Denso International Asia Thailand (DIAT) has an initial capital investment of about Bt700 million. A technical centre is part of the new company. The company will oversee and provide support in production planning, information systems and training.

Some functions of DIAS and Denso International (Thailand), which is responsible for sales and support to manufacturing companies in Thailand, will be transferred to DIAT. The new technical centre will develop products.

DIAT is scheduled to start operations early next year, employing 210 people. Investment is expected to reach Bt1 billion.

Costlier oil :Drivers face 40-satang price rise

Retail oil prices will be jacked up another 40 satang per litre today, following a sharp increase in global prices.

Finished petrol prices in Singapore surpassed the US$81 (Bt2,800) per barrel level, while the diesel price is nearly $79 per barrel on rising worries over the conflict in Iran.

Upon the increase, octane-95 petrol will be priced at Bt28.39 per litre, octane-91 at Bt27.59 and diesel at Bt24.54.

Jewellery :Pranda to open 11 new outlets

Pranda Jewellery has linked with Tomei Gold & Jewellery Holdings and looks set to tap more aggressively into Vietnam, aiming at opening 11 new distribution points in 2007.

Chanat Sorakraikitikul, business development manager, said the company had teamed up with Tomei, the leader in selling gold and gemstones in Malaysia, to expand the Prima Gold brand.

The company is poised to beef up the strength of its brands in Vietnam and Malaysia, where economic growth is promising.

Tourism :Mekong forum seeks investment

Tourism authorities from the six countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) met yesterday in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City to seek common strategies to encourage investment in privately owned facilities and services.

Pham Tu, deputy director general of the Vietnam National Administration for Tourism, said the goal was to make the Greater Mekong area a major tourism destination and contribute to poverty alleviation and sustainable tourism development.

More than 150 representatives of the business community and tourism authorities from Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Burma and China's Yunnan province attended. The GMS, which covers 2.5 million square kilometres and has a population of more than 300 million, has great potential for tourism development.In 2005, the GMS received more than 20.5 million visitors, accounting for 11 per cent of Asia-Pacific tourist arrivals. The figure is expected to grow to 50 million by 2015.

Property :Bina Puri sees rich Thai potential

Having made inroads in Thailand's construction sector, Malaysia's Bina Puri Holdings is eyeing a bigger presence in the Kingdom's property sector through its affiliation with Deva Property.

Over the past year, Deva Property has been pursuing a listing in the property segment of the Stock Exchange of Thailand.

Bina Puri Group managing director Tan Sri Tee Hock Seng said both parties had had preliminary talks to inject Bina Puri Thailand into the Deva Group in exchange for shares in the latter after the proposed listing.

With a population of 64 million and low home ownership among the lower-income group, the potential for Thailand's property sector is quite bright.