The Democrat Party will present a petition to caretaker Commerce Minister Somkid Jatusripitak on Friday seeking the immediate release of results from the department's investigation of Kularb Kaew Co Ltd's status in the Temasek Holdings-Shin Corp acquisition.

Democrat MP Kiat Sithi-amorn said the investigation was complete and the ministry should not buy further time, or it could violate the Criminal Code's Article 157 for negligence.

He also questioned the legitimacy of the Commerce Ministry's investigation committee as well as the qualifications of its members, particularly those of a representative from the Intellectual Property Department.

"What expertise does this representative have, to become the secretary of a committee tasked with probing a case related to the Alien Business Act?" he asked.

Banking : Loan applications closely scrutinised

The Thai Bankers' Association and Siam Commercial Bank president Jada Watanasiritham admitted yesterday that lending growth has slowed down partly because higher operating costs are forcing commercial banks to be more thorough in approving new loans.

Speaking at a seminar on "Unlocking Sources of Funds for SMEs", Jada said the introduction of the Basel II guidelines had forced banks to be more careful in lending, particularly with regard to the quality of collateral and repayment ability.

"We have to be more careful, while at the same time there is lower demand for new loans," she said. "If, in the second half [of the year], lending rates are declining, this should restore confidence [in the business community]."

National parks : Entrance fee hikes to be deferred

The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry is to postpone for more than a year its plan to double entry fees at all national parks.

The fees were scheduled to rise on September 15, but caretaker Minister Yongyuth Tiyapairat has agreed to postpone the hike until November 30 next year. Park entry fees for foreigners will rise from Bt200 to Bt400 and for Thais from Bt20 to Bt40.

Earlier this month, 500 tour operators rallied at the Tourism Authority of Thailand's office in Phuket to demand the increase be scrapped or, at least, their concerns be taken into account.

They said that doubling the entry fees will damage their livelihoods by causing a decline in the number of tourists visiting the parks, especially foreigners.

They said the two-tier system, under which foreign visitors pay 10 times the amount paid by Thais, has itself been a long-term embarrassment for tour operators and others in the hospitality industry.

UN trade report :Findings to be presented on Thursday

The 2006 trade and development report of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) will be launched at the United Nations conference centre in Bangkok on Thursday.

The report will be presented to the media by Shigehisa Kasahara from Unctad in Geneva, and the director of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (Unescap), Zengpei Xuan, will also be in attendance.

The report, which addresses global partnerships and national policies for development, argues that globalisation makes the impact of external influences over national policy targets more acute.