WEB BBS FEB 18

February 2018 

BANGKOK 

TM 

SUPPLEMENT 

FREE 

COPY 

BUSINESS 

BANGKOK POISED TO BECOME 

THE WORLD’S NEXT GLOBAL MEGA CITY 

COVER STORY OVERLEAF 

INSIDE THIS ISSUE ... 

& E-BUSINESS TAX ON ITS SECOND HEARING 

& FOREIGN CURRENCY UPDATE 

& DOMESTIC CAR SALES EXPECTED TO RISE THIS YEAR 

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BUSINESS SUPPLEMENT 

cover story 

BANGKOK POISED TO BECOME 

THE WORLD’S NEXT GLOBAL MEGA CITY 

Industry experts revealed at Thailand Tourism 

Forum (TTF) 2018 that Bangkok is on the cusp 

of emerging as the world’s next Mega City. 

Within five years, the rapid expansion of Bangkok’s 

Metro systems will succeed in opening 

up unprecedented spaces in the city and with 

it huge opportunities for the travel and tourism 

industry. 

This has not been lost on one of Thailand’s 

most prominent real estate developers, Sansiri 

PLC, who will bring one of the most dynamic 

New York hospitality brands to Bangkok – The 

Standard - in a major foray into hospitality as 

they seek to bring new cutting edge brands to 

the city. 

Sansiri CEO Apichart Chutrakul gave the key 

note interview to open TTF 2018 on ‘MEGACITY 

BANGKOK – A Tourism and Hotel Futurescape’ 

to a packed ballroom of almost 700 travel industry 

delegates from Thailand and across the 

region at the InterContinental Bangkok. 

In the opening remarks, TTF 2018 Co-Organiser 

and Managing Director of C9 Hotelworks said: 

“In five short years the electric metro across 

Greater Bangkok will reach a length of 464 kilometers. 

This will surpass London who stand at 

402 km with their underground and New York 

City’s subway which measures 380 km. The 

great promise of the East has now become the 

new West. Important will be the access to three 

High Tower Co., Ltd. Tel: 038 411 009 

international interconnected airports - Suvarnabhumi, 

Don Mueang and U-Tapao.” 

Global research firm STR’s area director Asia 

Pacific Jesper Palmqvist added that Bangkok 

was on a strong growth trajectory in terms of 

hotel performance and infrastructure development 

would only support this further. “With almost 

three years of stable growth in terms of 

hotel performance, Bangkok has firmly put the 

2014 decline far behind. By November 2017, 

RevPAR had grown 3.4% year-over-year, and 

this against a backdrop of some reasonable 

strong supply increase at 4.1%. 

“The impressive numbers are held up by an 

ever stable demand growth of around 5% for 18 

months after the comeback in 2015, but hotels 

have also been able to increase rates by more 

than 2% even with new competing product coming 

to market. But it’s not just short-term – no 

less than seven of the months in 2017 saw 10- 

year records in absolute RevPAR performance 

– that’s a sign of very strong growth during the 

past 10 years for the mega city.” 

In addition to Apichart Chutrakul, CEO of Sansiri 

PLC, speakers and panelists at TTF 2018 

included Dillip Rajakarier, CEO of Minor Hotel 

Group; Supoj Chaiwatsirikul, Managing Director, 

ICONSIAM; Nikhom Jensiriratanakorn, Director 

of Horwath HTL; Thomas Schmelter, IHG’s 

Director of Operations for Thailand & Indochina; 

Mike Batchelor, JLL’s Managing Director, Investment 

Sales for Asia; Jesper Palmqvist, 

STR’s Area Director for Asia Pacific; Thomas 

Schmelter, Director of Operations - Thailand & 

IndoChina, IHG Group; and many more. 

For all your advertising enquiries - Tel: 0846 77 43 60


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www.Thailand-Business-Supplement.com


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E-BUSINESS TAX ON ITS 

SECOND HEARING 

The Revenue Department’s director-general, 

Prasong Poontaneat, 

expects the annual tax 

growth rate to triple once a new 

e-business tax commences. The 

e-business tax will be a levy on 

any online transaction, regardless 

of where the operator is located. 

Currently, overall tax revenue has 

increased year-on-year by about 

five per cent per year, but this 

figure is expected to jump to 15 

per cent once the e-business tax 

is fully in force. The director general 

has a revenue target of 1.93 

trillion baht this year. A target of 

2 trillion baht is set for the 2019 

budget. The Revenue Department 

slightly missed its targets in previous 

years with a shortfall of 

around 70 billion baht. (0.07 Trillion 

baht) 

Website operators who have a 

Thai domain name and who accept 

payments in Thai Baht will 

be subject to the new e-business 

tax. Those website operators who 

earn a passive income from advertising 

will be required to put 

aside an amount in the form of a 

withholding tax and remit this to 

the Revenue Department. 

The initial rate ceiling of the withholding 

tax is to be set at 15 per 

cent but the rate will vary depending 

on what various websites offer 

and how their incoming revenue is 

gained. As well, overseas website 

operators who sell into Thailand 

will need to register for VAT if their 

annual sales exceed 1.8 million 

baht. With VAT in mind, the new 

e-business tax will remove the 

VAT exemption for goods bought 

online from an overseas vendor 

that are worth less than 1500 baht. 

The draft bill has already been 

submitted and will be subject to 

a second hearing by the Revenue 

Department later this month 

before a proposal for cabinet approval 

gets underway. A measure 

of public opinion about the tax is 

also to be taken as part of the 

second hearing. 

The e-business tax system is likely 

to be very efficient and streamlined, 

as the department will be 

alerted to every transaction on 

line automatically. 

As part of the e-business tax 

system implementation, the Revenue 

Department expects to 

spend some 2.3 billion baht on a 

data collection and data analytics 

system. 

Other measures to increase tax 

revenue, aside from the e-business 

tax, are the expectations 

that investment in the Eastern 

Economic Corridor (EEC) will 

generate tax revenue as goods 

and services start to roll out from 

the region. 

Revenue from the construction 

sector is expected to be the forerunner 

as construction of industrial 

parks, housing and transportation 

hubs takes place. The EEC will 

also generate tax revenues as a 

boost of exports of farm produce 

and oil products takes place, both 

of which are seeing rising prices 

of late. 



THAILAND BUSINESS NEWS 

Thailand looking to woo more German investment 

Thailand is seeking more investment from 

German companies particularly in its so-called 

“S-Curve” industries that comprise of 10 specially 

targeted sectors. These include: robotics 

for industry, smart electronics, medical and 

wellness tourism, digital and medical services, 

next-generation cars, agriculture and biotechnology, 

food, biofuels, biochemicals, logistics 

and aviation. 

Thailand’s Commerce Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong, 

who met the German Ambassador to 

Thailand, Peter Prugel recently, made it clear 

that he was keen to co-operate with German 

companies, and saw that many have expertise 

in various sectors particularly the automotive 

sector. 

Mr. Sontirat was quoted as saying, ”At the 

meeting, the two parties were very keen to 

expand cooperation in trade and investment.” 

There are more than 600 German firms operating 

in Thailand currently and Germany is 

Thailand’s largest trading partner in the EU. 

SCB, KBank report lower profits. 

Siam Commercial Bank and Kasikorn Bank, 

two of the largest commercial banks in Thailand, 

reported a drop in net profits for 2017 and 

especially in the last quarter. 

Part of the reason for the profit drop was the 

larger than normal provision for bad debts. 

Kasikorn bank was the worst performer. Its net 

profit dropped by 14.5 per cent to 34.3 billion 

baht in the full year 2017. Fourth quarter earnings 

plunged nearly 44 per cent year-on-year to 

5.71 billion baht. 

Although the bank’s overall non-performing 

loan ratio slightly improved to 3.3 per cent from 

3.32 per cent, there was a large charge for full 

year loan loss coverage that jumped 23.9 per 

cent to 41.8 billion baht. Fees and interest 

income rose 6 per cent and 5 per cent respectively 

but even these were unable to put much 

of a dent in the profit decline. 

Siam Commercial Bank posted net profits 

down from 47.6 billion baht the previous year 

to just 43 billion baht in 2017. 

Asia Plus Securities vice-president Usanee 

Liurut, was quoted as saying, ”Regulatory risk 

was a key factor pressuring banks’ provisions 

and earnings in 2017, and the heavy impact 

was seen in the fourth quarter.” 

Freight terminals expected in another four 

locations. 

According to the Transport Ministry, Freight 

terminals in the form of cross-docking centers 

are expected to be expanded in four more 

provinces this year as part of a wider expansion 

that could see eleven more centers created 

in all. 

The news came as construction started at 

Chiang Rai’s Chiang Khong location. It was 

announced that four more terminals would be 

constructed in Nong Khai, Tak, Nakhon Phanom 

and Mukdahan. 

The Chiang Rai center will provide a single 

point for all requirements for cargo transportation 

from China through Laos and into Thailand. 

The first phase is expected to be complete 

by 2020. 

Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith 

was quoted as saying, ”The ministry is aware 

of the significance of freight transport and we 

are pushing the project. Once it’s completed 

there will be customs, immigration and quarantine 

(CIQ) operations at the center.” 

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Junk files are files that remain on your 

computer after a task has been performed. 

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while doing some task and then forgets 

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As time goes by, your computer is full of 

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there. Did you install all of them or do 

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doubts about some of them, search for 

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Programs who may have got into your 

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Uninstall unwanted programs! 

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it on. Quite expecting their experience to 

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bad taste in the mouth, when they find 

their new Windows PC machine running 

slow, freezing or crashing frequently. 

So take the help of some free anti-bloatware 

tools such as ‘should I remove it’. 

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defragment the Disk, in order to get 

some improvement in performance. But 

now you need not. Firstly, Disk read-write 

speeds are really good and stacking 

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difference plus CPUs are more 

powerful now. Windows 10 includes an 

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that does all this, but defragging your 

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6. It is a good practice to check your 

hard disk drive for errors using a tool 

built into Windows called CHKDSK or 

Check Disk. In Windows 10, Microsoft 

has redesigned the chkdsk utility. The 

disk is periodically checked for file system 

errors, bad sectors, lost clusters, etc, 

during Automatic Maintenance and you 

now no longer need to really go and run 

it if you are running Windows 10. 

7. Lastly, keep your Windows operating 

system, your antivirus software, browser 

and your other installed software, always 

updated to their latest versions. You 

should also wipe your device externally 

and keep it clean and dust-free. 

Do all this, and you could have a smooth 

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JUST THE STATISTICS 

While bar charts, line graphs and 

simple numbers are hardly capable 

of providing the defining answer 

to many economic, social and political 

questions, they are certainly 

a good way of obtaining a general 

overview of any particular subject. 

Each month the Business Supplement 

will look into a brace of 

statistical information and provide 

readers with what we consider to 

be the central elements of these 

figures. 

Debt-to-GDP ratios 

According to data accrued from 

official government and central 

bank figures, debt-to-GDP ratios 

around the world have increased 

in recent years, much of it due to 

low interest rates. The Asian Development 

Bank (ADB) believes 

the debt that has piled up in Asia 

during the recent period of low 

interest rates may pose a risk to 

financial stability. 

Executive Officer (CEO) in Thailand 

earns $64,984 per annum. 

That places the difference between 

a CEO and the average 

worker at around 3.94, one of the 

smallest gaps across the world. 

In Malaysia this figure climbs to 

$26,723 while Singapore ranks 

as easily the leader in Southeast 

Asia at a whopping $86, 232. 

Obesity across the Asia-Pacific 

There is a general feeling among 

expats and regular visitors to 

Thailand that it was rare to find 

an overweight person. According 

to figures released by the World 

Health Organisation (WHO) this 

anecdotal evidence appears to be 

very much spot on. 

In 1990, just 14.2 percent of 

adults (those aged 18 or over) in 

Thailand were considered overweight 

while 2.2 percent were 

considered obese. 

Thailand ranks 93rd in the world 

with a 50.4 percent debt of GDP. 

By comparison, Japan is the 

most in-debt nation in the world 

with debt as percentage of GDP 

standing at an astounding 234.7 

percent. Maybe surprisingly, 

Singapore ranks ninth with 110.5 

percent. Other potentially surprising 

rankings are Laos (65th) 

at 61.6 percent debt to GDP, Malaysia 

(80th) at 55.1 percent and 

Vietnam (81st) at 54.9 percent. 

Who makes the money? 

In US dollar terms and adjusted 

for purchasing power parity the 

average GDP per capita in Thailand 

is $16,483 per annum. It’s 

notable that the average Chief 

Fast forward to 2016 and the 

number of overweight adults has 

jumped to 32.6 percent while the 

percentage of obese adults is now 

10 percent. 

Notably, females are worse. 35.6 

percent of females aged 18 and 

over considered overweight 

while for males the figure is 29.2 

percent. 

By comparison, in 1990 only 7.3 

percent of adults in Vietnam were 

considered overweight and a 

mere 0.2 percent obese. In 2016, 

those numbers were still pretty 

low at 18.3 and 2.1 percent respectively. 




are located. Prices in this area jumped 16 per 

cent to hit nearly 240,000 baht per square 

meter due to limited supply and increased land 

prices. 

Yannawa, Bang Khoaem and Klong San saw 

12 per cent increases to 175,000 baht per 

square meter, whilst Klong Toey saw price increases 

of 11 per cent to 210,000 baht. 

Lesser price increases were found in more 

remote parts of the city, but prices rose nonetheless. 

In Lat Phrao prices rose six per cent to 

72,000 baht per square meter and in Chaeng 

Watthana prices remained amongst the lowest 

in the city rising by only two per cent to 62,000 

baht per square meter 

CONDO PRICES LIKELY TO RISE BY 8% IN 2018 

According to the leading property consultant, 

Nexus Property Marketing Co., condo prices 

may see a rise of eight per cent this year on 

average. This is in spite of the fact that a new 

land and buildings tax is due to come into force 

in early 2019, 

Indeed condo prices will likely keep rising as 

land supply becomes ever more scarce, especially 

in property hot spot areas. 

Prices per square meter in Bangkok were likely 

to average 130,600 compared to 121,000 last year. 

All of these price rises come with a bit of a 

quandary and that is that new condo supply is 

running much higher than the average. Generally 

in a market when there is rising supply, 

prices fall, but the opposite seems to have 

occurred in Bangkok. Supply of condos hit 

550,000 units nationwide and in Bangkok new 

condo (finished) supply hit 53,600 units, some 

15 per cent higher than the 5 year running 

average. New condo launches in Bangkok this 

year hit 62,700 units within 128 projects, the 

highest level seen in a decade. 

The managing director of Nexus Property Marketing 

Co., Nalinrat Chareonsuphong was quoted 

as saying, “There is unlikely to be forced sales 

among landowners who are pressured by the 

land and buildings tax,” adding, “If the tax is effective, 

they have options to apply to their assets 

anyway and will not need to sell the plots.” 

Across Bangkok different areas enjoyed different 

price rises based on the previous year-onyear 

data. 

The highest price increases were seen in 

Pathumwan and Ratchathewi, near where the 

Baiyoke Tower and the Pantip computer mall 

Ms. Nalinrat was also quoted as saying, ”Next 

year the property market will be in transition, 

driven by various factors including foreign investment, 

exponential growth in Cambodia, 

Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, the ageing 

population and technology for new property 

developments.” 

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The Amazing International Appeal of 

& 

While both the Moom Talay Thai and Toscana Italian restaurants attract customers 

simply because of their wonderful location on Beach Road, looking out over 

Pattaya Bay, after a few visits it becomes quite discernable that both also attract 

diners from virtually all corners of the globe. 

On any given high season night there 

might be a clutch of Australians indulging 

in a variety of dishes, including lamb, 

while at the next table will be a couple 

from Singapore sampling the best of the 

Thai dishes from Moom Talay while also 

sharing a generous pizza. Nearby them 

may be a couple of Portuguese expats 

who have come for a sojourn in Pattaya 

from their long-time base in Macau. 

Elsewhere there will tables of Brits, both 

expats and holidaymakers, a few Americans, 

some South Koreans, a clutch of 

Japanese and a boisterous group of 

Norwegians. Of course there will also be 

plenty of Italians, from all over Italy, as well 

as Thais. 

In many ways an Italian restaurant is the 

culinary equivalent of the Irish Pub. Every 

where in the world there seems to be an 

Irish bar and these places tend to be 

popular with all nationalities. So too with 

Italian restaurants. Go almost anywhere 

and there will be an Italian eatery of some 

sort as pizza and pasta seem to be almost 

universally popular. 

Arguably, Toscana and Moom Talay are 

the Irish pub of Pattaya restaurants, especially 

along the prime tourist attraction 

of Pattaya Bay. Like the Irish, the Italians 

tend to be a popular across all nationalities. 




Notably, the 16-page Moom Talay restaurant 

menu is written in five languages, 

including Chinese and Russian, which is 

surely unique in Pattaya and serves to 

recognise just how wide the customer base 

for both Toscana and Moom Talay happens 

to be. 

There’s no doubt the management of 

Toscana have remained true to their forebears. 

Mine host Luca has steadfastly 

stuck to the tried and time-honoured 

methods of his farming heritage. He knows 

what he needs to do to create a special 

culinary experience for those diners who 

truly understand what it is to experience a 

specific regional cuisine in a foreign setting 

like Pattaya. 

Mention the Tuscany region of Italy and 

most people will be aware that it is often 

represented as the breadbasket of the 

country, an area of sweeping plains and 

fertile valleys where traditional farming 

methods and practices serve to produce 

some of the finest foods. 

The proof is easy to see. Year after year 

the two restaurants keep seeing familiar 

faces. After all, one of the true tests of any 

quality restaurant is consistency. If a diner 

finds a dish or dishes he or she loves, they 

will come back time and again to indulge 

their desire for those special tastes. Both 

Toscana and Moom Talay have some 

unique dishes on their menu which 

lend themselves to attracting a 

loyal and regular clientele. 

Trattoria Pizzeria TOSCANA Restaurant 

and the Moom Talay Thai Restaurant are 

located on Beach Road, Pattaya (between 

Soi 6 and Soi 7). Telephone: 038 362 370; 

Fax: 038 362 371; 

email: tirreno@ptty2.loxinfo.co.th 

For reservations: Phone 081 861 3446. 

Trattoria Pizzeria Toscana 

Moom Talay Thai Restaurant 

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and dimmest areas of captured images, 

ensuring that every critical shot is as clear as 

possible. Night or day, the camera can clearly 

record details such as license plate numbers at 

30 fps at 1080p Full HD. 

Additional key features: Time-Lapse Video, 

Headlight Reminder, Driver Fatigue Alert 

In addition to on-the-road safety, Transcend’s 

DrivePro 130 & DrivePro 110 also come 

equipped with various useful features. When 

the vehicle is parked, the driver can enable the 

time-lapse video recording function to get right 

to the heart of the matter without needing to 

view hours of incident-free footage. When the 

DrivePro detects poor lighting conditions, the 

Headlight Reminder will be activated. To help 

prevent tired drivers from getting into an accident, 

the Driver Fatigue Alert regularly reminds 

a driver of the need to rest after driving for a 

preset, driver-determined period of time. 

Wi-Fi Connectivity and DrivePro App 

The DrivePro 130 features Wi-Fi connectivity 

that works with both iOS and Android devices 

through the free, exclusive DrivePro App. 

While the driver is busy driving, passengers 

can view and download videos and images captured 

via the DrivePro App, and also change 

settings to make for a safer drive. This also 

means ease of access to video evidence for 

reporting incidents to law enforcement and 

insurance companies without the need to pull 

out the memory card. 

Exclusive DrivePro Toolbox 

The user-friendly DrivePro Toolbox features a 

sorting function to quickly locate video clips by 

filename, recording date, or group. The Drive- 

Pro Toolbox also provides a screenshot function 

allowing for the capture of a single frame 

that can be tailored so that users can rapidly 

find the shot they are seeking. 

The DrivePro 130 and DrivePro 110 dashcams 

are backed by Transcend’s Two-year Limited 

Warranty. The MSRP of DrivePro 130 is 4300 

THB and DrivePro 110 is 3700 THB. 

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with some of the upward traction erased by 

the Thai Baht’s recent strength. Some currency 

booths have now reduced spreads on the 

Pound citing more modest movement of late. 

The USD/JPY cross rate has also been quite 

a mover, running from 113.10 to 108.9 and not 

recovering any ground. When the Dollar-Yen 

cross rate falls, the Yen is becoming stronger 

because the indication is that it takes less yen 

to buy 1 US Dollar. Against the Thai Baht, the 

Yen dipped but then recovered, falling from 

0.2868 to 0.2830 before regaining its posture 

to hit 0.2874. 

FOREIGN CURRENCY UPDATE 

The US Dollar has taken a battering from already 

low levels to move even lower. It has 

weakened in the last few weeks by about 4 per 

cent following a 1.5 per cent decline the previous 

month. The DXY Dollar index, (an index 

that measures the US Dollar’s value against a 

basket of other currencies), has fallen from 93.4 

to drop to a low of 88.9 before recovering to 

89.1. Against the Thai Baht the rate has moved 

from 32.44 to below 31.50, hitting 31.40, a multi 

year low for the dollar and a multi year high for 

the Thai Baht. 

The British Pound jumped from 1.35 to the US 

Dollar to hit 1.43 before dropping back slightly to 

1.4289. This move could be attributed to the 

dollar’s weakness but there are other factors that 

call for Sterling strength such as positive meetings 

with the EU of late. Against the Thai Baht 

the Pound rose slightly from 43.85 to 44.87, 

The Russian Ruble strengthened against the 

US Dollar and moved from 58.1 to 56.16, 

mirroring the 3 per cent or so move in the 

dollar. The move was quite steady and there 

was little volatility as it made its mark. When 

compared to the Thai Baht, the Ruble has 

come out little changed due to Baht strength. 

It rose from 0.56 to 0.568, only to lose that 

ground and return to 0.561. 

The Euro/USD rate has been the main mover 

and this is hardly surprising since the Euro is 

weighted in the basket of currencies that make 

up the dollar index to the extent that more than 

half the basket contains Euros. The move was 

quite gentle from 1.182 to 1.20, and then a 

swift move up through the previous multi year 

high of 1.21 to 1.2433 took place. The Euro 

rests in the 1.2400 to 1.2450 area, a new 

multi-year high. Against the Thai baht the Euro 

fluctuated quite a bit but in the end gained only 

slightly from 38.8 to 39.05. 




Photo courtesy of 

Nissan Thailand 

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DOMESTIC CAR SALES 

EXPECTED TO RISE THIS YEAR 

Several undercurrents will drive 

Thailand’s automotive sector in 

2018 according to the Federation 

of Thai Industries. (FTI). 

On the one hand the domestic 

market for cars and pick up trucks 

is strong and is expected to grow 

by about two per cent to 870,000 

units. 

Exports on the other hand are 

expected to stay steady at 1.1 

million units, and may be affected 

by various rules and regulations 

on tariffs and other non-tariff 

barriers in several countries both 

locally and globally. 

Overall, car production in Thailand 

will rise around 1 per cent to 1.97 

million units in 2018 to cover both 

the domestic and export markets. 

Regarding the measure of possible 

non tariff barriers, the spokes 

person of the FTI’s Automotive 

Industry Club, Surapong Paisitpatanapong 

was quoted as saying, 

“This measure can result 

in a large momentum for global 

trade, which will affect the country’s 

automotive exports,” adding, 

“Vietnam for example may have a 

car inspection barrier at its ports 

even as it is set to reduce import 

duties for Thai-made cars early 

next year” 

The local market has benefitted 

from, and is expected to continue 

to bask in good economic conditions 

with Thai GDP expected to 

hit up to four per cent in 2018. 

Growth will likely pick up pace 

due to government infrastructure 

projects, increases in tourism 

expenditure and growth in exports 

in many sectors. 


Surapong Paisitpatanapong was 

also quoted as saying, “We are 

not worried about the local market 

in 2018 although the growth pace 

may be slower than in 2017,” adding, 

“Once massive public and 

private investments set in, the car 

market may expand higher that 

we expected” 

New car launches have also 

buoyed the domestic market with 

grand advertising schemes attracting 

prospective buyers for 

new models. 

In related news the FTI’s Automotive 

Industry Club reported that 

production in the last reported 

period, November 2017, rose by 

a bigger than expected 11.5 per 

cent to 190,385 vehicles. The increase 

was mainly due to a rise in 

the production of pick up trucks, 

up nearly a third, to 70,236 units. 

Exports were also up in November 

by 4.64 per cent to 103,042 vehicles. 

November numbers topped off 

a good rate of increase in 2017. 

In the first 11 months of the year, 

production rose 1.27 per cent to 

1.83 million units. However In the 

same period exports were down 

5.31 per cent to 1.04 million units. 

The total value of exports in the 

auto sector was 553 billion baht 

in the period. 

Mr. Paisitpatanapong was also 

further quoted as saying, “Car 

exports have declined for two 

consecutive years while the domestic 

car market has picked up 

for the first time in five years. 

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SUDOKU 

These Sudoku puzzles are pitched at a middle level: not too easy, 

and not too frustratingly hard, for the average person. 

We will publish the solutions in next month’s issue. 

Last months sudoku answers 

ACROSS 

1/ Left Out (7) 

6/ Tally (5) 

7/ Crazy person, slang (3) 

8/ Huge (7) 

9/ Smooth Fabric (5) 

10/ Oxford English Dictionary, init. (3) 

12/ Scales Down (7) 

CROSSWORD 

DOWN 

1/ Acquires (7) 

2/ Insinuated (9) 

3/ Claw (5) 

4/ Perilous (9) 

5/ Additional (5) 

11/ Noise (3) 

TRIVIA Quiz 

1. Which number US fleet is based in Bahrain and patrols 

the Persian Gulf region? 

2. Which nation has had the most yellow cards for foul 

play handed out to it in football World Cup history? 

3. Who was the father of Alexander the Great? 

4. What do the C.S. stand for in the novelist C.S. Lewis’ 

name? 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

5. Who directed the Academy Award winning film 

The Hurt Locker? 

6. Which country has the longest coastline in the world? 

6 

7 

7. In cricket, which Australian batsman, and former captain, 

holds the record for the most Test centuries in a calendar 

year, with seven? 

8. What is the second-deepest marine trench in the world 

after the Mariana’s Trench? 

8 

9. True or False, Russia shares a common border with 

North Korea? 

10. What is the name of The Simpson’s pet greyhound? 

9 10 11 

Answers 

1. Fifth Fleet 2. Argentina 3. Philip II of Macedon 4. Clive Staples 5. Kathryn Bigelow 6. Canada 

7. Ricky Ponting 8. Tonga Trench 9. True (19 kilometres) 10. Santa’s Little Helper 

12 

CROSSWORD ANSWERS 

ACROSS 1/ Omitted 6/ Total 7/ Nut 8/ Immense 9/ Satin 10/ OED 12/ Reduces 

DOWN 1/ Obtains 2/ Intimated 3/ Talon 4/ Dangerous 5/ Extra 11/ Din 

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*The Bangkok Business Supplement is published by High Tower Co., Ltd.


AIRASIA STAYS AHEAD IN THE DOMESTIC 

MARKET ADDING FREQUENCY TO UBON 

RATCHATHANI, KHON KAEN, BURIRAM, 

UDON THANI AND CHIANG RAI 

BOSTON MARKET PRODUCTS 

ARRIVE IN THAILAND 

The U.S. Embassy in Thailand 

together with Charoen Pokphand 

Foods PLC (CPF) unveils “Boston 

Market”-labeled premium American 

frozen food in Thailand, enticing 

Thai consumers and American 

food enthusiasts to have a bite of 

the authentic products now available 

at 7-Eleven convenience 

stores and CP Fresh Mart. 

H.E. Glyn T. Davies, US Ambassador 

to Thailand and Dhanin 

Chearavanont Sr., chairman of 

Charoen Pokphand Group, preside 

over the opening of the container 

stuffed with frozen food 

from the famous restaurant chain, 

Boston Market, at US Ambassador’s 

Residence on Wireless 

Road, Bangkok. Available for the 

first time in Thailand are 4 tophit 

menus; Salisbury Steak (Two 

Steak Patties in Gravy with Macaroni 

& Cheese), Beef Steak & 

Pasta (Seasoned Beef Steak in 

Mushroom Gravy over Pasta), 

Chicken Parmesan (Breaded 

White Meat Chicken & Spaghetti 

with Marinara Sauce & Mozzarella 

Cheese), and Chicken Fettuccine 

Alfredo (Grilled White Meat 

Chicken, Fettuccine & Broccoli in 

a Creamy Alfredo Sauce). 

“Boston Market Home Style 

Meals are delicious and convenient. 

They are terrific American 

products that have just arrived in 

the Thai market. Available at 7-11 

stores throughout the Kingdom, 

the Thai people can get this great 

food anytime, just next door to 

home or work. Enjoy!” said U.S. 

Ambassador Glyn Davies. 

Mr. Boonchai Opas-iam-likit, US 

Business Chairman of CPG, noted 

that the “Boston Market” label 

has been popular in several U.S. 

states thanks to the unique characteristics 

and world-class production 

standards, being a right 

choice for the new-generation 

American food admirers. Boston 

Market is one of top brands of 


Bellisio Foods, now part of CPF’s 

business in the United States. 

“Under CPF’s “Kitchen of the 

World” vision, the launch of this 

authentic American dishes not 

only offers a new food choice to 

Thai consumers but also serves 

as an exchange of food culture 

between the two countries. This 

will also pave way for food inventions 

for consumers in the future,” 

Mr. Boonchai said. 

Mr. Prasit Boondoungprasert, 

Chief Operating Officer - International 

Trade and Business Development 

of CPF, said that Boston 

Market marked the first American 

frozen products imported by CPF. 

Boston Market fits the new lifestyle 

of Thai consumers, foreigners, 

tourists and all in Thailand 

who are familiar with authentic 

American food. 

He added that Boston Market 

products have been available at 

7-Eleven and CP Fresh Mart in 

Bangkok since December 2017, 

at the per-pack price of Bt149- 

Bt155. In March, they will be 

available at leading supermarkets. 

CPF also sees an opportunity to 

market these products in Asia 

which shows high economic 

growth potential. 

Owned by Steven Kolow and Arthur 

Cores, Boston Market’s first 

home-styled meals restaurant 

was opened in December 1984 

in Newton, Massachusetts. The 

brand has quickly gained popularity 

and witnessed fast expansion 

thanks to the authentic tastes. In 

1999, Bellisio, together with Boston 

Market restaurant, introduced 

home style frozen meals under 

Boston Market Brand which offers 

convenience and varieties 

of menus. Today, Boston Market 

Brand is widely available at over 

20,000 leading supermarkets 

across the United States. 

Thai AirAsia is bolstering its flight 

network in an affirmation of its leadership 

in the domestic market, increasing 

frequency on 5 routes in 

the Northeast and North in response 

to demand for greater travel convenience. 

Mr. Santisuk Klongchaiya, Director 

of Commercial for Thai AirAsia, said 

that while AirAsia is already a leader 

in the domestic market it will spend 

2018 reiterating its ability to respond 

to market needs by adding new 

routes and increasing flight frequencies 

to popular destinations, which 

will also satisfy government and 

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) 

policies on stimulating local economies. 

The airline has seen a rapid 

and sustained rise in demand for domestic 

flights and is taking the opportunity 

to increase flights in both 

the country’s northeast and northern 

regions, adding travel options for 

passengers of every lifestyle. 

The 5 routes where frequencies 

will be increased start with Bangkok-Ubon 

Ratchathani; from 2 to 

3 flights per day, Bangkok-Khon 

Kaen; from 5 to 6 flights per day and 

Bangkok-Buriram; from 1 to 2 flights 

per day. These routes will see added 

flights from 9 March 2018 onward. 

Bangkok-Udon Thani, which will 

be increased from 4 to 5 flights per 

day and Bangkok-Chiang Rai, going 

from 5 to 6 flights per day, will have 

their flights added from 15 February 

2018. 

“These domestic routes have proven 

to be consistently popular, with 

all maintaining a Load Factor average 

of 90 percent through 2017. 

AirAsia reminds however, that it 

does not only fly domestically out of 

Don Mueang Airport but also operates 

flight bases in Phuket, Chiang 

Mai, Krabi, Pattaya (U-Tapao) and 

Hat Yai to offer travelers the most 

convenience possible” Mr. Santisuk 

remarked. 

Thai AirAsia currently operates 36 

domestic routes and with its latest 

frequency increases will be flying 

122 times each day, maintaining it 

as the airline with the most extensive 

domestic network as well as its 

readiness to meet a range of passenger 

demands. 

SENSE OF TOUCH AT RENAISSANCE 

BANGKOK RATCHAPRASONG HOTEL 

It is believed that the simple act of 

touch has the ability to connect, 

stimulate, relax and regenerate 

the body’s natural healing process. 

Quan Spa of Renaissance Bangkok 

Ratchaprasong Hotel invites you 

to rejuvenate yourself with the new 

“Sense of Touch”. 

Until the end of June, Quan Spa is 

offering a ‘Sense of Touch’ pampering 

treatment – a 120-minute 

journey featuring a relaxing herbal 

steam, an invigorating body scrub 

and a soothing massage of your 

choice. Just step into our haven for 

pure indulgence. 

Priced at B2,900++ per person. 

Water is the driving force of all nature, 

it has the ability to cleanse, 

balance and heal. Health through 

water is one of the core philosophy 

of Quan Spa. At Quan Spa, where 

purity and tranquility meet indulgence 

and relaxation, it is the perfect 

sanctuary for the mind and body. 

For more information or reservations, 

please contact 0 2125 5000. 


CONDO 

FOR SALE 

Condo near BTS Prakanong - 64 sqm 

WATERFORD PARK, RAMA 4 - SOI POOMJIT 

6th floor, completely renovated. 2 bedrooms, 2 balconies 

garden view. Close to amenities and transportation 

(BTS/Expressway). Modern style decoration and furniture. 

Western style kitchen, built-in appliances. 

OWNER FINANCING AVAILABLE 

081-996-3692 

reneneef@hotmail.com 

3.5 

Mb

WEB BBS FEB 18

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