Briefs

The value of investment applications more than doubled to Bt154.2 billion in January and February from the same period a year earlier, the Board of Investment said.
Applications for incentives were received for 277 projects, mostly in the chemical, plastics, paper, electronics and auto-parts industries, the board said in a statement yesterday.
Of the total, 188 projects were foreign direct investments, with a combined value of Bt82.2 billion, it said. – Bloomberg
 
NBTC adopts NTC code of conduct
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission’s board this week approved adoption of the code of conduct of its predecessor, the National Telecommunica-tions Commission.
The move is aimed at showing the public that it operates on a transparent basis.
In a separate matter, the NBTC’s telecom committee will convene with all mobile-phone operators next week to urge them to expand their number-portability capacity from the present 8,800 numbers per day. It will also ask them to seek jointly an appropriate validity period for prepaid mobile-phone service. – The Nation

Asean group to
mull E Timor bid
Asean is setting up a coordinating council working group to consider East Timor's quest for membership.
Srirat Ratspana, director-general of the Thai Commerce Ministry’s Trade Negotiations Department, who joined a meeting on Wednesday of senior officials in Singapore, said the working group would focus on three areas: political stability, economy, and social and culture aspects.
She noted that this was the first time in several years that a country has sought membership in Asean. The last to do so were Laos, Cambodia, Burma and Vietnam.
Asean will thoroughly consider all aspects to see how the inclusion of East Timor would benefit and influence the bloc as well as the regional single market, she said. It will also consider East Timor’s readiness to enhance its internal strengths to match other members’. – The Nation