Thailand Foreign Investments

Boost in Foreign Investment Sought: Thailand, facing a sharp fall in inward foreign investment, has announced plans to attract new investors and ease congestion in Bangkok by refining tax incentives and putting more emphasis on development in the provinces. Approaches by foreign investors to the Board of Investment (BoI) fell for the third year in a row in 1992, with the value of foreign capital registered in new applications dropping to $471 million from nearly $978 million in 1991.

GM Picks Thailand for Plant: The Thail government said it has been picked as the site for General Motors Corp.'s key Asian vehicle plant, which will have an initial investment of $500 million. Chakramon Phasukavanich, deputy secretary general of Thailand's Board of Investment, said GM's investment in the plant could rise to $1 billion.

GM Picks Thailand for Plant: The Thail government said it has been picked as the site for General Motors Corp.'s key Asian vehicle plant, which will have an initial investment of $500 million. Chakramon Phasukavanich, deputy secretary general of Thailand's Board of Investment, said GM's investment in the plant could rise to $1 billion.

Ford, Mazda in Venture to Produce Pickups: The auto makers said they plan to build a manufacturing plant near Bangkok next spring. The total investment in land and facilities will be about $500 million, Ford Motor Co. said. The plant will have an annual capacity of about 135,000 vehicles, with production scheduled to start in mid-1998. Dearborn, Mich.-based Ford and Mazda Motor Corp. of Japan will hold equal stakes in the venture. Ford owns a 25% stake in Mazda.

As negotiators turn to a major unresolved issue in the global trade agreement that was otherwise completed last month, the Clinton Administration on Tuesday unveiled its primary approach to the talks and pressed Thailand to allow a greater foreign role in its booming financial services market. Anxious to take advantage of the region's multiyear run of stunning growth, foreign investors are excitedly eyeing stock exchanges, banking opportunities and a variety of other investment prospects.

Just two years ago, the sheer speed of Thailand's economic growth made it appear destined to become Asia's next "little dragon," trailing South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. But a hail of army bullets on the streets of Bangkok in May, triggered by anti-military protests, has dimmed hopes of the country becoming an economic dragon any time soon.

The military jolted Thailand--one of the world's fastest-growing economies--a week ago with a bloodless coup that swept the government of Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhavan out of power. Foreign investors appear to be taking the changes in stride, especially because the military has appointed respected economists and banking experts as advisers and announced that there will be no dramatic changes in financial policies.

As negotiators turn to a major unresolved issue in the global trade agreement that was otherwise completed last month, the Clinton Administration on Tuesday unveiled its primary approach to the talks and pressed Thailand to allow a greater foreign role in its booming financial services market. Anxious to take advantage of the region's multiyear run of stunning growth, foreign investors are excitedly eyeing stock exchanges, banking opportunities and a variety of other investment prospects.

Just two years ago, the sheer speed of Thailand's economic growth made it appear destined to become Asia's next "little dragon," trailing South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. But a hail of army bullets on the streets of Bangkok in May, triggered by anti-military protests, has dimmed hopes of the country becoming an economic dragon any time soon.

The military jolted Thailand--one of the world's fastest-growing economies--a week ago with a bloodless coup that swept the government of Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhavan out of power. Foreign investors appear to be taking the changes in stride, especially because the military has appointed respected economists and banking experts as advisers and announced that there will be no dramatic changes in financial policies.