PRESS DIGEST - Thai newspapers on June 4
BANGKOK, June 4 (Reuters) - These are some of the leading stories in Thai newspapers on Wednesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
TOP STORIES
- The government's talk of using Article 68 of the constitution to disperse the rally of the People's Alliance for Democracy has raised the eyebrows of legal experts and been shrugged off by the protesters (BANGKOK POST)
- A huge number of tourists, particularly from Asia, have cancelled trips to Thailand in the wake of the increased political confrontation, with Malaysia issuing a travel warning and Indonesia planning a similar move (THE NATION)
- Auto companies have expressed concern over government measures to promote E85 gasohol (THE NATION)
- Respected commentator Prawase Wasi suggested Thailand set up a "national government" to end all the conflicts which are gripping politics and the economy and scaring away investors and tourists (THE NATION)
- A debt-ridden businessman is suspected of killing his wife and daughter and setting fire to his house before attempting suicide, police said (BANGKOK POST)
BUSINESS
- Malaysia's political volatility has made its stocks the least favoured in Southeast Asia, according to Goldman Sachs. The U.S. investment bank also recommended that investors pare their holdings in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines as growth and earnings slow (BANGKOK POST)
- The Bank of Thailand has ended its 50-year role as the lender of last resort to aid the real estate sector in times of trouble, in accordance with the new BOT Act (THE NATION)
- Toyota Motor Thailand president Mitsuhiro Sonoda has made it clear that Toyota will not be among the first carmakers to offer E85 gasohol-compatible vehicles. His main concerns are ethanol supply and consumer response (THE NATION)
- PTT Plc (PTT.BK) expects that subsidising fuel prices under government policies will cost the country's biggest oil company up to 14 billion baht this year (BANGKOK POST)
- Despite rising political risks, the country's two largest developers, Land & Houses PLc (LH.BK) and Preuksa Real Estate Plc PS.BK, are revising up their budgets for new land acquisitions (BANGKOK POST) ** Looking for more information from local sources? Factiva.com has eight Thai sources including the Bangkok Post and The Nation. ($1=32.43 Baht)
