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Film festival: A low-budget Chinese movie helped open the visitor floodgates
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Some in the industry hail it as the best investment the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has ever made. TAT contributed BT2m ($65,000) to help make the Chinese film Lost in Thailand, which was shot on location in the north-western Thai city of Chiang Mai, and went on to become the highest-grossing mainland film ever. It was the first local production to break the 1bn yuan ($163m) mark at the box…

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Trusts and funds: Regulations provide for new investment vehicles
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While Thailand hosts a dynamic market for property funds (PF), new rules from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) covering new trusts and funds in 2012-13 paved the way for the kingdom’s first infrastructure fund (IFF) in April 2013 and a series of real estate investment trusts (REITs) that are currently under consideration. Whereas PFs have been used as instruments for disposing of mature…

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Higher ground: Concerted efforts to improve flood management infrastructure
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Following severe flooding in 2011, the Thai government created an action plan to prevent a water disaster of that scale from occurring again. The authorities budgeted $3.9bn for mitigation efforts, which included new floodways and flood diversion channels. Furthermore, a $2bn programme was initiated to transform farmland north of the capital city into a retention area for holding 10bn cu metres of…

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Depth of field: The state grants incentives to boost standards and draw business
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In 2012 the Thai government, via the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), adopted a policy package aimed at turning the country into a global medical hub. This meant playing to the country’s obvious strengths – leveraging its current reputation both for high-quality medical services and for health and wellness treatments. Alongside this, the policy aimed to promote traditional Thai alternative medicines,…

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New horizons: Rising office rental prices see Bangkok’s CBD expand to new areas
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High land prices in the central business district (CBD) area of Bangkok, combined with sluggish rental rates until recently, have discouraged developers from delving back deeply into the office market. However, that could all be about to change as the vacancy rate in CBD Grade-A space was reported to have fallen below 10% for the first time in 20 years, while some rentals have crept up to around BT950…

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Cloudy past, bright future: The adoption of cloud services is taking off
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Cloud computing has not been the most popular of technologies in Thailand. Developers, for example, are much more interested in working on Android projects than cloud ones, according to a survey carried out by the IMC Institute, which conducts research on information and communications technology (ICT) markets and policy in Thailand. However, the country is fast waking up to the potential of, and the…

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Looking further afield: Opportunities abroad are increasingly attracting Thai energy companies
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Thai energy companies – utilities and oil companies alike – have been making significant and aggressive moves outside of Thailand’s borders. This activity has been driven by a number of reasons, the simplest being that it is becoming increasing difficult to work at home. Companies are facing growing environmental restrictions and activism, and are finding that power plants, mines and hydrocarbons…

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Know your vocation: Tapping the private sector to boost professional training
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One slice of the Thai education sector likely to see major reform in the period ahead is the technical and vocational field. The stage lights have recently swung in that direction because of widening doubts – by directors and players alike – whether the sector can meet growing demand for highly skilled graduates. This concern will only intensify as the member countries of ASEAN continue to integrate…

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Oil alternatives: Natural gas is becoming an increasingly important vehicle fuel
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Over the last decade, oil prices have risen substantially and, in response, the Thai government has been employing a number of policies and initiatives to promote the switch amongst car owners from gasoline to natural gas powered vehicles (NGVs). The motivation behind this shift has been twofold. Firstly, with around 70% of the country’s domestic energy supply coming from natural gas, the measure…

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3G and beyond: Making up for lost time as the roll-out of new services continues
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Despite the delayed roll-out of 3G, the new services on 2100 MHz are thriving and 4G is not far behind. Indeed, the mood in late 2013 and early 2014 was optimistic because of the smooth transition to 3G, and both operators and regulators were beginning to contemplate services that just months earlier were not even considered a possibility. A quick jump to 4G is now in the works. Due to the delay of…