Investment
Board of Investment of Thailand praises Ford’s new investment plan
Ford Motor Company today announced it is investing US$450 million (THB 15 billion) in a new state-of-the-art passenger vehicle manufacturing plant in Rayong, Thailand, scheduled for completion in 2012.

Ford Motor Company’s announcement that it will invest more in the kingdom, is goods news for Thailand in general according to a senior Board of Investment (BOI) official.
BOI deputy secretary-general Ajarin Pattanapanchai said more investment by Ford Motor Co. in Thailand’s eastern province of Rayong will give provide good opportunities for small- and medium-sized enterprises producing automotive spare parts as well as boosting business confidence here.

The plant will create 11,000 jobs, of which 2,200 positions will be hired directly by Ford, while another 8,800 will be outsourced via its supplier and dealer network.
Miss Ajarin said the Ford decision to boost its stake in Thailand demonstrates to investors worldwide that Thailand remains an attractive country for business development and that it offers opportunities in every field, especially in the industrial sector and automotive spare parts.
President and chief executive Alan Mulally announced last week that Ford will invest Bt15 billion (US$450 million) in the Rayong industrial estate to build its new sedan factory.
The industrial unit is set to be completed in 2012 and will produce the new 2012 Ford Focus for the Thai market as well as for export to other Asia-Pacific markets.
Ford Asia Pacific and Africa president Joe Hinrichs said production capacity is set at 150,000 units annually for the new factory, and 85 per cent maximum of cars manufactured will be for export.
The next-generation Focus will be built on the company’s new global C-car platform, which will eventually underpin up to two million Ford vehicles per year sold in markets around the world. The C-car segment is currently the world’s largest vehicle segment, and is projected to account for nearly 28 percent of global passenger car sales by 2013.
This new plant will be a flexible facility producing a range of vehicles and fully integrated to support body assembly, paint, trim and final assembly. The next-generation Ford Focus (shown above) is expected to be the first model to roll off the production line in 2012.
Business
Thailand BOI approves Biotech Projects Worth 2.4 Bln Baht ($78 million)
The biotechnology sector is part of the so-called BCG model (Bio, Circular and Green economy) which the Thai government has set as a priority to lead the post-Covid 19 recovery.

The Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) said today it has recently approved new projects in the field of advanced biotechnology, worth a combined 2.4 billion baht (around USD78 million) in investment, reflecting the increased interest of local and foreign investors in the country’s biotech sector.
Asean
Indonesia’s Omnibus Law: Positive Investment List and the Liberalization of Business Sectors
Examples of non-fiscal incentives are the provision of supporting infrastructure, simplified business licensing procedures, and the guaranteed energy supply or raw materials.

In the first of ASEAN Briefing’s Indonesia’s Omnibus Law series, we analyze Presidential Regulation 10 of 2021 (PR 10/2021) on business fields open to investment — also dubbed as the positive investment list. The regulation comes into effect on March 4, 2021.
Investment
Foreigners’ Participation in Thai Listed Companies explained
Special vehicles have been created to facilitate foreign investors so that they are able to invest in Thai
securities flexibly and conveniently.

Similar to foreign business laws existing in most Asian countries, Thai laws have imposed restrictions on foreign ownership of Thai companies.