Advance ~ November 2011

November 2011 1AustChamThailand Advance

A MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE AUSTRALIAN-THAI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE AUSTRALIA THAILAND BUSINESS COUNCIL

November 2011 www.austchamthailand.com

austcham business awardMcConnell Dowell: Recipient of the Industrial Excellence award

chamber eventsAnti-Corruption Laws Breakfast with Neil Thamotheram

chamber events Bangkok Sundowners at Swissotel Nai Lert Park

12 14 23 24

In This EditionHow LEAN are you?

austChamThailand

business briefDengue Fever – it’s here again! And again. And again.

AFL GrandFinal

Inside Front Cover

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ContentsPatrOnhis excellency James wiseAustralian Ambassador to the Kingdomof Thailand

PresidentJohn andersonMeinhardtPortfolio: Regional Links

vice Presidentsm.L. Laksasubha KridakonBaan Laksasubha ResortPortfolio: Alumni

belinda skinnerTop Talent AsiaPortfolio: Communications and English Teaching

treasurerLeigh scott-KemmisDBMPortfolio: Advancing Trade and Commerce

directOrsdavid bellCrestcom – Ra-Kahng AssociatesPortfolio: Speakers and Talks

Khun Jurairat JammaneeHASSELLPortfolio: AustCham Ball

warwick Kneale Baker Tilly Portfolio: Community Services

sam mizziMcConnell Dowell Portfolio: AFL and Eastern Seaboard Industry

Khun suganya ransiguttaTMFPortfolio: Business Awards

charles wrightmanNatural Ville & Le Notre

ben YongBaker McKenziePortfolio: Legal

saeed Zaki , Ph.d.dwpPortfolio: Breakfast Briefings

eX OfficiOmaurine LamRegional Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner, ASEAN

business brief 6 How LEAN are you? 10 Energy Cost Rises of up to 150

Per Cent Anticipated for Post-Carbon Tax Australia

12 Dengue Fever – it’s here again! And again. And again.

austcham business awards 2011

14 Congratulations to McConnell Dowell Constructors Thai Ltd, Recipient of the Industrial Excellence Award

21 “SME Productivity in the Cloud?” with Khun Patara Yongvanich and Harrison M. Kross on Tuesday, 20 September 2011

21 Anti-Corruption Luncheon with Dr Sirilaksana Khoman on Thursday, 15 September 2011

23 Anti-Corruption Laws Breakfast with Neil Thamotheram on Tuesday, 4 October 2011

23 Post Carbon Tax Australia with Brian Morris on Thursday, 22 September 2011

24 Bangkok Sundowners at Swissotel Nai Lert Park on Wednesday, 5 October 2011

new members26 AustCham’s New Members

members’ Offers29 AustCham Members’ Offers

frOm the chamber Office

30 Message from the AustCham Office

18

16 bbQ reciPe16 It’s Barbecue Season!

chamber events18 AustCham’s Strategic Airlines

AFL Grand Final Day


FROM THE BOARD

cOOrdinatOrsPaul whyteNew Asia PacificESB CoordinatorEmail: [email protected] Paul wilkinsonCEA ProjectsESB CoordinatorEmail: [email protected]

steve brajakRaimon LandPhuket CoordinatorEmail: [email protected] harry usherLady PiePhuket CoordinatorEmail: [email protected]

australian-thai chamber of commerce20th Floor, Thai CC Tower889 South Sathorn RoadBangkok 10120Tel.: +66 2 210 0216 Fax: +66 2 675 [email protected]

editorial committeeBelinda Skinner, Robert Taylor,Josh Hyland, Gregers Moller,Gary Woollacott

marketing & Production Scand-Media Corp. Ltd4/41-42 Moo 3, Thanyakarn VillageRamintra Soi 14, BangkokTel.: +66 2 943-7166/8 Fax: +66 2 [email protected]

advertisingFinn BalslevEmail: [email protected]

Contributions to Advance magazine are welcome. Please submit content to [email protected] by the first day of the month for publication in the following month’s magazine.

Opinions expressed in Advance do not necessarily reflect the views of the Chamber.

President’s Message

the July election outcome which saw a sweeping victory for the Pua Thai party.

The Manufacturers’ and Infrastructure Group (MIG) also met again recently. This time the meeting was held in Bangkok. This is proving to be a popular forum with over 30 persons attending. The group identified a number of interest areas for future discussion including:

• Australian and UK extra-territorial anti-corruption laws.

• Policies and practices for employee bonuses, and wage negotiations.

• Strategies to promote cooperation with foreign business communities in Thailand, particularly the Japanese.

• Outlook for infrastructure projects in Thailand and the region.

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce our newest AustCham Director Charles Wrightman. Charles is with Natural Ville & Le Notre and brings with him much experience from the hospitality industry. Welcome Chucky.

John AndersonPresident, AustCham Thailandwww.austchamthailand.com

Many of our members have been affected by the devastating floods in the last few weeks

that have swept across Thailand. The inundation has resulted in many factory closures in the outlying areas of Bangkok. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate these areas. This is an extremely challenging time for those businesses affected. In some cases it will be many months before production can be restarted. Although it may be too late for some, it is important going forward that businesses review their insurance and their business continuity plans (BCP) to mitigate against the affects of such events.

Planning is now well underway for AustCham’s premier business event – the AustCham Business Awards. This year it is to be held on 31 January. The event has undergone a major revamp, with a number of new categories introduced and changes made to the format. This year there will be eight awards made on the night. Nominations are now open for the following categories:

• AustCham Business Excellence Award (including Business of the Year)

• Australia-Thai Commerce awards• AustCham Corporate Social Respon-

sibility Awards• AustCham Innovation Awards• People’s Choice Awards This year, AustralianAlumni will also presenting an award for Young Austral-ian Alumni.

Further details are available from the AustCham office or from our website.

This past month I particularly enjoyed attending the Key Issues dinner with author and political analyst Dr Chris Baker at the Westin Grande Sukhumvit. Chris is always such an engaging speaker. In his talk Chris addressed the question of whether Thailand is now at a new turning point, following

6 November 2011 AustChamThailand Advance

LEAN is typically focused on waste reduction but also, like water over a rock, attempts to “smooth” operations through continuous improvement. Its mantra is to always consider what provides the most value to the customer leading to the ultimate, almost theoretical panacea, of allowing customers to “pull” their own product and services.

BUSINESS BRIEF

A Thai friend of mine recently made a revealing remark when he men-tioned he was not aware of many

“COO’s” in Thailand. Everyone who has worked in Thailand for any length of time knows that productivity is an issue for many companies that operate here, whether Thai or Multinational and this lack of COO’s is evidence of the lack of attention to, and expertise in, efficient operations within many companies.

The World Economic Forum’s report on Global Competiveness 2010-2011 states Thailand “needs to step up its effort to…encourage wider adoption of new tech-nologies for productivity enhancements.” The article goes on to point out an addi-tional important longer-term benefit to improving productivity saying “Such efforts will then buttress the country’s innovation potential, which will become increasingly important as it moves towards the most advanced stage of economic development.”

However there are a few substantial cata-lysts which are driving more attention to productivity here. Perhaps obviously, the first is the weakness of the World econ-omy and its inevitable downstream ram-ifications on Thailand. I recently heard a speech by ex-Finance Minister Khun Korn Chatikavanij who said that during the 2008 crisis, Thailand lost more than 500,000 jobs in the manufacturing sector within a few months. Fortunately Thailand has low unemployment and a social struc-ture that can absorb laid-off workers as informal labour. However it seems likely to happen again. Only on 6th October the Bank of Thailand Governor warned the government to prepare for the impact of a global slowdown next year.

The two final drivers are: growing foreign influence within Thai companies, and the present government’s policy on wage-rises. Getting more from less will rarely be more important.

As companies look to increase produc-tivity, they will look at improving their key business processes.

The good news is that every company can improve their key processes. The bad news is that the necessary motiva-tion to decide to do this usually requires a problem to happen first; an imposed increase in wages, tightened budgets, a drop in profits, an inability to add new services, the discovery of fraud or too much stock in the warehouse being a few examples.

Krafcik in a 1988 article, “Triumph of the Lean Production System”. LEAN is not an acronym. As the name implies it is works by delivering improvement through con-stant, iterative small changes.

LEAN is typically focused on waste reduction but also, like water over a rock, attempts to “smooth” operations through continuous improvement. Its

how Lean are you?

mantra is to always consider what pro-vides the most value to the customer leading to the ultimate, almost theoret-ical panacea, of allowing customers to “pull” their own products and services.

An example of this approach would be:

• Break a process down in to the sequence of its constituent tasks (in LEAN this is called the value stream)

• Examine the “why, who, what, where, how, when and how well” for each task.

• Identify tasks that creates value for the customer

• Eliminate any part of a task that does not add this value

• Start again

This approach is also not as disrup-tive to organizations as larger process improvement methodologies. Often business leaders are hesitant to tackle problems related to their key processes as they are concerned that any disrup-tion to them would simply cause fur-ther problems; a classic Catch-22. This

Today one popular general approach to process improvement is called LEAN. LEAN started in a Post-War Japan strug-gling with resource constraints although the term itself was first coined by John

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BUSINESS BRIEF

can lead to procrastination and, ironi-cally, will lead to poorer business results eventually; by which time it is harder to fix and will cost more money.

As well as minimally disruptive, LEAN works quickly. For example we can ana-lyze one typical business process and report our findings within 10 days, with minimal impact to the business. It is also a very cost-effective approach as each project is “bite sized” and therefore priced accordingly. The fear of change, and subsequent resistance to it, is mark-edly decreased meaning that recom-mendations are more readily adopted by the organization making for a more practical solution overall.

Such improvement projects do not need to be led by a Subject Matter Expert who is typically an expensive resource, for example a “Banking expert”. 95 per cent of what constitutes a process is logic. “Process experts” can work on any pro-cess, using only a small amount of time

from an expert if and when required. In Thailand this is akin to the “handy-man” for your property. When he is fixing something he might occasionally chat to his friend who is an expert, but some-how he always seems to be able to fix everything at a reasonable cost. We call him rather than the plumber or the elec-trician who are expensive.

So you want to get cracking on LEAN? Unfortunately process modeling and analysis is very hard to do, at least ini-tially, from within side the company. Why?

The first and most obvious reason is that many companies do not have the expertise to do this as they have not been doing it, even in their operations. Sometimes too, employees who are involved in an existing process have a vested interest in it and may not be inspired to change it in any meaning-ful way, or need help to envision that. Finally and most importantly is that key business processes always cross politi-

cal lines in the company. Business lead-ers need unequivocal data with which to defend and coerce critical organ-isational change, and people to do that that are seen to be independent. Getting this data and analysing it in a meaningful way leads to the final point: grinding down a process is extremely detailed and pedantic work. This is the part which is not easy, and why process experts are still required.

Once you are “leaner”, there is often a secondary benefit which is that a solu-tion to one process often scales to other processes. When they are fixed they provide even further benefit to the com-pany without the additional expense.

Andrew McBean is a Partner in Management Consulting practice atGrant Thornton Thailand. Contact [email protected]; and learn more on www.grantthornton.co.th. Find us on www.facebook.com/GrantThorntonThailand.

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BUSINESS BRIEF

Low cost energy looks set to become a distant memory for Australia with possible increases

of 150 per cent over the next ten years.

The country has largely been cush-ioned from the spiralling world energy prices and fluctuations, but new leg-islation will see Australia feel the full impact of the vagaries of world market prices with costs rising.

The abundant supplies of cheap coal and natural gas available within the country have largely given Australia immunity from global energy price increases, but the much-publicised introduction of the carbon tax as part of the Clean Energy Future package is one of the factors that will thrust Australia into the international energy market place.

Another key factor is the pending export of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from eastern Australia which will change the face of the energy land-scape by tripling the volume of gas produced on the eastern seaboard and forcing prices to world parity pricing.

Increasing costs of renewable energy obligations and the rapidly rising net-work charges are two other important factors that will bring change.

All these facts suggest Australia’s com-petitive position of low cost energy is a thing of the past.

Recent modelling by M&C Energy Group reveals that delivered electric-ity costs in Australia are expected to increase by approximately 150 per cent over the next decade. This price increase will not only impact business operating in Australia, but also those of

our close trading partners in the South East Asian region.

The Clean Energy Future is aiming to reduce Australia’s carbon emissions by a minimum of five per cent below the 2000 levels by 2020. There is potential for further cuts of 25 per cent by 2020 in the event other countries show fur-ther commitment to the carbon emis-sions reduction process. Australia has a target of an 80 per cent reduction by 2050.

The scheme begins on 1 July, 2012, with a carbon tax of AU$23/tonne. It will transition to a cap-and-trade scheme three years later.

Around two-thirds of Australia’s emis-sions will face a carbon price. Only the 500 largest emitters in the country (e.g. electricity generators) will be directly liable under the scheme. However all consumers will be impacted indirectly, e.g. through increased electricity and gas costs.

Generous compensation will be received by energy-intensive trade exposed industries and house-holds. However, other businesses are expected to bear the full brunt of the scheme.

Business facing increased costs will attempt to maintain profit margins by passing increased costs through the supply chain.

Contracts across many industries are currently being “dusted off” to assess the potential to pass through increased costs. Businesses in South East Asia (SEA) may be exposed to these increased costs through existing con-tracts.

The price on carbon is not all bad news for the SEA region as permits from international sources are allowed to meet up to 50 per cent of Australian carbon tax liabilities. Such permits rep-resent an offset of about circa AU$2.5 billion to AU$4 billion. SEA permits could play a substantial part in filling any liability gap.

SEA will also benefit from Australia’s vast natural gas resources when LNG exports from Australia commence in 2014.

Deals to purchase LNG have already been struck with China, Japan, Singa-pore, Chile, Malaysia and Korea.

While Australian gas prices have been low by world standards, the linkage to the international market will result in pricing reaching world parity price. Domestic pricing is expected to double to about AU$8/Gj.

Planned export volumes from six new

energy cost rises of up to 150 Per cent anticipated for Post-carbon tax australia


BUSINESS BRIEF

trains are estimated to be three times current domestic consumption. With gas being the dominant fuel source under a low emissions future, competi-tion for gas supplies will be fierce.

Relatively expensive renewable energy schemes to support both large and small scale technologies are also plac-ing a significant burden on energy con-sumers with present cost making up approximately 10 per cent of the deliv-ered energy cost.

In order to meet Australia’s legislated target of 20per cent of electricity from renewable sources by 2020, substan-tial investment will need to be made over the next ten years.

Wind generation remains the most effi-cient technology to meet the target. Capacity of 8,000 to 10,000MW will need to be developed at a cost of around AU$20 billion.

Energy users in Australia are becom-ing more sophisticated as the market

changes. A growing number of users are now recognising energy purchas-ing is a risk management activity rather than a procurement function.

Best practice energy cost management in Australia now includes managing energy and environmental purchases under a well-managed active strategy and continually asking the questions: “Is now a good time to buy electricity or renewables?” “How much do I buy?” and “How long for?”

This approach ensures users keep abreast of changes in the market and avoid earnings shocks associated with increasing energy costs.

The Australian energy market is set for vast change in the next decade. Given SEA’s close proximity and close trading relationships, opportunities are sure to flow to the region. However, such opportunities will also have attached risks.

Creative Energy Solutions is a part of

M&C Energy Group Ltd., a world leader in energy procurement and compliance services with over 35 years experience of helping clients save money and improve energy efficiency. Since 2003 Creative Energy Solutions has provided strategic energy procurement advice to the Australian market offering industry best practice solutions and independent expert reports to many of Australia’s largest corporations. Projects have covered a diverse range of subjects from procurement optimisation, cost minimisation strategies, hedging strategies, project evaluations as well as cost, price and revenue forecasting.

Creative Energy Solutions was the first specialist energy advisor to be awarded an Australian Financial Services License (AFSL) and to this day remains one of only a few licensed advisors in the market. For more information, contact: [email protected]


BUSINESS BRIEF

By Dr. Iain Corness, Bangkok Hospital Pattaya

We have just had the worst flood-ing in living memory in Thailand. As well as the inundation, Thai-

land will have another imminent medical problem with the Dengue Fever virus.

After the floods subsided, there will still be many puddles of water left - the ideal breeding ground for the Aedes aegypti mosquito to multiply. Aedes aegypti is not some opera (that’s Aida), but is the name of the main mosquito carrying the Dengue virus.

The incidence of Dengue Fever is on a global upswing, and in the tropical cli-mate of Thailand it is rampant. With the world-wide deaths from Bird Flu being less than 500, it may be of interest to know that Dengue is endemic in more than 110 countries and infects 50 to 100 million people worldwide, leading to half a million hospitalizations and approxi-mately 12,500 – 25,000 deaths a year.

At my hospital, we see many western-ers with Dengue Fever. This is not an isolated group that caught it from drink-ing out of damp glasses in the same bar. And if you don’t think Dengue is impor-tant in Thailand, there were 70 fatalities last year. That’s more than died from the SARS epidemic in Thailand in 2003 that had people cringing in their homes afraid to go out without a gas mask.

So, despite my previous pleas, (and those of the Public Health Department), Dengue Fever and its potentially fatal var-iant, Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) is still with us. The latest figures have now prompted me to repeat my advice on this subject. This is an important ailment, that can be avoided.

However, first you should understand a little more about Dengue. It was first described in 1780 by a Benjamin Rush in Philadelphia (so it didn’t start here), when the name Break Bone Fever was applied, with the symptoms of pain in the bones and rise in temperature. The

name “Dengue” came in 1828 during an epidemic in Cuba. The new name was a Spanish attempt at a Swahili phrase “ki denga pepo” which describes a sudden cramping seizure caused by an evil spirit! Let me assure you that the local brand of Dengue Fever owes nothing to spirits, evil, bottled or otherwise.

Like Malaria, the virus is carried by mos-quitoes. The virus itself is related to Japanese encephalitis, Murray Valley encephalitis and Yellow fever, and there are four “serotypes” or subgroups of it.

The mosquito lays its eggs in water con-tainers, preferring the clean water found in water tanks and pots, in the saucers under pot plants and even under the pet’s food dish. Inside discarded car tyres is another favorite spot. These mosquitoes are not of the adventurous type and feed during the day and spend their time within 200 meters of their hatchery. Consequently, the eradication of any local breeding areas becomes very important towards maintaining your own health, as you can see. Keep your home free from standing or lying water for a radius of 200 meters and you’re looking good!

Simple Dengue (if you can call it that) has an incubation period of around four to seven days and then the full blown symp-toms of high fever and headache begin. The headache is usually behind the eyes and is made worse by eye move-ment. From there the pains progress to the limbs with acute muscle pains, which gave it the old name “Break Bone Fever”. Interestingly, some patients complain

of a metallic taste in the mouth. (Please don’t ask - I have no idea why!)

On the other hand, Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) can certainly be fatal. It appears that Serotype 2 may be the cul-prit here, but does not usually produce DHF unless you have been previously bitten by Serotypes 1, 3 or 4. In addition to the symptoms of Classical Dengue the skin begins to bruise very easily as the blood hemorrhages into the skin. Chil-dren are also more susceptible to this than adults. This also becomes much more of an emergency and might need to be treated in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of your favorite hospital.

With our ability to treat the viral ailments being very limited, the defense against the Dengue virus lies in the preventive measures. The other precautions are to wear long trousers and long sleeved shirts, especially at sun up and sun down, when the mosquito is at its most ravenous. The other factor to remem-ber is “D” for Dengue and “D” for DEET. DEET is the magic ingredient in mosquito repellents, so when you go to buy some, check the label – if it has DEET, then get it. And then remember to use it!

Dr. Iain Corness left his medical practice in Australia 14 years ago, and is now a Consultant at the Bangkok Hospital Pat-taya, the Joint Commission International Approved (JCIA) tertiary hospital for the Eastern Seaboard. In his spare time, Dr. Iain writes books (Farang and Farang The Sequel, Maverick House publishers, UK) and races cars at the local Prince Bira racing circuit.

dengue fever – it’s here again! and again. and again.


AUSTCHAM BUSINESS AWARDS 2011

congratulations to mcconnell dowell constructors thai Ltd, recipient of the industrial excellence award

McConnell Dowell is a specialist engineering, construction and maintenance service provider

to all market sectors with capability in Civil and Marine, Mechanical, Electrical, Buildings , Pipelines and Tunnelling.

McConnell Dowell Constructor Thai Ltd has successfully provided construction services to both green field, and brown field sites throughout Thailand and South East Asia for over 20 years. We pride ourselves on being a local special-ist with international expertise in deliv-ering technically challenging projects. Our in house design capability, flexible project delivery and intuitive relationship management ensure we deliver value to every client, regardless of the challenge.

fOrmuLa fOr successOur creative approach is what makes us stand out from the crowd, and that’s why our projects consistently win engineering and environmental awards. Anyone can build it, but we build it better, and we built it to last. Each of our business units have the best and brightest in their fields. It’s some-thing we’re proud of, we strive to be the industry leaders, and it shows in our work.

We come up with smart ways to solve engineering problems. We’re inher-ently inquisitive and we probe and poke about. We rate ourselves on our abil-ity to innovate and our clients place a high value on it. It also means we work on more challenging projects that not only require a creative engineer-ing approach, but also the need to be inventive logistically in terms of equip-ment and project management.

Our fundamental philosophy of finding creative solutions to engineering and construction challenges for clients has never changed, with the ongoing rela-tionships with our clients being a key strategy of McConnell Dowell. We have a track record of building long term rela-tionships with both national and interna-tional clients, which is testament to our innovative and client-focused capability.

visiOnWith offices in Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia and the Middle East our

vision is to be a world class engineering, construction, building and maintenance company.

vaLues• Safety - Everybody goes home with-

out harm at the end of the day • Sustainability - We act today with the

future in mind• Relationships - Committed to creating

and maintaining long-term relationships• People - We equip, inspire and

empower our people to be their best• Creative - Creating solutions to meet

our customers’ needs• Fair Return - Reward for all commen-

surate with the value delivered• Integrity - Honesty, respect and equi-

table treatment for all, without com-promise

cOmPetitive advantaGesWe raise the bar for corporate excel-lence, and we make sure all our employ-ees are accountable. Mediocrity gets us nowhere.

For many organisations excellence is all about systems and procedures. Don’t get us wrong, these are important and we have systems and procedures that have been honed and refined over 50 years of doing what we do. We’ve got procedures to efficiently move men and machines along 500 km pipe routes, to drive piles 40 m into the seabed and to move bridges across live rail lines. Our systems are all accredited to the exacting standards required by the ISO

and that’s important for us and our Cli-ents. But excellence is much more than accreditations and certifications. It’s about people. We equip, inspire and empower our people to be their very best, to learn through experience, and through them we reach the highest standards in all areas of the business.

Our environmental procedures are also second to none, with our recent projects taking out the Civil Contractors Feder-ation Earth Awards for innovative and environmentally-friendly project design and delivery.

Safety is paramount to our success. Safety isn’t a word or a brand, a label or a sign, it’s a way of thinking. No matter where you sit in McConnell Dowell, from CEO to General Managers, to Line Management and down through every employee, safety is a belief and a goal that is paramount above all else.

This is about respecting our heritage and protecting what we believe in. It provides us with our moral compass and keeps us true to ourselves. It builds a family in which everyone is looking out for everyone else. You can’t buy safety, and just “ticking the box” won’t do either. Safety has to be instilled from the moment a new employee enters our doors, or from the moment we roll-out onto a new site. It’s part of us, intrinsi-cally woven into our corporate DNA.

We commit to providing a safe work environment for all employees every single day, and to ensure that safe work practices, safety training and supervi-sion are in place to eliminate the possi-bility of incident or injury. We continually seek to identify and eliminate any poten-tial safety hazards on our projects and we won’t compromise on safety. It’s as simple as that.

winninG cOncePtThe main operational focus of McCo-nnell Dowell is to meet and exceed our clients’ requirements through innovation and teamwork and to promote industry excellence in the management of safety, quality, environment and human rela-tions in every project we undertake.

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Logo design competition to mark 60th anniversaryof bilateral relations between australia and thailand

– A chance to win a return trip to Australia! –2012 marks the 60th Anniversary of Bilateral Relations between Australia and Thailand. To celebrate this auspicious occasion and strengthen our enduring friendship, the Australian Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand are proud to present a logo design competition to all artists, professional and amateurs, of all ages to participate on an individual basis.

The winner of the competition will receive a grand prize of one return economy class ticket to Australia sponsored by Thai Airways International Public Company Limited. The winning design will be used as the official logo of the 60th Anniversary for all activities and materials organised by the Australian Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, to celebrate the occasion throughout 2012.

Entries close on 30 November 2011. The winner will be announced in December 2011.

Logo proposals must be sent to: Public Diplomacy Section Australian Embassy 37 South Sathorn Road, Yannawa District Bangkok 10120, THAILAND

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BBQ RECIPE

We have some great BBQ rec-ipe’s coming up in Advance, but whether you are a novice

or a serious BBQ tragic, here’s a few simple tips to make sure your BBQ per-forms well and the Tongmaster can be proud of the finished product.

Successful barbecuing is all about smart preparation, a little basic knowl-edge of how to cook different foods and very importantly heat control and timing – these days that’s why gas fuelled bar-becue grills are popular at home. Just keep them clean and heat them well before beginning to cook. After the cooking has finished turn the heat to high and let any food residue burn off for 10 minutes. When cool, clean the cooking surfaces and keep them well oiled. Make sure the interior is free of grease build up. Keep a weather cover on when not in use. Here’s a few basic cooking tips:

sausages

The secret to juicy, tasty snags is to cook them slowly, without pricking over a low heat to keep all the flavoursome juices trapped inside. Turn regularly to ensure that not only the top and bottom of the sausages are cooked, but also the sides.

seafood

Tender seafood needs a light hand and brief cooking on the barbecue. Remove from the grill when just a little under-done as seafood will continue cook-ing after being taken off the heat. By the way, did you know that Barramundi and Pla Kapong are the same fish? In

fact in OZ supermarkets you can find White Barra which is actually farmed Pla Kapong Khao from Thailand!

Poultry

When cooking poultry directly on the barbecue grill, it only needs moder-ately-hot heat: place food on the edge of the barbecue where the heat is less fierce. Cuts on the bone tend to be juic-ier, so drumsticks, legs and wings are ideal barbecue choices. Roasting a whole chicken in a hooded barbecue is just like using an oven.

vegetables

Vegies grill beautifully and are a fantas-tic addition to a barbecue meal. Slice large vegetables thinly, then spray or brush with a little oil.

beef and veal

For medium-rare beef, cook directly over the flame and for well done, seal the surface over high heat then move to a less intense part of the barbecue to finish cooking. Veal has a low fat con-tent and can easily dry out: cook over a low heat, away from the direct flame of the barbecue.

Lamb

Cook lamb over high heat for medium-rare, or cook for longer over medium heat for well done. Lamb cutlets are great for the barbecue as they are so easy to eat off the bone with no cut-lery. Feeding a crowd is easy with large cuts of lamb cooked slowly over indi-rect heat.

Pork

Like chicken, pork should be cooked over moderately-low heat around the edge of the barbecue. Cuts with bones such as the perennial favourite, mari-nated pork spare ribs, are especially tasty and moist.

salads

Prepare salads in advance and keep the undressed salad and the dressing separate in the refrigerator. Combine dressing and salad just before serving to make sure it is fresh and crisp.

best deserts for barbecues

Choose sweet treats that can be cooked in advance and kept in the freezer or refrigerator, such as ice-blocks or a cheesecake. Or some freshly cut fruit is a refreshing and light end to the day and can be eaten by hand with no need for a plate!

So where can you buy a good quality barbecue in Thailand?

Australian and Thai managed, The Bar-becue Store with branches around the country carry a full range of top quality well known international brand barbe-cues and accessories including BAR-BECUES GALORE products. There are over 20 different gas, charcoal and electric barbecues to choose from. They will deliver your assembled barbecue, ready to fire up. They’ve been in busi-ness around 15 years, their products are warrantied and they carry a good range of spares. For images and prices check their website www.bbqthai.com

it’s barbecue season!– here’s a few simple but valuable tips from the experts...

Address: 17th Fl., Vorawat Building, 849 Silom Road, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500

Tel: 02-236-9188 Fax: 02-236-9187


CHAMBER EVENTS

Grand Final Day provides a much anticipated excuse for the Australian community here (and other interested nationalities) to indulge in all those things they associate with watching the football at home – meat pies, beer and good friends.

This year’s event kicked off with a long breakfast serving high quality Australian sparkling wine and only got better with a charity auction, raffle prizes and a variety of other football fun – over fifty prizes were up for grabs on the day, including a Barbeque from the BBQ store, two opal necklaces from Cooper Pedy and over 30 vouchers from our generous hotel members.

The game certainly didn’t disappoint – well didn’t disappoint Geelong fans with a 36 point win over Collingwood. Many thanks go to Strategic Airlines for sponsoring the event, AFL AustCham Director, Sam Mizzi for coordinating the event, all the many others who contributed to this event, as well as our following sponsors:


Strategic Airlines 3D Interiors Allied Pickfords The Coffee Club Lady Pie Bangkok Fine Wines Thai Asia Pacific Brewery

AustCham’s Strategic AirlinesAFL Grand Final Day


CHAMBER EVENTS



CHAMBER EVENTS



The rapid pace of technological development has provided a productivity windfall for business. This is particularly true for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), with the smallest of businesses now able to tap capabilities previously available only to large multi-nationals. In the quest for productivity gains, is the next step for SMEs to look to the Cloud?

Cloud-computing experts Khun Patara, Public Sector Director of Microsoft, and Harrison, Director of Business Development of Peppercan, briefed attendees on the potential benefits and limitations of cloud computing, particularly for SMEs. Used to illustrate their points, were their unique cloud-enabled products: the Peppercan enterprise management solution and the soon-to-be-launched in Thailand, Office 365 suite of productivity tools. Thanks to both speakers for a very useful briefing.

“sme Productivity in the cloud?” with Khun Patara Yongvanich and harrison m. Kross on Tuesday, 20 September 2011

At a luncheon held by AustCham with the British and American chambers of commerce, Dr Sirilaksana, Senior Advisor of the National Anti-Corruption Commisson (NACC), gave an update on corruption in Thailand, its impact on the Thai economy, and an analysis of efforts of the National Anti-Corruption Commission in combating corruption. She also outlined the direction anti-corruption efforts are likely to take in Thailand under the new Government.

anti-corruption Luncheon with dr sirilaksana Khoman on Thursday, 15 September 2011

CHAMBER EVENTS

GOLd sPOnsOrs

siLver sPOnsOrs

brOnZe sPOnsOrs

corporate sponsors 2011


A highly-regarded risk management and strategy expert in the energy sector, Mr Morris, briefed AustCham members and friends on the key implications for business of the Australian Government’s possible clean energy future carbon tax scheme. He also discussed the outlook for energy prices in Southeast Asia and Australia and ways to minimise the risk of rising energy costs exploring the impact of a price on carbon, carbon credit opportunities in Southeast Asia and ways of minimising the cost impact on businesses through best practice in energy management. An article on post-carbon tax Australia by M&C Energy can be found on page 10.

CHAMBER EVENTS

Post carbon tax australia with brian morris on Thursday, 22 September 2011

As Governments harden their resolve against bribery and corruption, so too have they extended their legal reach. Australia, the United States and the UK each have anti-bribery laws with extra-territorial – or global – application. In July this year the Australian Federal Police charged two Australian companies and six individuals with bribery of foreign public officials in relation to business dealings in Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. In the same month, the UK introduced arguably the most far-reaching anti-bribery laws to date - with virtually all companies that conduct any business in the UK, or employ UK citizens or provide any services to a UK organisation, subject to its strict regulations.

With penalties ranging from heavy fines to jail sentences, it is crucial that businesses are aware of their legal obligations - no-matter where they are based. To help us understand

anti-corruption Laws breakfast with neil thamotheram on tuesday, 4 October 2011

the obligations that Australian and UK anti-corruption legislation place on businesses operating in Thailand, Grant Thornton invited AustCham members and friends to a briefing by Neil Thamotheram, Partner, Business Risk Services. The article ‘How LEAN are You’ by Grant Thornton can be found on page 6.


CHAMBER EVENTS

1) Saeed Zaki - AustCham Director, dwp; Jonathan Falconer - Akara Mining; Torsten Pinter - Swissotel Nai Lert Park; John Anderson - AustCham President, Meinhardt. 2) Sally Holloway - KiS International School; Mike Holloway - RSM Advisory; David Record - Lyreco; John Pollard - Meinhardt; 3) Nannapat Sriwalai - Grant Thornton; Finbarr O’Connor - Goodyear Asia Pacific. 4) Gerry C. Healy - Raimon Land; Matthew Silvester – Meinhardt; Saeed Zaki – dwp. 5) Khun Hope Pilonthanakul - East West Trading; Marilu Gasser - Swiss Embassy. 6) Abigail Evans – Meinhardt; Khun Anusorn Meekhanthong - Swissotel Nai Lert Park; Allen Howden - Swissotel Nai Lert Park; Lynda Calver - Infinity Financial Solutions. 7) Henry Lee – Grant Thornton; Dao Le Ha - Normandy Capital Management; Ian Pascoe - Grant Thornton; Philip Williams - Infinity Financial Solutions. 8) Khun Pimporn Subintramas - Park Plaza; Peron Jeff; Veronique Sirault - Park Plaza. 9) Torsten Pinter - Swissotel Nai

Sponsored by AustCham Gold Sponsor, Akara Mining, and the beautiful Swissotel Nai Lert Park, October Sundowners attracted over 250 guests. Thanks go to our generous hosts for the evening. Thanks must also go to

those who attended – in a first ever instance, everyone remained quietfor sponsor’s speeches! Many thanks for your cooperation.

bangkok sundowners at swissotel nai Lert Park on Wednesday, 5 October 2011

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CHAMBER EVENTS

Lert Park.10) Shane Torr - AustCham Past President, PeopleServe Asia; Amelia Henty - Australian Embassy. 11) Jonathan Falconer - Akara Mining.12) Daniel Leong – IBM; Nichalin Martina – KPMG. 13) Mark Carroll - AustCham Thailand; Bryan Balmer - Government of Victoria; Tricia Balmer - Government of Victoria. 14) Khun Gavin Vongkusolkit - Heritage Estates; Khun Tharitsada Sabaichai - Baan Laksasubha Resort; Khun Abhasiri Chitkul - Baan Laksasubha Resort. 15) Katharine Mitchell - Ruamrudee International School; David Marrionson - Ruamrudee International School; Andreas Marrionson - Ruamrudee International School. 16) Khun Worarat W. - V. Pack & Move; Khun Thanyarat W. - V. Pack & Move; Khun Charant D. - G4S Security Services; Khun Wattharawee W. - Resource Link; Khun Tummasak S. G4S Security Services. 17) Lynn Tastan - KPMG; Lynette Morris - KPMG; Paul Nelson.

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Berlitz Bangkok Ltd.246 Time Square Building, 2nd FloorSukhumvit 12-14, KlongtoeyKlongtoey, Bangkok 10110Tel: +66 2 231 1711 Fax: +66 2 231 1715Email: [email protected]: www.berlitz.co.th

Chamber RepresentativesMr Narongchan Boontam - Country ManagerMs Anya Lawansiri - Director, Sales Marketing

Field of Activity: Service, English Lan-guage Services - Training

Background: Berlitz International, Inc. was founded in 1878 by Maximilian D. Berlitz in Providence, Rhode Island, USA. He dis-covered and developed Berlitz Method, a system of language teaching that today is still the basis for the world-famous Ber-litz courses. Nowadays Berlitz is a sub-sidiary of Benesse Corporation, a leading Japanese publisher of correspondence courses and other educational materi-als. Berlitz and Benesse together are uniquely positioned to provide for the lan-guage needs – instruction, and publishing – of the global marketplace. Berlitz is the world’s premier language services firm, providing expertise in language instruc-tion throughout the world. We have been teaching languages for 130 years and have millions of successful alumni.

Products or Services: Language instruc-tion | Language assessment & testing services | Business communication skills training | Children and teenagers’ pro-grams | Learning abroad | Global Lead-ership Training | Berlitz Virtual Classroom

iHR Asia (Thailand) Co., Ltd.540 Mercury Tower, 11th FloorPloenchit Road, Lumpini, PathumwanBangkok 10330 ThailandTel: +66 2 305 8787 Fax: +66 2 658 6495Email: [email protected]: www.ihr-asia-pacific.com

Chamber RepresentativesMichael C. Usher - Regional Director Chanida Plengsiang - Business Coordinator

Field of Activity: Consultants, Manage-ment, Training, Surveying

Background: iHR Asia (Thailand) Co. Ltd is the sister company of iHR Australia and World Learning Hub. Their mission is to bring global human resource skills, knowledge and advice to the South East Asian region. Their aim is to assist cli-ents to attain ‘employer of choice’status. Whether training Senior Senior Execu-tives, Line Managers and HR experts in the skills to represent the company as a global employer or providing leading edge business advisory services.

Products or Services:Training: Training programs are inspira-tional and hailed as some of the best in Asia in modifying workplace behaviour and increasing leadership capabilities. The emphasis is always on ‘practicality and reality’ rather than on theory and tra-ditional style presentational techniques.

iHR’s training includes iHR Workplace Reality Theatre incorporating profes-sional actors bringing to life issues like no other medium can. Their demonstrative and participative exercises allow partic-ipants to explore the consequences of behaviour and gain an understanding of how to prevent, remedy and role model appropriate behaviours.

Survey: iHR Asia’s surveys are not just statistical tools. They are designed to provide meaningful analysis and highly practical strategies that can assist to build and remedy workplace culture and leadership capacity. Their range of employee surveys provide clients with a comprehensive strategic analysis of the staff beliefs and perceptions about their workplace.

Ownership: Majority Thai Owned

Affiliates: iHR Australia (Head office in Australia)

Oriental Residence BangkokThai Contractors Asset Co., Ltd.110 Wireless RoadBangkok 10330 ThailandTel: +66 2 252 5538Fax: +66 2 252 5539Email: [email protected]: www.oriental-residence.com

Chamber RepresentativesMr Patrick Schaub - General ManagerMr Kunihiro Iwakiri - Director, Sales & Marketing

Field of Activity: Services, Hospitality – Restaurants

Background: Located on Wireless Road, Oriental Residence Bangkok will open its doors at the end of 2011. The prop-erty features 145 units of accommoda-tion and 46 units of Private Ownership. Residents will enjoy convenient access to the heart of Bangkok’s bustling cen-tral business district with a selection of prime shopping centres and the efficient Bangkok Transit System (BTS) within walking distance of the property.

The property will have a Resident’s Lounge, meeting rooms with natural day light and stunning park view, a fitness centre, a swimming pool, a spa, “Execu-tive Club” style all day dining and a spe-ciality restaurant featuring a Chinese cuisine.

Oriental Residence, Private Ownership, located on the 22nd to 31st floors, will feature one, two and three bedroom suites with an exclusive access to the sky pool and terrace.

Products or Services:• 145 accommodations and 46 pri-

vately owned residence• All day dining café and Chinese spe-

cialty restaurant• Spa• Meeting facilicites

Ownership: Majority Thai owned

Senior Management: • Patrick Schaub - General Manager• Paul Siriroj - Executive Asst. Manager• Kunihiro Iwakiri - Director, Sales &

Marketing• Non Thammathiti - Director, Engineer• Porntip Swangjit - Director, Finance• Napaporn Srisuta - Director, Human

Resources• Pichit Hongthong - Executive Chef• Songsri Salwanna - Executive House-

keeper• Santichai Boonrasri - Residence Man-

ager, Private Ownership

CHAMBER EVENTSNEW MEMBERS AND MEMBERS’ CHANGES


• Mr Supachai Suthipongschai, Chair-man (Consumer Electronic Products Group)

• Mr Tatsuya Miyaki, Managing Director

Senior Management• Mr Somkuan Limrossukon, Assistant

Division General Manager Document Systems Division

• Mr Pongphan Surawatcharoen, Mar-keting Manager DS Marketing Depart-ment Document Systems Division

• Ms Panida Wattanawornsarat, Acting Senior Department Manager Docu-ment Systems Sales Department

Urbaan Real Estate209/1 K Tower B, 15th FloorUnit 3-4, Sukhumvit 21 (Asoke)Klongtoey Neua, WattanaBangkok 10110 Tel: +66 2 664 2784Fax: +66 2 664 2190Email: [email protected]: www.urbaanrealestate.com

Chamber RepresentativesMr David Lawrence – General ManagerMr Paul Grant - Director

Field of Activity: Services - Property/ Real Estate Services

Background: Urbaan Real Estate is a company consisting of highly experi-enced real estate professionals, who have in-depth knowledge of the Thai market and property laws. Under Thai and expatriate management, Urbaan Real Estate is dedicated to finding the right property for clients. Whether you are new to Thailand, or a local resident, we help identify carefully and advised what property suits client’s requirements best, based upon their budget, needs, purpose and lifestyle.

What differentiates Urbaan Real Estate from other real estate agencies are our people, our honesty and integrity and our commitment to providing the opti-mum real estate agency service to our customers.

Starting with the process of identifying the right property, we will always be their

NEW MEMBERS AND MEMBERS’ CHANGES

SHARP Thai Co. Ltd.952 Ramaland Building, 12th Fl.Rama IV Road, SuriyawongBangrak, Bangkok 10500Tel: +66 2 638 3940 Fax: +66 2 638 3645Email: [email protected]: www.sharpthai.co.th

Chamber RepresentativesSomkuan Limrossukon - Assistant Division General Manager Document Systems DivisionPongphan Surawatcharoen - Marketing Department Document Systems Division Background

Field of Activity: Retailer, Distribution and Wholesaling - Office Equipment

Background: Sharp Thai Co., Ltd. is a distributor product under brand “Sharp”. The company is formed from the busi-ness joint venture between three parties. Sharp Group holds 50 per cent share and Bangkok Trading Co., Ltd. and Thai City Electric Co., Ltd. Group hold 25 percent share each. That is combining audio and visual products, office auto-mation products, digital multi-functional copiers/printers and solar module.

This business joint venture aims for their business plan and marketing plan to be united worldwide in order to strengthen its brand and raise efficiency in expand-ing Sharp electronic products in Thai-land. Under the management team which has excessive experience and abilities including the support from Sharp Corporation, the parent com-pany, Sharp Appliance (Thailand) Co., Ltd. and Sharp Manufacturing (Thai-land) Co., Ltd. – which are the manu-facturers of Sharp product. They are confident that Sharp will be able to satisfy client’s needs fully by creating unique innovative products that are user friendly, energy efficient and envi-ronmental friendly.

Products or Services• Audio and Visual• Home Appliances• Business Equipment & Solution• Document Solutions• Solar Cell System

Ownership:• Mr Chittin Sibunruang, Chairman (Doc-

ument & Solution Products Group)

to support clients through the entire pur-chase/lease process. Urbaan can assist with getting quality and fair priced ren-ovations if desired through our alliance with Oliver & Associates.

Ownership: CPD

Senior Management: David Lawrence - General Manager

Change of Company Address

American Axle & Manufacturing(Thailand) Co., Ltd.500/52 Moo 3, ThasitPluakdaeng, Rayong 21140Tel: +66 38 927 200 Fax: +66 38 927 299

Clough (Thailand) Co., Ltd.87 M Thai Tower, All Seasons Place23rd Floor, Unit R-06, Wireless RoadLumpini, PathumwanBangkok 10330, THAILANDTel: +66 2 627 9320Fax: +66 2 627 9001 Email: [email protected]

Change of Company Name

• PTIS International School has changed company name to be Traidhos Three Generation Community for Learning.

• IAG Insurance (Thailand) Ltd. has changed company name to be Safety Insurance Public Company Limited.

Change of Representative

• Mr Courtenay Smith, Manager Asia is a new representative of Intelligent Risks Asia.

• Ms Novielyn C. Acelar, Partner is a new representative of Jus Laws & Consult Co., Ltd.

• Gen. M.L. Vichai Chayangkura, Chair-man is a new representative of Clough (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

• Mr Wayne Ketter, Operations Manager Fabrication is a new representative of Clough (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

• Ms Sorraya Boonsongprasert, is a new representative of HNP Counsel-lors Limited.

• Khun Suteechai Santivarakum, Chief Executive Officer is a new representa-tive of Safety Insurance Public Com-pany Limited.

• Khun Somchai Supapiyodomsiri, Senior Vice President, Sales & Market-ing is a new representative of Safety Insurance Public Company Limited.

• Mr Paul Wilkinson is a new represent-ative of Allied Pickfords.



AUSTCHAM MEMBERS’ OFFERS

baan Laksasubha2 Nights Stay for Only Baht 7,000Baan Laksasubha at Hua Hin is delighted to offer readers two nights stay in the Garden Veranda for only Baht 7,000. Set in plush landscaped gardens, spacious guestrooms are ideal for a romantic getaway or weekend retreat with the family. Enjoy dining at our Costanera Beach Restaurant and Tapas Bar which overlooks a private beach and serves a variety of culinary delights.

Offer Until: 30 NovemberCall: 032 514 525-31Email: [email protected] Promotion Code: ACOO1

coverage20 Percent Discount on BCP PlanningSARS, Tsunami, Bird Flu, Coup, Swine Flu, Riots, - what’s the next X for Thailand? What’s next for your business? Are you prepared? Coverage knows and understands all parts of your business and can help provide a plan, training and exercise for you and your staff in English and Thai. Andrew is offering a 20 per cent discount for all AustCham members.

Offer Until: 31 DecemberCall: 02 261 8485

Park PlazaOpen Kitchen Cooking ClassAustCham members can now enjoy a ten percent discount on our Thai Cooking Class! Choose a two or three course dish package and enjoy cooking in our interactive open kitchen.

Offer Until: 31 March 2012Call: 02 263 5000Email: [email protected]

radisson suites bangkok sukhumvitHappy Hours at asqu“asqu” is a chic and sexy venue- the perfect place to have a relaxing cocktail or enjoy a selection of wine and tapas. asqu offers two happy hours daily, with Boardroom happy hour from 18.00 to 19.00 and Night Owl happy hour from 22.00 to 23.00. Selected drinks are discounted at 30 percent and 50 percent.

Offer Until: 31 December Call: 02 645 4999Email: [email protected]

strategic migrationSpecial Rates on Australian Visa AssistanceStrategic Migration specialise in business and partner visa’s and can also assist other family members. In 20 years we have


never lost an application. We offer a 10 percent discount to all AustCham members. Valid Until: 31 March 2012Call: +66 2 231 8138 Email: [email protected]

the sukhothai bangkok 20 Year Anniversary PromotionTo celebrate 20 years of excellence, The Sukhothai Bangkok is offering Baht 5,500 per room per night in a Superior Room or Baht 6,500 in a Deluxe Studio including buffet breakfast, one complimentary welcome drink at The Zuk Bar and a choice of either Chocolate Buffet for two persons at the Lobby Salon or “Krawaan” Thai set lunch or dinner (food only) for two persons at Celadon restaurant.

Offer Until: 30 November Call: 02 344 8888

sheraton Grand bangkokFRANKLY...I’m Back in TownExperience a magical show of Sinatra’s timeless classics from 30 October to 6 November. AustCham members will receive a 20 percent discount on all packages.

Valid Until: 6 NovemberCall: 02 6498303Email: [email protected]


With that I mind, I would like to encour-age everyone to consider nominating themselves, or someone they know, for the all-new AustCham Australia Day business awards. The awards catego-ries and criteria are completely new and in the vast majority of cases nominees for awards do not need to be AustCham members. If you answer yes to any of the following questions you should con-sider nominating for an award via www.austcamthailand.com/awards:

• Is your business excellent?• Does your business contribute to

Australia-Thai Commerce?• Have you done anything innovative?• Is your business a responsible corpo-

rate citizen?

The AustCham awards are a great way to recognise the success of businesses and business people and I am look-ing forward to many great entries. Stay tuned for details of the business awards ceremony to be held in January 2012.

Mark CarrollExecutive Director, AustCham Thailandwww.austchamthailand.com

FROM THE CHAMBER OFFICE Calendar of Events

Message from the Executive Director

With severe flooding across much of Thailand and water heading towards Bangkok, the situation

as we go to print is quite uncertain. It is unclear whether the capital will be hit and, if so, how hard. What is clear, however, is that the impact of the worst flooding in dec-ades is sure to be profound. The floods are a blow to businesses throughout Thailand, not to mention the personal cost to the many thousands of people whose homes and livelihoods are under water. AustCham members – particularly those in manufactur-ing – have found themselves in challenging personal and professional circumstances.

AustCham has made a donation to flood relief efforts from our Community Ser-vices fund. We will be monitoring the sit-uation closely to determine how else we might contribute, and assist our members. The Australian Government has said it is ready to provide an additional A$500,000 (approximately Bt16 million) to assist Thai families affected by the flood; coming on top of A$5.15 million (approximately Bt164 million) in flood-related assistance already allocated for Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and the Philippines. Australia also flew in 100,000 sandbags for the Royal Thai Army to help with protection of homes and businesses in Bangkok! The flooding – particularly the inundation of a number of industrial estates – has also high-lighted the very important role Thailand plays in the broader regional and global economy. In a globalised world, what happens in one coun-try invariably has inevitable flow-on effects for others. In this case, many productions lines have been halted, including for products that include a wide range of consumer electronics. Global output of hard drives is projected to fall by 30 percent because of the pivotal role Thailand plays in assembling hard drives and producing their components. As one of the world’s major auto-production bases, the pro-jected output loss of around 6,000 – 10,000 vehicles a day is significant and is sure to be noticed overseas. It is a reminder how much economies and societies are now dependent on one another.

Floods notwithstanding, Thailand’s eco-nomic fundamentals are strong and there is no reason to believe that businesses will not bounce back with vigour. Any setback will be only temporary.

THANk yOU TO ALL OCTOBER SPONSORS:

wednesdaY, 2 nOvember bangkok sundowners18.00 – 21.00Venue & Corporate Sponsor: Natural Ville & Le Notre

thursdaY, 3 nOvembercharity high tea 15.00 – 17.00Venue: The Ambassador’s Residence

wednesdaY, 9 nOvemberalumni entrepreneurs: an evening with Khun mechaiGuest Speaker: Khun Mechai ViravaidyaVenue: Glowfish, 6th Floor, ThePride, AsokeTowers

fridaY, 11 nOvembereastern seaboard sundowners18.00 – 21.00Venue: Hard Rock Hotel, PattayaCorporate Sponsor: Strategic Airlines

saturdaY, 12 nOvembervoluntary english teachingBus Departs from Thai CC Building at 8.00Venue: Wat Phra Pathranporn Scool, Sri Ra Cha

tuesdaY, nOvember 15 Lunch with david thompson12.00 - 14.00Venue: nahm, Metropolitan Bangkok

thursdaY, 17 tO saturdaY, 19 nOvemberaba regional forum and iabc business conferenceVenue: Pullman Legian Nirwana, Bali

fridaY, 24 nOvemberPhuket sundownersVenue: Thanyapura Sports and Leisure ClubCorporate Sponsor: Strategic Airlines

Inside Backcover

Bangkok Bank1/1

Note: __________________

size 210 x 297 mm.

Documents

Advance ~ November 2011