The government has sanctioned Cambodian labour agencies to send an additional 10,000 workers to Thailand, increasing the total Cambodian workforce here to 70,000 by 2007.

According to Cambodia's AKP news service, Cambodia's Labour Ministry accredited the labour agencies.

It quoted Seng Sakda, the ministry's general director, as saying that Phnom Penh and Bangkok were working together to get much-needed labour to construction sites and factories in Thailand. - The Nation.

Phuket TV now in cyberspace

Phuket English-language television station PGTV will provide content for TT&T's new MaxnetTV.net website.

Maxnet carries television programmes in real time for broadband Internet users.

"MaxnetTV is home to a variety of multimedia content to match the needs and interests of broadband Internet users anytime, anywhere and covering a wide range of lifestyles," said Prachuab Tantinon, TT&T's president.

He added that Maxnet would provide live access to free-to-air channels 5, 7, 9, 11 and iTV as well as to cable and satellite networks.

All programmes are broadcast free. - The Nation.

Asean-China biggest FTA

The Asean-Chinese free-trade area will be the world's largest market with more than two billion customers, according to an Indonesian college professor.

It will be 5.4 times bigger than the European Union and 4.5 times the size of the North American Free-Trade Area, said Lucky Sondakh, a professor at Sam Ratulangi University.

China's booming economy will bolster growth in Asean.

Sondakh said that by 2050, China would generate the world's largest gross domestic product, topping that of the US. That's based on projections of China's purchasing power reaching 1.4 times that of the US. - The Nation.