Pramote Vidtayasuk, director-general of the Industrial Promotion Department, said yesterday the project was part of the government's Bangkok Fashion City Road Show 2005/6 strategy to penetrate eight targeted export markets.

Australia is a high potential export market for Thai products, and selected brands will be on show at the Mercedes Australian Fashion Week Spring/Summer 06-07, from April 26-30.

Lychee glut looms

Lychee-growers have urged the government to shore up prices because production is expected to be up 20 per cent on last year. The seasonal fruit will be on the market next month

Viroj Pongtawee, head of the Lychee-Growers' Cooperative in Chiang Mai, said yesterday production was expected to reach 30,000 tonnes this year. As a result, growers will face problems with price competition.

Farmers will also face losses because production costs have doubled from Bt22 to more than Bt40 per kilogramme.

The cooperative also wants the government to prepare a marketing plan to help absorb the oversupply.

It has also asked it to provide Bt6 million in loans to purchase and process the surplus produce.

Big Mango's lure

The expatriate community in Bangkok has grown by over 13.8 per cent from December 2004 with 61,913 work permits being granted to foreign personnel, according to CB Richard Ellis's residential rental report.

This report, however, excludes diplomatic staff. Twenty-two per cent of the total number of expatriates were Japanese followed by Indians (12 per cent), Chinese (9 per cent), British (9 per cent), and American (7 per cent).

These numbers are expected to grow, in particular Japanese expats due to the growth in the number of Japanese companies moving their manufacturing facilities to Thailand.

The supply of apartments in central Bangkok increased slightly in 2005 to 9,953, a 1.4-per-cent increase from the third quarter of 2005.