304 Industrial Park 2 : The excellent location of industrial estate and property management in Thailand

Thailand Location
Thailand is situated in the heart of the Southeast Asian mainland, covering an area of 513,115 sq kms and extends about 1,620 kilometers from north to south and 775 kilometers from east to west.

Thailand borders the Lao People's Democratic Republic and the Union of Myanmar to the North, the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Gulf of Thailand to the East, the Union of Myanmar and the Indian Ocean to the West, and Malaysia to the south.

Capital City : Bangkok

Language
The national and official language is Thai, while English is widely spoken and understood in major cities particularly in Bangkok and in business circles.

Basic Economic Data
Since the onset of the financial crisis in 1997, Thailand has undergone a remarkable economic transformation. One of the instrumental policies that propelled a swift economic recovery for Thailand is the Dual Track Policy of Dr. Thaksin Shinawatra, the Prime Minister of Thailand which focuses on the duality of the exports and domestic sectors to bring economic growth with stability, through the actively supporting role of the public sector in a global context but not necessarily dependent on the traditional economic powers of the world.

Thailand痴 economic growth trend has improved from -10.2 percent in 1998 to 6.3 percent in 2003. In addition exports, private consumption and private investment have all displayed encouraging signs. Despite global uncertainties such as U.S.-Iraq war, terrorism, and SARS, Thailand has been able to withstand competently the knock-on effects from those events owing much to the robust economic fundamentals embedded within the root of the Thai economy.

Basic Finance Data
The main institutions with responsibility for policymaking and supervision of the financial system are the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Thailand (BOT, the central bank). The BOT also supervises banks, finance firms and housing loan officials, and plays a key role in instituting market reforms.

Stock Market : The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) under the Securities Exchange of Thailand Act, BE 2517 (1974), or the SET Act, enacted on May 20, 1974. In 2003, the Thai stock market index ranged from 350.98 to 772.15. These figures undoubtedly displayed signs of marked improvement from the beginning part of 2003. Market value has continued to increase to 4,789,857.03 Million baht at the end of 2003.

Bond Market : Thai BDC, the applicant must be financial institutions holding debt securities trading license granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Currently (as of January 15, 2003) Thai BDC has 46 members which represent nearly 100 % of financial institutions that have debt trading license (Dealers). Trading is conducted on an over-the-counter basis. Thai BDC registers all government debt securities automatically. For corporate bonds, dealer-members together with an issuer must propose for the registration. Although listing is not compulsory, in practice most bonds are registered with Thai BDC except for the bonds issued without purpose to trade such as bonds issued for debtor.

Money Market : Currency Until the baht went into freefall in July 1997, the Thai currency was regarded as a strong and stable currency. The baht has been strengthening against the US dollar since the beginning of 2002. A peak of less than 41 THB/USD was reached in July 2002. Strong portfolio inflows, speculative interest rate arbitrage trading and rising confidence in the domestic economy also contributed to the strengthening baht. The BOT, which is targeting exchange-rate stability and the level of foreign reserve, has expressed concern about the loss of export competitiveness signaled by a stronger baht, and there has been some buying of US dollars to prevent further baht appreciation.