TOT president Teerawit Charuwat said that TOT would check to see if its privatisation process strictly complied with the proper procedures but added that he was strongly confident TOT had done nothing wrong.

TOT will also consult with its 100-per-cent shareholder the Finance Ministry on the possible effects of the Supreme Administrative Court's Egat ruling.

Nukul Bawornsirinukul, head of the TOT union, said yesterday that the union would also examine the matter and expects to finish the review within the next two weeks.

TOT began the corporatisation process on July 31, 2002. It has had to repeatedly put off its listing due to uncertain government policy and its own unresolved legal disputes with private concessionaires.

Wattana Iambamrung, head of the staff union at CAT Telecom Plc, also said that the union asked CAT's legal adviser to examine if CAT's privatisation process was in line with the prescribed procedure.

CAT was corporatised on August 14, 2003.

Dhiraphongs Suddhinond, president of Thailand Post Co, a former postal unit of CAT, said that the court ruling on Egat was unlikely to have any impact on the company's plan to list on the local bourse next year.

"We still have time till next year to see the situation," he said.

Thailand Post would not be seriously affected if it could not enter the exchange, as it did not need much capital from the market to further develop its business.

"During this time we just focus on improving our operation," he said.

Telecom Reporters

The Nation