PRESS DIGEST - Thai newspapers - August 14
BANGKOK, Aug 14 (Reuters) - These are some of the leading stories in Thai newspapers on Thursday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
TOP STORIES
- Only one of the criminal cases against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra will proceed in his absence while he is a fugitive abroad, a source at the Supreme Court said (BANGKOK POST)
- The opposition Democrat Party will next week ask the Auditor General to investigate recent appointments at three powerful bodies which have oversight authority over the Bank of Thailand and the Securities and Exchange Commission (THE NATION)
- Auditor-General Jaruvan Maintaka, a member of the now defunct Assets Examination Committee (AEC), said four arsonists had tried to destroy her new house, being built in Nonthaburi's Pak Kret district. (THE NATION)
BUSINESS
- General Motors GM.N, the world's largest auto-maker, will invest US$445 million in Thailand on building its first diesel-engine plant in Southeast Asia. The facility will produce engines for its Chevrolet models for sale here and in other markets (THE NATION)
- PTT PCL (PTT.BK) will begin selling E85 gasohol at one of its stations on Aug 29 and aims to make the fuel available at 15 of its stations in greater Bangkok by the end of this year (BANGKOK POST)
- Local manufacturers pledged to cap prices, particularly for essential daily-use goods, until year-end, leaving the government some breathing space from inflationary pressure (BANGKOK POST)
- Long-proposed land and inheritance taxes could finally become law under the Samak Sundaravej government (BANGKOK POST)
- The Bank of Thailand rebuffed criticism by Virabongsa Ramangkura, chief economic adviser to the Prime Minister, and maintained its previous move in the right direction by increasing interest rates to curb inflation (THE NATION)
- Thai Airways International THAI.BK will launch an early-retirement programme to shed 400 staff in the second half of this year, following its biggest quarterly loss in 10 years of 9.2 billion baht (THE NATION)
- Thai food exports are poised to hit a record 750 billion baht this year, a 20 percent growth, thanks to higher global crop prices, according to the forecast of three organisations (THE NATION) ** Looking for more information from local sources? Factiva.com has eight Thai sources including the Bangkok Post and The Nation.
