Sermkhun expects the new company to become the leading event organiser in Cambodia.

CMO will hold a majority share in the new company that it will form with an unnamed Cambodian firm. He could not name the partner because the deal has not yet been signed.

He said he chose Cambodia for the company's first international foray because its culture is similar to Thailand's.

Along with public events, the company intends to target the Siem Reap area, which is visited by huge numbers of tourists.

"Initially, we will stress on penetrating the MICE [meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition] business in Cambodia. We also plan to sell all the products offered by the CMO group there if possible," said Sermkhun.

On Tuesday's coup, Sermkhun expects the event-organising market to be affected for a while, with a number of events already cancelled. However, he expects business will be back to normal once an acceptable civilian government is established.

Sermkhun also said that the new government should host events in foreign countries to inform people about Thailand's situation. "Foreigners have a negative perspective of military coups. The government should communicate with them to show that Thailand is still safe to visit," he said.

Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul

The Nation