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University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC), Asia’s leading business university with a commitment to creating innovation driven entrepreneurship, offers innovative entrepreneurship courses to students in every faculty via the digital hybrid learning system. While its EGG Project, aimed at training students to start startups, provides an opportunity for student to run a real business and prepare them to enter the era of digital economy and Thailand 4.0.

Alibaba.com, China’s largest online shopping platform under the leadership of tycoon Jack Ma, earlier this year announced its move to acquire Lazada from the Germany-based Rocket Internet, which will help it tap into the ASEAN market. Alibaba and UTCC, represented by UTCC president Associate Professor Dr. Sauwanee Thairungroj, UTCC senior vice-president for academic affairs and research Assistant Professor Dr. Thanawat Polvichai, and Alibaba.com Thailand country manager Jerry Wu, have joined hands to offer a certificate program in e-commerce for Thai entrepreneurs and UTCC students in order to create 4.0 business-minded entrepreneurs. For the first time, there will be an “exclusive dream trip” to Alibaba.com headquarters in Hangzhou, China for full e-commerce training.

Associate Professor Sauwanee said under the cooperation of UTCC and Alibaba.com, the university prepares to provide short-term training for SME entrepreneurs who will receive a certificate from Alibaba. All UTCC students, currently numbering over 20,000, will also receive the training as part of their exit exam, which will ensure that all UTCC graduates are equipped with e-commerce knowledge, especially on the Alibaba platform. In addition, there will be an exclusive dream trip to bring Thai SMEs to Alibaba headquarters in Hangzhou, China to learn about corporate culture, online trading, import and export, and Alibaba.com membership.

The UTCC president said Alibaba Thailand, UTCC and the Thai Chamber of Commerce share the intention to strengthen competitiveness of Thai SMEs and help them expand their businesses overseas. E-commerce will become necessary for all entrepreneurs and will provide them with a global platform for their products, while UTCC students will become the 4.0 business-minded entrepreneurs driven by innovation or “innovation driven entrepreneurs” under the university policy.

Mr. Wu said Alibaba.com looks to provide Thai SMEs with knowledge and capability in exporting. He said Thai people are familiar with e-commerce but lack confidence on the security of the system as well as the knowledge on how to export via Alibaba.com. Therefore, Alibaba has entered into a partnership with UTCC to provide training for Thai entrepreneurs on e-commerce, which will be the first time in Thailand. He expects to see 5,000 SME entrepreneurs become Alibaba.com members. Alibaba believes UTCC is a great partner as the university shares its goal to develop Thai entrepreneurs, the culture of innovative idea and way of doing business, creativity and quick action.

Mr. Surapon Vongvadhanaroj, Vice Chairman of Thai Chamber of Commerce, said the Thai SMEs lack understanding on e-commerce, which will become necessary in the future. The partnership of UTCC and Alibaba.com will play a role in developing over 80,000 chamber members all over the country and helping them expand their businesses globally.

Source:YAHOO NEWS

BANGKOK officials have unveiled 12 projects to build walkways, bicycle lanes and scenic areas, plus renovate a historic canal area as part of the “Chao Phraya For All” development project.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) also plans to relocate about 300 households that will be affected by the project – which covers a 57-kilometre route from Rama VII Bridge to Bang Krachao – to the Army Transportation Department’s flats and the Ua Athorn government housing.

However, disgruntled riverside resident groups yesterday delivered a petition to the prime minister, claiming they had not been fully consulted on the project and demanding it be halted.

BMA permanent secretary Peerapong Saichua said the city would ask for almost Bt1.1 billion in fiscal year 2017 to aid those affected by the project, in addition to 2016 fiscal year’s Bt126 million budget for adviser fees, public forums and meeting expenses.

The budget will also fund construction and payments to project advisers from King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Lat Krabang and Khon Kaen University, who have been contracted to do feasibility studies and draft the Chao Phraya development master plan

That process began on March 1 and is due to be completed by September 26.

Peerapong said the project involves three main components: A public relations campaign for community participation in hearings to give input and partake in the project design; the drawing up of the master plan and the initial environmental impact assessment for the project’s 12 development plans; and the detailed design and in-depth environmental impact assessment covering four sections along the river.

In the latter, the Thon Buri side’s 3.2km-long section from Rama VII bridge to Bang Phlat Canal was complete, while the rest would be done by September, he added.

Peerapong said the second component’s 12 development plans included: Construction of riverside walkways, bicycle lanes and bridges linking cultural heritage places plus the revival of mangrove forests and green zones; the re-landscaping of flood barriers; the development of piers for public transport; renovation of nearby alleys for better access to riverbanks; renovation of historic canals for overall landscaping and public use for tourism and transport; and conservation of the riverside communities’ history and culture as a learning hub and tourist attraction.

For 309 affected families in 12 communities in Bang Sue, Bang Phlat and Dusit districts, Peerapong said the Community Organisations Development Institute reported that these people would be relocated to the Army Transportation Department’s flats, Ua Athorn government housing or to newly purchased plots.

Meanwhile, “River Assembly” members and representatives of a network of riverside communities submitted a petition to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday via the Government House’s Public Service Centre calling for the “Chao Phraya For All” development project to be halted.

They claimed the people had not been asked to participate in the project and had not been given full information about implications of the Chao Phraya master plan.

They called on Prayut to get the city to halt the project to allow a process of consultation with the people in setting out the vision, strategies and alternatives, and to provide full information to stakeholders and the public.

The group said they would also submit similar appeals to the Bangkok Council and the National Reform Steering Assembly.

Source: The Nation

Appreciating land values near key projects may mean much-needed income for the Thai government.

Real estate developers will not be the only ones benefiting from the establishment of rapid transit lines across Bangkok in the near future. Apparently, the Thailand government’s coffers will too.

Property owners who are selling or transferring assets whose value have been boosted by nearby infrastructure projects will be slapped with land development taxes, Bangkok Post reports, citing an anonymous source.

The Thai government is expected to levy the tax only once, at the stage when owners sell or transfer the property. Although the tax is not retroactive, it will be imposed on the difference between the property’s appraisal value before and after the completion of the infrastructure projects.

The source revealed to the Post that Finance Minister Apisak Tantivorawong had asked the Fiscal Policy Office to expedite the drafting of the land development tax, also known as betterment tax, in line with the government’s eight-year campaign of constructing large-scale infrastructure projects.

Several mass transit lines are in the pipeline for the Thai capital until 2020. The developments are expected to diversify growth in the metropolis and “boost new developments in the outskirts,” Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said in August.

Source: Property Report

Panasonic Corporation announces today on its opening of the “Panasonic Solution & Innovation Center Thailand” in Bangkok. The center is established as the company’s Factory Automation (FA) showroom in Southeast Asia, aimed at showcasing highly-efficient manufacturing technologies and equipment.

In today’s highly digitised world, demand for smart phones, wearable devices and other electronics are expanding rapidly. Within those electronics products, built-in printed circuit board is a necessity and plays an important role. “Panasonic Solution & Innovation Center Thailand” showcases the company’s suite of manufacturing technologies such as auto-insertion and surface mount machines, which are designed for insertion and mounting of electronic components in high-density printed circuit board.

This innovation center features not only Panasonic’s latest chip mounter and welding machine, but also peripheral equipment from other partners which include component tower and inspection machines. This synergy highlights the importance of network compatibility and technological interconnectedness; and their contribution to the success of Industry 4.0 and IoT-supported manufacturing line. This innovation center is operated and managed by Panasonic Industrial Devices Sales (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

At the “Panasonic Solution & Innovation Center Thailand”, customers can experience actual manufacturing process of printed circuit board and welding machines by bringing their own materials and electronic components for trial production. The center is also equipped with a seminar hall and conference room to facilitate technical seminars and events relating to factory automation. Through these approaches, the center aims to maximise its value for customers.

Panasonic opened a FA showroom in Chicago, USA, in July 2016. Jakarta, Indonesia, and Hanoi, Vietnam, are in the pipeline as the company expands its factory automation business globally.

Source:Business Wire

Thailand’s Prime Minister recently thanked the tourists from the People’s Republic of China for choosing Thailand as a holiday destination and for making up the largest numbers of visitors to the kingdom over the last few years.

Indeed, almost one tourist out of three entering Thailand is now coming from mainland China, and the country should attract more than 10 million Chinese visitors by the end of 2016.

Mr Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said, “The Chinese market has totally transformed tourism in Thailand with around 5.8 million visitors having already visited Thailand between January and July of 2016.

China is Thailand’s leading source market and its fastest growing. In 2015, Thailand attracted 7.9 million Chinese visitors, generating over 376 billion Baht in revenue, up respectively 71 percent and 87 percent over 2014.

TAT is projecting to welcome about 10.5 million Chinese visitors with a projected expenditure of 509 billion Baht for the entire 2016.

According to Mr Yuthasak, in the first nine months of 2016, Thailand’s tourism industry is expected to generate a total of 1.88 trillion Baht (US$53.7 billion) for the Thai economy, representing a year-on-year increase of 14 percent.

Of the total, some 1.25 trillion Baht (US$35.7 billion, up 17 per cent) has been raised by 24.94 million inbound tourists (up 13 per cent) and another 629 billion Baht (US$18 billion, up 6 percent) has come from domestic tourism with 111 million trips having been taken by locals (up 4 per cent on last year).

Other contributing factors to the growth prospects for the October to December period, 2016 include the fact that Thailand is entering the high season with forward bookings for air travels to Thailand already showing an 8 per cent increase.

There are also new air links that have been established, including those from Russia (Moscow, Vladivostok and Yekaterinburg), the Middle East (Tehran, Dubai and Doha), and Asia (Hong Kong, Mandalay, Luang Prabang and Vientiane). In addition, in the days either side of the National Day of the People’s Republic of China or Golden Week, as it is known, from 1 to 9 October, a total of 39 chartered flights with 7,594 seats have confirmed services to Bangkok and Phuket from nine cities in China.

Source: Thailand  business news