Briefs

Nation Multimedia Group has paid its shareholders a total of Bt92.86 million in interim dividends and plans to use the proceeds from the exercise of NMG-Warrant 3 for business expansion.
Duangkamol Chotana, chief executive officer, said yesterday that the interim dividend was Bt0.028 per share. At the stock price of Bt1.80, the yield was 1.6 per cent.
Already some warrant holders are interested in exercising their conversion rights.
Besides expansion, the proceeds will be used to top up working capital and repay debt, she said.
“Issuing the company’s warrants was a proper channel to mobilise funds. This time, the company will use the proceeds from the planned exercise for business expansion as a means to strengthen the company in the long term.”
Dividends and management of the capital from the warrant exercise are the company’s strategy to provide excellent returns to its shareholders, she said. NMG-W3 holders can state their intention to convert the warrants into NMG common shares for Bt1 per share from June 8-12. The rights can be exercised on June 15.

MORE SHIPPING IN NORTH
The Port Authority of Thailand yesterday revealed a big jump in goods transported through Chiang Khong and Chiang Saen river ports in the North for the first six months (ended March 31) of the fiscal year, due to rising demand for food and fuel oil from southern China. Chiang Khong Port recorded 94.9-per-cent growth of port-in ships to 269 trips and 96.3-per-cent growth in goods to 40,000 tonnes. The opening of the fourth Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge (Chiang-Huay Xai) saw more Chinese arrivals and higher consumption in Laos.
Chiang Saen Port logged 34.4-per-cent growth in port-in ships to 5,789 trips and 27.9-per-cent growth in goods arrivals to 248,000 tonnes, because of greater re-exports of frozen foods transported from India and Taiwan to southern China via Laem Chabang Port.
Bangkok Port posted increases of 2.3 per cent to 1,630 trips of port-in ships and 6.1 per cent to 11.04 million units of container arrivals, carrying 11.04 million tonnes of goods, up 4.1 per cent.
Laem Chabang Port reported a slight drop in port-in ships to 3,004 trips, but containers rose 7.5 per cent to 3.33 million units carrying 36.14 million tonnes of goods, up 4.2 per cent.