Chairman Santi Vilassakdanont said the project would promote local products in overseas markets and create market places for them to trade raw materials and parts.

The event in Los Angeles next week will promote operators of foods, housing decorations and clothes. The African event next month will focus on the clothes, leather and foods sectors.

The Office of Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion is supporting the trips with a budget of Bt30 million to Bt50 million.

Japanese seek cut in taxes

Japanese organisations are asking for back taxes of Bt3 billion charged to nine importers of silicon steel to be reduced to Bt800 million, according to an industry source.

The source at the Federation of Thai Industries said yesterday that the organisations included the Japan-Thailand Joint Trade and Economics Committee, Ministry of Economics and the Japan External Trade Organisation.

They have been trying to lobby the Thai government for a resolution over the taxes.

Previously, silicon steel importers, which are mostly Japanese firms, had threatened the government that they would move their Thai bases, with a combined production value of Bt100 billion, to Vietnam.

Silicon steel is used as material in the electricity and electronics industries.

The nine importers had persuaded the previous government to reduce their payment to Bt800 million, but the situation has been stagnant since the coup.

AIS signs roaming agreement

Advanced Info Service (AIS) yesterday signed an agreement with Bridge Mobile of Singapore - an alliance providing international roaming services to 10 mobile operators in the Asia-Pacific region - to become a member.

According to its filing to the Stock Exchange of Thailand yesterday, AIS will acquire 2 million shares, or 10 per cent, of the company in a stake worth around US$2.7 million (Bt93.42 million).

The tie-up will enable AIS to offer more roaming services to customers.