Investment soars in North

BANGKOK: -- Investment in the North increased by 192 per cent last year compared with 2003, the Board of Investment has reported.

The BoI said the region had attracted Bt5.17 billion last year, and the high level had carried over into this year’s first quarter.

Infrastructure development in Chiang Mai has done much to draw large-scale investment to the region, said BoI northern region director Siriporn Nurak.

She said the electrical and accommodation sectors had fared best to this point, but predicted oil prices would slow investment in the second half. In 2004, 78 per cent of investment capital went towards developing agricultural and agricultural-product industries, while electronics and appliance manufacturing ranked second, said Siriporn. Most of the investors were small- and medium-sized entrepreneurs.

All told, 72 projects have employed 14,759 people, she added.

Last year, Thai investment in northern businesses rose by 50 per cent – valued at Bt3.82 billion – compared with 2003, mostly invested in agriculture and light industries.

Japanese investors, meanwhile, have shown interest in the electrical-parts industry, while American investors have committed to light industries.

--The Nation 2005-06-22

72 projects, employing on average 200 people each. That is good news, because a lot of those people will be ones who would have otherwise migrated to Central Thailand to work in The Greater Bangkok or Eastern Seaboard or nearby areas. And then brought many resulting social problems back with them.

There is a small factory beside the highway just to the south of where I live.

Every time I pass, I see about 100 little motorbikes outside and am glad that there are 100 people going home to their extended families that evening and not having to live away as migrant workers.

And work is in progress building another two similar factories just to the north of us. Great; the more, the better.

and when they build the new Sam-kam-Pheng International Airport things will really start buzzing..

Just after the Cheval factory (about 15 klicks out from Chiangers)