The Kingdom invested US$606 million (Bt23.3 billion) in the country in the period.

Laos News Agency said Vietnamese investors ranked next with $469 million, followed by France ($415 million), Australia ($340 million), China ($278 million), Malaysia ($83 million), South Korea ($60 million), Canada ($46 million), Singapore ($40 million), Switzerland ($31 million), the United States ($15 million), Sweden ($13 million), Norway ($12 million), Japan ($10 million) and Taiwan ($5 million).

The majority of the investments were in the electricity, mining and garment sectors, according to the report.

Karnchang : Share sell-off

Ch Karnchang Plc's board has approved a plan to sell 812,500 of its shares, or a 2.5-per-cent stake, in Thai Tap Water Supply Co to Bangkok Expressway Plc for Bt260 million.

Upon completion of the deal, Ch Karnchang will still hold 15.5 million shares in Thai Tap Water Supply, or 47.7 per cent of its registered capital of Bt3.25 billion, the company said in a filing to the stock exchange.

Bird flu : Smart move

Smart-tek Communications Inc recently announced it was in the initial stages of introducing its "RTAC-PM" poultry monitoring and containment system to officials in Thailand.

Perry Law, president of the US company, said the system was a valuable tool in helping prevent the spread of the deadly H5N1 bird-flu virus.

Initial discussions have taken place to sign a licensing agreement with a firm to market the Smart-tek avian-flu containment solution in Thailand. This would be similar to the arrangement currently in place in the People's Republic of China, Singapore, Hong Kong and Romania, he said.

RTAC-PM was designed for the livestock industry and is targeted primarily at poultry, with user-defined alerts that can assist governmental agencies to monitor the movement of fowl. The system has the flexibility to adapt to various types of OEM (original equipment manufacturer) products, he added.

EU :  Asian trade

The European Union will provide ¤20 million (Bt965 million) to promote trade and investment relations between Europe and Asia.

The funds, which cover this year and next, are part of the EU's Asia Invest Programme between the Union and 19 Asian countries to forge international business links between small and medium-sized enterprises in the two regions.

"This funding demonstrates the importance the European Union places on stimulating economic cooperation between the two regions," said Ambassador Dr Friedrich Hamburger, head of the delegation of the European Commission to Thailand.

"Some 25 million SMEs form the economic backbone of the EU. Likewise, 850,000 SMEs here in Thailand provide the motor that has driven the Kingdom's dynamic development. The Asia Invest programme helps facilitate activities to tap this huge existing potential for SME cooperation and enables European and Asian companies to establish long-term business partnerships," he said.

Logistics : Fair next month

The "Thailand Logistics Fair 2006" will be held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre from July 13-15, with global experts offering information and advice on management and the latest technology.