Plea to stay in Thailand
Energy Minister Pichai Naripthaphan has suggested that manufacturers hit by flooding consider relocating to other estates in Thailand instead of to other countries.
Visiting Nava Nakorn Industrial Estate, Pichai yesterday expressed confidence that Thailand remains attractive for investors when compared with other Asean countries.
He said that if companies that were in one of the seven inundated estates wanted to relocate their production facilities, they should consider moving to other Thai industrial parks or the land-bridge project developed by the government.
Nava Nakorn’s compound is expected to be dry by December 15, as pumps are draining it, he said. The estate’s chairman, Chainarong Noonpakdee, said the recovery task should be competed before that date, by December 10.
He said he had not heard of any companies planning to move out of the estate. He called for the government to give tax breaks for five to seven years for companies operating in Nava Nakorn.
Wittaya Launglueyos, senior general manager of Rojana Industrial Park, said it planned to invest in a floodwall around the perimeter of the compound, totalling 67 kilometres. The cost would be Bt30 million per kilometre, and it plans to fund it with a loan from the Government Savings Bank at an interest rate of only 0.01 per cent per annum.
He said the power plant that generates electricity for the industrial park was expected to be refurbished in six to eight months. The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand will provide power in the meantime.
Kriengsak Kovaphana, assistant supervisory director of Italian-Thai Development Group, said it might win construction projects for flood prevention worth about Bt3 billion to Bt4 billion from industrial parks.
