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) Luxury Thai resort planned by Mövenpick group
Swiss group M�venpick Hotels & Resorts has continued its Asian expansion strategy with the announcement of a new management agreement with Apex Development for a M�venpick Resort and Spa in Pattaya, Thailand.The new resort will open in 2010 and be situated near to the centre of Pattaya�s on one of its white sand beaches and be located around an hour from Bangkok International Airport.
There will be 300 bedrooms and an extensive spa and wellness area. A second, high-rise condominium building is currently under construction next to the hotel.
President and CEO of M�venpick, Jean Gabriel P�r�s, said: �Pattaya is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Thailand and is currently investing heavily in its infrastructure in order to firmly position itself as a leading tourist attraction. More>>
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) Thai police hunt suspected paedophile
By Nopporn Wong-Anan BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai police launched a nationwide manhunt for a Canadian paedophile suspect on Wednesday, asking for public help in catching a man unmasked by a unique Interpol Internet appeal and putting all border checkpoints on alert.Immigration police at 54 border posts were ordered to watch for Christopher Paul Neil and police were scouring tourist hangouts for the 32-year-old caught on camera at Bangkok airport arriving from Seoul last week, officials said.
Border guards in Thailand's neighbours have also been placed on alert in case he tried to slip across a land frontier. . More>>
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) Household debt projected to fall
Household debt is projected to fall by 2.7% this year to 113.38 billion baht, as economic uncertainties have prompted people to save more and become more selective in spending.Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, deputy secretary-general of the National Economic and Social Development Board, said Thai behaviour had changed from four to five years ago, when household debts rose sharply due to government policies to stimulate consumption.
The latest survey by the National Statistical Office showed that Thai household income in the first six months increased to 18,823 baht per month from 14,424 baht in the same period last year.
The Office projected that household savings would increase to about 4,399 baht per month this year from 3,476 baht a year earlier, with the debt-to-income ratio dropping to 6:1 in 2007 from 6.6 to 1 in 2006. More>>