briefs

PTT’s Bt10-billion issue of seven-year bonds will quote rates of 4.10 per cent in the first four years and 5.10 per cent in the subsequent years. They will be sold to existing bondholders as part of the company's “Loyalty Programme” through five banks – Bangkok Bank, Krung Thai Bank, Kasikornbank, Siam Commercial Bank and Thanachart Bank.

CEO Surong Bulakul said the bonds would be offered on July 24 and 25 to the holders of existing bonds maturing this month. On July 27, the bonds will be sold to the holders of other bond issues on a first-come, first-serve basis. 

 

CP unfazed by crises

Charoen Pokphand Foods yesterday stressed that new bird-flu outbreaks in Mexico and China and the European Union’s reduction of tariff privileges would not affect the company’s operations.

The avian-influenza outbreak in China has not hit its business as it focuses on feed-meal production rather than farming. 

In addition, the tax-privilege cut in the EU under the Generalised System of Preferences on Thai shrimp products, which will increase the import tariff from 7 per cent currently to 20 per cent in early 2014, will not affect the company's sales much, it said. 

Adirek Sripratak, president and chief executive officer of the company, said it had already drawn up a business plan to cope with the rising import tariff. Its shrimp exports to the EU next year will be shipped directly from its business arms in Malaysia and Vietnam.

 

2 ‘Banks of Year’

Thanks to impressive financial results, Bangkok Bank and Siam Commercial Bank were presented the "Bank of the Year" award by Money & Banking magazine. 

 At yesterday's ceremony, presided over by Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong, Kasikornbank was named "Best Retail Bank of the Year", thanks to the highest number of votes from visitors to the Money Expo 2012. Advanced Info Service was also named "Best Public Company of the Year", in recognition of the overall management efficiency among listed firms. 

 

Tourists keep coming

The global economic slowdown has had little impact on tourist arrivals here, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand. 

The Kingdom welcomed 8,871,930 visitors from January through May, up 7.27 per cent compared with the same period in 2011. China was the best performer with 943,161 visitors, up 26.13 per cent, and with the largest market share for an individual country at 10.63 per cent.

Visitor arrivals from all European countries amounted to 2,690,783, a 10.9-per-cent increase for the January-May period, according to the latest figures released by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. European countries, accounted for a market share of 30.33 per cent, up from 29.33 per cent for the same period in 2011.

TAT governor Suraphon Svetasreni said these encouraging arrival figures were the result of teamwork by the entire travel industry