moved to the passenger terminal.

Unit and integration testing have already been done, he said, noting that the system is now ready for the final operation readiness airport test. This test is overseen by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in conjuntion with the contractors.


Future technology
Two significant areas that will continue to be developed in the future are the boarding pass and the baggage tags. The present magnetic stripe boarding pass will be changed to a 2D barcode that can store more data at a cheaper price.

Now, airlines around the world are in a transition period, so Suvarnabhumi will have to wait for the readiness of the airlines, which must use the same system throughout the world.

Meanwhile, RFID tags will replace the present barcode system for better sorting of baggage.

Today, a barcode reader is attached to the baggage carousel to sort the bags, but the accuracy and speed is limited compared to RFID technology.

When RFID is used, baggage does not need to be scanned, rather the data is automatically read and transmitted using radio signals.

However, one potential problem is that the radio frequencies for each country have not been standardised and the ICAO is now working to develop a consistent system.

The problem is not a technical one, Mr Sanguan noted.


Cargo free zone
Meanwhile, another important area for IT systems is the so-called Cargo Free Zone - an area for goods not subject to tax or duties - which is operated by Thai Airport Ground Services (TAGS). The cargo free zone comprises the cargo terminal, the value added area, the import inspection building, the export inspection building, and a check in point.

The system forms part of the Airport Cargo Community System (ACCS) data centre, which TAGS has developed as a centre with internal and external links to the cargo free zone.

Supachai Keowsiri, TAGS IT director, said the ACCS system architecture is built around a server farm using dual CPUs. The system stores imported goods information sent from standard and express couriers, and connects to the agent and brokers worldwide. Other links are to the Customs, cargo terminal operators, freight forwarders, free zone operators, logistics companies, value added storage and services as well as other government agencies.

The ACCS can integrate with multiple transportation modes, including trucks, aircraft and ships, the director noted.

The cargo free zone has been designed to support 3 million metric tons of products by the year 2010, with a target to expand the capacity to 6 million tons a year in 10 years.

The sub-systems of the ACCS include the system administration management system, declaration system, FEDI and electronic payment system, cargo management system, container X-ray management program, flight information display system, management information system, database management system, and free zone information exchange.

The container X-ray management program is capable of scanning a whole container or a large size truck with no need to unseal the packages. The scanner connects the container X-ray management program directly to the ACCS system and can handle 30 trucks per hour per route.

Site integration among all the various stakeholders is expected to be completed by next month.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Friday 17 February 2006 :-

Suvarnabhumi Airport : Ready for takeoff : IT systems will provide the 'intelligence' behind the new Suvarnabhumi Airport

Sometime this year, travellers are expected to experience the largest and most advanced airport in the region, Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Located on 20,000 rai of land some 30 kilometres east of Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi Airport's technology includes an automatic baggage handling system and Airport Information Management System (AIMS) designed to support annual traffic of 45 million passengers when opened, increasing to 100 million passengers in future. The IT systems are one of the keys to dealing with such large volumes of people.

Flight and technical test-runs were conducted towards the end of last year, during which time the IT systems were also examined for both the passenger terminal and cargo area.

The Airport Information Management System alone comprises more than 40 sub-systems, of which the major ones are the Flight Information Management System (FIMS), Passenger Processing, Airport Back Office, and the Operation Centre.

The FIMS manages general information of all flights, with its database connecting to international organisations and other airports and airlines.

The FIMS system also connects to the airport operation database, the gate management system, the flight/baggage information display system, the baggage handling system, as well as government sub-systems.

The Passenger Processing comprises the common user terminal equipment (CUTE), the passenger baggage reconciliation system and the local departure control system. CUTE helps the airport to simplify travel and transportation by speeding up passenger check-in and maximizing limited resources.

The CUTE check-in system, provided by airline IT specialist SITA, offers end-to-end connectivity from host to the airport desktop and provides for flight bookings, boarding passes, barcoded luggage tags, and connecting flights.

The Airport Back Office system provides the airport authority with an administrative management system that includes automated data workflow and synchronisation, and enterprise resource planning and management.

Sanguan Treejareonwiwat, chief operating officer, government solutions, Samart Corporation, which leads the consortium of Airport Systems Integration Specialists (ASIS) that handles the AIMS operation, noted that every single system function for day-to-day operations was managed by computer - from gates, bridges and workforce to baggage belts, lounges and other facilities.

Other operation sub-systems are the Airport Operations Database (AODB), Airport Management Database (AMDB), Integration System and Web Method software running on the AIMS network.

The Web Method program integrates to other sub-systems such as air traffic control, airline host computer, official airline guide, cargo free zone, airport maintenance facility, and the Custom Free Zone.

The operation centre houses three major systems: the airport operation centre (AOC), the security control centre (SCC), and the crisis control centre (CCC).

The AOC features event handling, situation coordination and facility inspection, while the SCC handles security through CCTV monitoring, access control, building automation system, and fire detection and alarm. And in times of crisis, the CCC has information for making decisions in case of an emergency.

The supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system installed in the AOC and SCC is used as a central monitoring and control system for the water and power supply in buildings around the airport.


Testing underway
The ASIS consortium, comprising ABB Airport Technology, Siemens, Satyam, and Samart Corp, now has AIMS installed in a temporary benchmark test lab at the airport.

"The system has been in testing for two years since we won the concession," said Mr Sanguan, adding that it is already being used for training.

The project is about 90 percent complete and once the building to house the system is finished all systems will be transferred, while some functions will be moved to the passenger terminal.

Unit and integration testing have already been done, he said, noting that the system is now ready for the final operation readiness airport test. This test is overseen by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in conjuntion with the contractors.


Future technology
Two significant areas that will continue to be developed in the future are the boarding pass and the baggage tags. The present magnetic stripe boarding pass will be changed to a 2D barcode that can store more data at a cheaper price.

Now, airlines around the world are in a transition period, so Suvarnabhumi will have to wait for the readiness of the airlines, which must use the same system throughout the world.

Meanwhile, RFID tags will replace the present barcode system for better sorting of baggage.

Today, a barcode reader is attached to the baggage carousel to sort the bags, but the accuracy and speed is limited compared to RFID technology.

When RFID is used, baggage does not need to be scanned, rather the data is automatically read and transmitted using radio signals.

However, one potential problem is that the radio frequencies for each country have not been standardised and the ICAO is now working to develop a consistent system.

The problem is not a technical one, Mr Sanguan noted.


Cargo free zone
Meanwhile, another important area for IT systems is the so-called Cargo Free Zone - an area for goods not subject to tax or duties - which is operated by Thai Airport Ground Services (TAGS). The cargo free zone comprises the cargo terminal, the value added area, the import inspection building, the export inspection building, and a check in point.

The system forms part of the Airport Cargo Community System (ACCS) data centre, which TAGS has developed as a centre with internal and external links to the cargo free zone.

Supachai Keowsiri, TAGS IT director, said the ACCS system architecture is built around a server farm using dual CPUs. The system stores imported goods information sent from standard and express couriers, and connects to the agent and brokers worldwide. Other links are to the Customs, cargo terminal operators, freight forwarders, free zone operators, logistics companies, value added storage and services as well as other government agencies.

The ACCS can integrate with multiple transportation modes, including trucks, aircraft and ships, the director noted.

The cargo free zone has been designed to support 3 million metric tons of products by the year 2010, with a target to expand the capacity to 6 million tons a year in 10 years.

The sub-systems of the ACCS include the system administration management system, declaration system, FEDI and electronic payment system, cargo management system, container X-ray management program, flight information display system, management information system, database management system, and free zone information exchange.

The container X-ray management program is capable of scanning a whole container or a large size truck with no need to unseal the packages. The scanner connects the container X-ray management program directly to the ACCS system and can handle 30 trucks per hour per route.

Site integration among all the various stakeholders is expected to be completed by next month.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Friday 17 February 2006 :-

AirAsia resumes expansion mode

The day after a hasty transaction allowing it to continue operating in Thailand, Thai AirAsia said it would move forward with expansion plans for its domestic and international operations.

''Now that all the shareholding issues have been sorted out, we are looking forward to focusing on operations and want to expand our services to be able to carry three million passengers this year,'' CEO Tassapon Bijleveld said yesterday.

The local unit of the Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia was asked by the Department of Civil Aviation to restructure its shareholdings to comply with Thai law, which states that any carrier operating from Thailand must be majority owned by a Thai national or entity.

Thai AirAsia had been 50% held by Shin Corp, with 49% held by AirAsia and the remaining 1% held by Mr Tassapon.Foreign ownership was an issue when Singapore's Temasek Holdings, bought a 49% stake in Shin Corp from the Shinawatra and Damapong families last month.

But on Wednesday the airline announced that investor Sittichai Veerathummnoon was taking a 51% stake in the holding firm Asia Aviation Co, with Shin taking the remaining 49%.

Mr Tassapon declined to respond to questions about whether Mr Sittichai was a proxy for Shin Corp or AirAsia. He said the new shareholder was a wealthy man who had decided to invest based on the information provided and had done so without due diligence.

''[Mr Sittichai] made the decision to invest based on the information I provided to him, and the whole thing was done in a matter of a few hours,'' Mr Tassapon said, adding that the main points were sorted out by Mr Sittichai and Boonklee Plangsiri, the director of Shin Corp and Thai AirAsia.

''Nobody is acting as anybody's proxy, he [Mr Sittichai] has the money and he's investing in a business that would yield a better return than cash in the bank,'' he said.

Mr Tassapon said that even though Temasek was the major shareholder in Shin, and therefore indirectly in Thai AirAsia, the airline was not looking for any kind co-operation with other low-cost carriers such as Jet Star Asia, which also has Temasek as a shareholder.

He added that Thai AirAsia's aim was to carry three million passengers this year against two million since its inception.

Thai AirAsia, which operates flights domestically and to international destinations such as Macau, Singapore, said it also planned to add another three aircraft to its current fleet of nine this year.

The company also plans to focus heavily on cargo this year, as its flights can carry up to two to three tonnes of cargo to various destinations.

''We aim to have at least 10-15% of our revenue derived from non-ticket sales, be it cargo, food or merchandise,'' Mr Tassapon said.

The airline is expected to launch a new promotion today offering 60,000 seats for travellers between March and May starting at 99 baht each for domestic destinations, and 199 baht for seats to Macau and Phnom Penh.

''Our load factor (passenger seat occupancy) is around 85% and this will help increase it going forward,'' he said.

He added that the airline was studying the possibility of adding more flights to Macau and Singapore.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Friday 17 February 2006 :-

Dive with the sharks in the centre of Bangkok : New attraction for Siam Ocean World

Bangkok has become one of Thailand's dive spots with the introduction by Siam Ocean World, the aquarium located underneath the Siam Paragon Shopping Centre, of a 'Dive with the Sharks' programme.

Geoff Olson, general manager of Siam Ocean World Co, said the programme was a collaboration between Planet Scuba, a Bangkok-based diving centre, and Mares, an international diving-equipment brand.

''We guarantee that divers will encounter more than 20 sharks such as ragged-tooth, leopard, ornate wobbegong and black-tipped reef sharks,'' said Mr Olson.

All divers will be covered by insurance.

The fee is 5,300 baht for experienced divers. Beginners who have dived less than 10 times are charged 6,000 baht since they need a short tune-up session before entering the shark tank, while those who have never dived are charged an extra 600 baht for complete orientation, said Robin Lloyd, director of Planet Scuba.

Thousands of tourists are expected to participate in the programme annually, said Mr Olson.

The Oceanis Australia Group, which operates Siam Ocean World, offers the same programme at its aquarium in Melbourne, Australia.

Since its launch two months ago, Siam Ocean World has attracted 370,000 visitors, 80% of whom are Thais.

Mr Lloyd believes Siam Ocean World will inspire beginner divers to seek more experience in other destinations later on. He said the Bangkok aquarium is now a unique selling point of his diving firm as it is the only diving centre that offers real diving experience in the heart of Bangkok.

Mr Lloyd's Planet Scuba also operates in Phuket, Koh Samui and Koh Tao.

''About 50 dive shops that are our retailers came to see the opening of the Dive with the Sharks programme, and they will sell diving packages at Siam Ocean World to their customers,'' said Mr Lloyd.

The programme is expected to help increase the demand for diving equipment and other diving services in the country, said Vittorio Trusso, area manager for Asia of HTM Sport, a distributor of Mares diving equipment.

Mr Trusso said Thailand was a fast-growing market for Mares, with an average annual growth rate of almost 10%, compared to 3.25% elsewhere. In Europe, which is the company's key market, the growth rate is flat.

Following the tsunami, demand for diving equipment in Thailand dropped and has just begun to recover. This year, he expects the growth of Mares sales in Thailand to be 5%, and increase to 10% again in 2007.

Thailand contributes about 3% to Mares sales worldwide, while the whole of Asia makes up 17% of its revenue.


A shark swims past diving coach David Milne and actors Chermarn "Ploy" Boonyasak and Ananda Everingham as they test out the new attraction :-
http://www.bangkokpost.com/Business/170206_bus04.jpg

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Friday 17 February 2006 :-

US firm brings smile maintenance to Siam

The spa business is booming, with body, ear, and even teeth spas cropping up everywhere.

The US-based BriteSmile Inc, which is recognised as one of the world's leading whitening systems, has joined up with Accord Corporation Co of Thailand, a distributor of imported dental equipment, to launch the first teeth-spa service in Bangkok.

Saranya Chungsuvanich, spa director at BriteSmile Whitening Spa (Thailand) Co, said the firm recently opened its first outlet in Asia and the 19th outlet in the world at Siam Paragon shopping centre.

''The shop is not a dental clinic at all, no teeth pulling or teeth filling will be seen, there will not even be the smell of medicine,'' she said.

BriteSmile offers a revolutionary breakthrough in teeth-whitening services. It gives customers a simple way to dramatically whiten their teeth with a blue-spectrum, light-based whitening process in one hour without laser.

The company charges customers about 18,000 baht for the treatment, which is expected to maintain results for an average of two years, depending on individual oral care.

BriteSmile does not only provide the teeth-whitening service, but also offers a full line of smile-maintenance products, including a 600-baht whitening toothpaste and a 600-baht alcohol-free mouthwash. Sugar-free chewing gum and branded toothbrushes will also be available in the future.

Currently, BriteSmile has more than 5,000 associated centres located throughout 60 countries in the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia.

BriteSmile sells its teeth-whitening technology to dental offices in several countries in Asia, including Singapore and Hong Kong.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Saturday 18 February 2006 :-

Chiang Mai gets a French sister

Thailand's northern resort city of Chiang Mai and France's southwestern resort city of Leon have agreed to become sister cities.

The two cities are scheduled to officially sign the agreement in Chiang Mai on Saturday, witnessed by Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and visiting French President Jacques Chirac.

Vice Chairman of the Chiang Mai Chamber of Commerce Somsak Vanichkhachorn told TNA on Friday that he would also attend the signing ceremony of the accord, aimed mainly at forging close trade and investment ties and cooperation between the two cities.

The Chiang Mai Chamber of Commerce and its counterpart in Leon had also agreed to become comrades' chambers, with the agreement to be signed at Saturday's ceremony as well, Mr. Somsak noted.

"The accord between the Chiang Mai Chamber of Commerce and its counterpart in Leon is believed to pave the way for expanding trade and investment between Thailand's northern Lanna cluster of provinces and Leon, which is a business and tourism centre in Europe," he said.

The country's northern Lanna cluster of provinces include Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phayao, Lampang, Lamphun, Mae Hong Son, Phrae and Nan.

"The accord is expected to particularly benefit local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as producers of community-based products under the government-supported One Tambon, One Product (OTOP) scheme," Mr. Somsak said.

President Chirac and his wife, Madame Bernadette Chirac, are paying a state visit to Thailand as the guests of Their Majesties the King and Queen, scheculed for February 17-19.

Their Majesties the King and Queen received the French president and his wife at the Royal Thai Air Force's Airport in Bangkok Friday afternoon.

The visit, the first-ever for France's head of state since the Ayutthaya period, is aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and members of the Thai cabinet are also scheduled to hold a plenary meeting with the French president and his entourage, including French foreign, finance and industry, external trade, defence and tourism ministers.

The two sides will discuss a joint French-Thai action plan, proposed by the Thai government, covering bilateral cooperation in science and technology, tourism, as well as fashion businesses, including a plan to set up Thailand Fashion House in Paris.

The two governments will also discuss a bilateral cooperation in extending financial support to Thailand's neighbouring countries.

The Thai government will invite French business persons to invest in Thailand's mega-development projects as well.

The Thai and French governments will then sign bilateral agreements in postal services, as well as information and communication technology (ICT)
and science and technology.

The two countries' private sector will also sign their business pacts, including those between Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI) and Bangkok Airways and France-based Airbus Co. on purchases of 21 Airbus aircraft over the next five years.

The French and Thai leaders will issue a joint statement on bilateral ties and cooperation between the two countries.

Prime Minister Thaksin said he would personally seek a support from President Chirac for Thai Deputy Prime Minister Surakiate Sathirathai's bid for the next United Nation’s Secretary-General.

Incumbent UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's term will expire at the end of this year.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Saturday 18 February 2006 :-

New guide on reporting sex crimes

The Thai Journalists Association (TJA) will issue guidelines for reporting on sexual violence in an effort to stamp out sensational news coverage.

The TJA guidebook will be issued in response to a survey conducted in Bangkok and the provinces by Suan Dusit, which found that front-page headlines on cases involving sexual violence had a significant impact on readers' attitudes and feelings.

Assoc Prof Sukhum Chaloeysap, rector of Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, said the survey of 1,023 respondents aged over 18 found that the headline is the most influential factor attracting readers, followed by the content and reliability of the reports.

About 33% of the respondents said the headlines made them eager to read the reports, while 18% viewed them as exaggerated and 15% said the headlines created excitement.

Asked how they felt after reading reports of sexual violence on the front pages, 19% said they felt society is in decline, 16% felt that society is unsafe, and 14% felt sad and depressed.

The headlines for stories on rape cases were found to capture readers' attention the most, following by those on sexual violence, domestic violence and abortion stories. After reading the front page reports, the respondents said they thought women's revealing outfits are the major cause of rape, pornographic media is the cause of sexual violence, mental disorder the cause of homosexuality, and immorality the cause of child dumping or abortion.

About 32% of the respondents wanted the press to stick to the facts, 17% suggested that newspapers avoid harsh and improper words, while 8% wanted the news to remind people of morality instead of condemning the wrongdoers.

Nattaya Boonpakdee, coordinator of the Women's Health Advocacy Foundation, said people's attitudes about the causes of rape, sexual violence and homosexuality showed that news coverage has caused misconceptions about the issues.

''There are several studies pointing out that the way women dress is not the cause of rape, while homosexuality is not a mental disorder,'' said Ms Nattaya.

''The root of the problem, however, is the thinking that views women as sexual objects,''she said.

Nattaya Chetchotiros, a TJA committee member, said the association has been aware of the problems and is stepping up efforts to improve the situation.

After talking with newspaper executives, the association has decided to publish a guide on reporting sexual violence for journalists, rewriters and all parties concerned. She said the guidebook, which will be finished in the next two months, will highlight a list of words which should be avoided in news coverage, such as ''cruel mothers'' or ''spaghetti-strapped girl'', which could lead to a mistaken public perception of the crimes.

It will also give examples of bad reporting on rape, sex, and beauty issues while offering suggestions on how to handle these kinds of stories.

She said that besides the guidebook, a workshop needs to be held to enhance journalists' understanding of the issues.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Saturday 18 February 2006 :-

Sovente in franchise expansion

After 40 years in Thailand's coffee and tea business, Sovente, an operator of coffee and tea house chain, is branching out through a franchise system, citing overwhelming response from prospective investors during the recent 10th Business and Franchise Fair.

The company expects to have 10 franchised outlets operational this year, according to Akkaphan Leevutinan, managing director of Sovente Coffee and Tea Co.

Mr Akkaphan said Sovente was offering two formats: shops and corners.

A shop requires a minimum space of 35 square metres in a shopping complex, office building or other location. The investment would start at 800,000 baht.

A corner outlet requires between nine and 35 sq m and can be part of a small building or other shop with two to five sets of chairs. The format requires an initial investment of 600,000 baht.

Sovente will also support franchisees in terms of marketing and sales as well as training for personnel, outlet visits and inspections.

Franchise operators can select promotion programmes designed by Sovente to determine how they want to develop their customer relationship management (CRM) systems, he said.

According to Mr Akkaphan, the coffee industry continues to show signs of strong growth, so many investors are still interested in being coffee chain franchisees.

For this reason, he said, competition was intense so brands needed to differentiate themselves through innovative strategies including turning their outlets into Internet cafes and using sophisticated CRM systems.

''I expect to see competition remaining strong this year as large operators will further improve their internal management. Small players with smaller funding will be soon out of the business. However, the coffee house business will remain a promising venture with plenty of room to grow,'' he added.

[Malaysian Datuk]

Yo Bro KTL69 got any current and updated info on girl-friendly hotels in BKK? Going soon but too lazy to trawl for info....thanks

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Sunday 19 February 2006 :-

Chiang Mai Night Safari riles Aust activists

Zoos in Sydney and Melbourne have agreed to send 40 Australian native animals to a safari park in Thailand at which it is alleged many animals have died, Fairfax newspapers report.

In exchange, Melbourne Zoo and Taronga Zoo will import eight Asian elephants. The plan is detailed in a memorandum of agreement between the Thai government and the Victoria and New South Wales governments signed in June 2004, the newspapers are reporting.It was tabled in the Sydney Administrative Appeals Tribunal during a recent attempt by animal-welfare groups to stop the elephant imports.
One Thai activist told the Fairfax newspapers that birds in the Chiang Mai Night Safari were dying every day, three out of six crocodiles had died of infection and one hyena had been eaten by others, while Thai media claim 104 animals have died.

In a statement, the zoos said the transfer of Australian animals to Thai zoos was not contingent on the elephant programme.

[KJparty]

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Must speak Thai lah, as you will be managing my local (Thai) staff.

For more information,
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[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Sunday 19 February 2006 :-

Police hunt for four foreigners

Arrest warrants have been issued for four foreigners suspected of stealing a diamond necklace worth Bt5 million from a jewellery store in Siam Paragon Department Store, Pathum Wan police said Sunday.

The four foreigners, one of whom is a woman, are seen in video images from a security camera in Blue River Diamonds, said Police Lt-Colonel Akhom Janthalach, a deputy chief of the police station.

Warrants could not be issued against two other foreign men who entered the store shortly before the necklace went missing because they could not be seen clearly enough in video captures.

The officer said the four appeared to be from the Middle East judging from the video captures but spoke English among themselves according to store clerks.

[U-Need]

486 words
20 February 2006
Bangkok Post
English

SARITDET MARUKATAT APINYA WIPATAYOTIN

Student activists are hoping the campaign against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will rekindle activism on campus.

Banners criticising the prime minister have been hung around Thammasat University (TU)'s Tha Phra Chan campus, with the student union urging students to add their names to the petition to be forwarded to the Senate to oust Mr Thaksin.

The atmosphere at Chulalongkorn University (CU) could not match that at TU. However, banners with slogans such as "Laws for the Shinawatras or the People?" hanging up at the political science faculty and a desk set up to gather signatures showed that the campaigning spirit is still alive.

This is the first time in years that students have engaged in campaigning on campus. Students felt outraged about the tax-free 73.3 billion baht sale of Shin Corp by Mr Thaksin's family to Singapore's Temasek Holdings, said Tanachai Suntornanantachai, a TU student leader.

Students played a leading role in the Oct 14, 1973 and Oct 6, 1976 protests, but in recent years have been criticised for paying too much attention to academic affairs and social life and too little to social problems.

Only a small group of students continue to be politically active.

Mr Tanachai said one reason students have ignored political activities and social problems is that civic groups have taken over the role.

But public disenchantment with the share sale had now reignited student interest in politics, he said. "We've seen new faces showing up to sign up for the impeachment campaign at Thammasat University," said Mr Tanachai, a law student.

Kodchakorn Chaiyabutra, secretary-general of the Student Federation of Thailand (SFT), comprising 31 university student organisations, said students were not merely following a trend in society at large.

"What we are doing is not just a fad. We firmly believe the prime minister must quit to show his spirit," said Ms Kodchakorn, a student of CU's law faculty.

The Chiang Mai student union had attempted to distance itself from the SFT. But Ms Kodchakorn said all student unions shared the same goal of wanting to get rid of an irresponsible government leader.

"We ignited the flame. Now it's the question of how to keep it burning," said Mr Tanachai.

The current political crisis has shown that politics is an issue close to everybody and can affect everyone.

Final examinations, followed by the long summer break, could distract students' attention.

But Somrak Utjanda, an SFT committee member, said the movement could not be stopped until the goal was achieved.

The movement was loosely grouped, however, so some student groups might leave before achieving their goal.

"I know that it is hard to stay together. But the SFT must do the right thing. If the PM doesn't quit, we have prepared another step to get him out," he said.