The American property billionaire Donald Trump will join in the investment and development of a new luxury retail plaza with Gaysorn Group on the four-rai plot that used to house the Narai Phand handicraft centre in central Bangkok.
COMMODITY
A railway and port strike is taking its toll on the country's rubber shipments, prompting foreign traders to shift to buying rubber from Malaysia and Indonesia, according to local exporters.
The anti-government rallies staged by the People's Alliance for Democracy have entered their fourth month with protesters now firmly entrenched at Government House, in addition to the original site at Makkawan Bridge.
Mobile-phone users sometimes wonder if sinister forces are at work when they are unable to make or receive calls.
Thailand's tax code needs sweeping reforms that emphasise substance over form to curb tax evasion, according to Tithiphan Chuerboonchai, the dean of the law faculty at Chulalongkorn University.
INFRASTRUCTURE & INVESTMENT
The Finance Ministry and the Securities and Exchange Commission are considering a new public utilities fund structure to help raise funds from the privatisation of state assets.
BANK OF THAILAND
The Bank of Thailand will ask the Council of State whether it can conduct monetary policy if the appointment of the new Monetary Policy Committee is delayed, according to Arkabusk Krairiksh, a central bank assistant governor.
Bridging THE GAP
'I have a gift for you," I say, as I hand the book to Heinz. He is the country manager of a multinational corporation in Thailand, and we meet regularly to learn from each other.
Jeerasak Muyotha was always sure his hard work for his team over the past two years would be rewarded.
In any political conflict, media are always exploited as a tool for one side to attack the other.
Shinawat Haboonpad is a host of the In Search for Justice programme on FM 92.75, a community radio station for taxi drivers broadcast in the Chatuchak area.
Travel MONITOR
The Thai tourism industry began to survey the damage caused by the nearly two-week long political crisis, amid general agreement that the situation was not as bad as it could have been and will bounce back quickly once normalcy is returned.
HOTELS
Political turmoil will not affect Central Plaza Hotel's business targets this year, according to executive chairman Suthikiati Chirathivat.
HOTELS
Thailand's political turmoil is taking a toll on Bangkok's most famous hotel, with only half of its 393 luxurious rooms rooms filled in the next two months and the potential of 120 million baht in revenue losses.
Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok is pessimistic about meeting its growth target of 5-7% this year if the current political problems are not resolved quickly.
NETWorth
Last week we discussed how certain investment vehicles could afford you valuable opportunities to allow your beneficiaries access to their inheritance quickly in the event of your untimely demise. This can be achieved without the need for obtaining costly and time-consuming grants of probate. Such vehicles also offer other investment advantages that make them very attractive.
With Hurricane Gustav causing only minor damage to oil production in the Gulf of Mexico, West Texas Intermediate fell more than $9 a barrel from a week earlier to close on Friday at $106.23. Concerns over a growth slowdown in global energy demand and the strengthened US dollar pressured crude prices down.
ENVIRONMENT
The global carbon credit market offers booming opportunities for local industries, as demand worldwide will only rise in the future under the Kyoto Protocol, according to local financial experts.
;Dewi Damayanti, 60, an Indonesian businesswoman, did not know that a holiday trip to Thailand would change her business life and help bring Thai coffee to people elsewhere in the world.
TRANSPORT
Ongoing political turmoil is unlikely to affect the debt restructuring plan of Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTS), which is ready to proceed after receiving the green light from Thailand's top court.
Bangkok Medical Complex, the country's first lifestyle and medical retail space, is ready to begin commercial operations late this year to capitalise on the growing health-care business in the country.
