|
|
| • EXCH RATES |
|
Baht/$ 34.40/45 (Bid/Ask)
|
GOLD |
13,100
|
|
POLITICAL STANDOFF
POST REPORTERS
State enterprise labour unions have failed so far to present a united front in their response to the standoff between Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and anti-government protesters allied with the People's Alliance for Democracy.
Electricity at the Public Relations Department went off for an hour yesterday morning, although union leaders for the power utilities denied any responsibility for the blackout.
At the Bangkok Port, workers continued to sit out from the job, forcing cargo vessels and logistics firms to shift their cargo to Laem Chabang Port.
But calls for a nationwide strike among the country's power, water, telecommunications and transport utilities have gone mostly unheeded across the country.
The State Enterprise Labour Relations Confederation, an umbrella group of state enterprise unions, appears not to have forged a unified stance on the matter for now, despite some tough talk earlier in the week.
Discussing the Klong Toey strike, Tanit Sorat, vice-chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries, said, ''It seems that the services would be closed indefinitely.''
He said that as of yesterday, at least 1,000 import containers were still stuck at the port or waiting on ships offshore due to the lack of services.
''Manufacturers have to pay extra expenses for transporting shipments to Laem Chabang,'' he said. ''If the strike ends quickly, industrial production might not be affected, but I am not sure how long this will all take.''
Truckers under the Land Transport Federation of Thailand called on Army chief Gen Anupong Paojinda to take action against the anti-government protests. Gen Anupong heads a committee charged with enforcing the emergency decree announced by the government on Tuesday.
Thongyu Klongkan, the secretary of the 150-member Land Transport Federation, said a formal announcement of the association's stance on the stoppages would be made today.
''The closure of the port hurts not only us but the economy overall. Factories would be forced to shut down and a number of people are going to lose their jobs,'' Mr Thongyu said.
''We are against those who protest at the ports or airports, resulting in service disruption. We want them to stop doing so,'' he said, adding that the government should open talks with PAD to resolve the crisis.
Meanwhile, US businesses in Thailand say they are seeing no impact to their business activities though as they are operating as usual and are experiencing no disruptions to power, electricity or labour supply, according to the American Chamber of Commerce.
An Amcham statement said the protests in Thailand were limited to a small area in Bangkok with ''little to no effect on the daily lives of the majority of those living in or travelling in the capital.
''Businesses, investors, and visitors to Thailand can be reassured that the current political unrest in Thailand should not adversely affect their activities,'' said Amcham president Thomas White.
''Thailand remains a compelling primary tourist destination, has a vibrant economy and continues to offer attractive opportunities for foreign investors.''
Prev
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
Next
