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By GREG LOWE IN BANGKOK AIRLINES are yet to be compensated for losses they suffered when anti-government protesters blockaded Thai airports last year, despite government assurances of financial support. Some 350,000 tourists were stranded in Bangkok and 3.4 million prevented from entering Thailand when a group called the People’s Alliance for Democracy seized the city’s […]

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By GREG LOWE IN BANGKOK THAILAND’S economy may be the worst hit in Asia as the global slump tightens its grip on the region, says Moody’s Economy.com. Yesterday’s interest rate cut by the Thai central bank will have little impact on productivity, according to analysts, who predict further cuts in the near-term.

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By GREG LOWE IN BANGKOK THAILAND’S economy contracted for the first time in a decade when growth in the fourth quarter of last year plummeted to -4.3 per cent. And this year’s GDP growth is likely to drop to -1 per cent, the National Economic and Social Development Board (Nesdb) said yesterday. Slumping demand in […]

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By GREG LOWE IN BANGKOK BANGKOK’S residential property prices will fall by 10 per cent this year, while resort area transactions have ground to a halt, but domestic political turmoil may have prevented a market crash, experts say. Foreign buyers, who account for around 30 per cent of Bangkok’s condominium market, continue to evaporate, leading […]

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By GREG LOWE IN BANGKOK THAILAND’S electrical and electronics industry – the country’s biggest exporter – will suffer a big drop in export sales this year, costing up to 100,000 jobs, analysts say. Total electrical and electronics exports will drop 10 per cent to about US$45 billion, according to Sasipen Bhurapanich, an analyst at Kasikorn […]

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By GREG LOWE IN BANGKOK THAILAND will extend a lifeline to small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) and export-related businesses through an eight billion baht (S$347 million) loan insurance scheme. Industry and economists have welcomed the anti-recession initiative but say more must be done to boost productivity and win support from commercial banks.

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The global recession and the fallout from last year’s astronomic oil prices have forced the Scandinavian national carrier SAS to restructure, shedding some 3,000 staff from its payroll. Despite the cutbacks, the company maintains its commitment to making air travel greener and has no plans to downsize locally, says Bangkok-based Hakan Olsson, the company’s director […]

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By GREG LOWE IN BANGKOK PLUMMETING exports saw traffic through Thailand’s prime cargo port continue to decline last month, painting a dim picture for the country’s shipping industry this year. Experts warn that cargo volumes may decline by up to 25 per cent this quarter and 10 per cent over the year. Laem Chabang deep […]

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Thailand’s Eastern Seaboard (ESB) zone’s fundamentals are strong enough to weather the global recession and to maintain its position as a regional hub for manufacturing, petrochemical and export-based industries, according to industry experts. They say its solid infrastructure, logistical facilities and utilities, underpinned by highly competitive Board of Investment (BOI) privileges and a relatively cheap, […]

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By GREG LOWE IN BANGKOK DOMESTIC political unrest dealt a severe blow to Thai business sentiment, driving it to an all-time low last month, recent reports reveal. Surveys published in January show local confidence is eroding faster than in other regional markets. And the Industries Sentiment Index plunged to 62.9 per cent in December – […]

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