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The Fiscal Policy Office will launch measures to assist low-income earners through specialised financial institutions, mainly the Government Savings Bank and Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives, Krisda Chinavicharana, director-general of the FPO, said yesterday.

The FPO will need to prepare measures that help these people to help themselves for survival.

Examples include soft loans through community financial institutions or village funds.

CPALL debentures

CPALL plans to issue two and fiveyear senior unsecured debentures . The company is the operator of 7-Eleven, the country’s largest convenience store chain, and the owner of Siam Makro, which operates Makro, the largest cash and carry retailer.

Subscriptions will open at the branches of the joint lead arrangers , Kriengchai Boonpoapichart, vice president and head of finance and investor relations, said yesterday.

Per-second packages

Total Access Communication will introduce call packages featuring per-second billing for prepaid subscribers on February 20 and for postpaid subscribers on February 25.

This follows the Monday launch of such packages by True Corp and Advanced Info Service.

KCE revenue boost

KCE Electronics, a manufacturer and exporter of printed circuit boards, increased its revenue by 21.4 per cent to Bt11.28 billion and net profit by 79.8 per cent to Bt2.1 billion last year, executive chairman Bancha Ongkosit said yesterday.

Tune Insurance to develop policies with local partners as it eyes further growth

Tune Insurance, a business unit of Malaysia-based AirAsia Group, plans to work with local partners Bangkok Insurance, Big C Supercentre and Mono Group in developing policies to suit those business channels and enable it to pursue customer segmentation.

CEO Tom Kruesopon said the insurer had confidence in the further growth of the insurance industry in Thailand following the company recently having been awarded business contracts by three major organisations.

Those organisations are the Naval Welfare Department, with a sum insured of Bt1.89 billion; Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction, with a sum insured of Bt1.4 billion; and Impact Exhibition Management, with a sum insured of Bt22 million.

He said Tune Insurance was now partnering with Mono Group, a leading provider of digital media, in developing a travel insurance programme for people who purchase travel packages via www.HotelsThailand.com.

Moreover, the company plans to carry out a co-marketing plan with Big C Supercentre stores and mini Big Cs in offering insurance policies at the modern retailer’s counters.

Magazine rewards TAT boss Thawatchai with ‘influential Asian’ award

Thawatchai Arunyik, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, has been recognised as one of “Asia’s Top 100 Influential People in Travel Business” by the publishers of NOW Travel Asia magazine.

He was recognised for his leadership of the TAT and its vigorous marketing efforts to maintain the flow of visitor arrivals in what has been one of the most challenging years in the history of Thai tourism.

The award was one among several presented at the “NOW Travel Asia Awards Gala Ceremony” at the Pathumwan Princess hotel in Bangkok.

Bangkok was chosen for the ceremony to let the world see that the Kingdom is back to normal, the publishers said.

MTL launches new insurance programme aimed at attracting government officials

Muang Thai Life Assurance (MTL) is promoting a new insurance programme to tap government officials,following its strategy in covering subsegment customers.

The new policy, “Happy Civil Servants” offers a life coverage of up to Bt500,000.

Sara Lamsam, president and chief executive officer of MTL, said that new product is designed to fulfill the requirement of the government officials who want more benefits in medical treatment.

“We are ready to penetrate the civil service occupation group which contributes a large number in |society, such as teachers, soldiers, police officers,” he said.