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Published on October 13, 2007

Net investment applications for 959 projects were worth Bt446.1 billion in the first three quarters, up from 955 projects worth Bt362.3 billion in the same period last year.

BoI secretary-general Satit Chanjavanakul said applications came mainly from the service and the infrastructure industries, such as biomass power plants, logistics parks, hotels and research and development (R&D).

Applications from service and infrastructure businesses from January to September were worth Bt137 billion, nearly double Bt76.9 billion in the same period last year.

Satit said foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first nine months was worth Bt334.6 billion, surging 67.3 per cent from last year's Bt200 billion. Key foreign investors still came from Japan, the US, Asean and Europe. One-fourth of total FDI came from Japanese firms in the R&D, automotive and electronics industries.

Following Japan, FDI from the United States was worth about Bt77 billion, mainly from investments in the hard-disk-drive industry and bearings-production plants.

Asean countries, particularly Indonesia and Singapore, invested more than Bt37.2 billion in hotels, printed-circuit-board assembly and the mould and die industry.

In addition, European investors, whose investments totalled Bt34.187 billion in the nine-month period, were interested in chemicals, electronic parts and hotels.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Industry Minister Kosit Panpiemras yesterday said large projects from PTT and Siam Cement would start in the fourth quarter.

He said the two companies would spend about Bt35 billion this year on their petrochemical projects in Map Ta Phut.

However, he believes the country's investment will become more obvious in next year's second quarter, due to the government's mega-projects and greater confidence among local and foreign investors in the country's political and economic situation.

 Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul

 The Nation