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Spotlight
 ADB President meets Thailand's Finance Minister in Washington D.C.
ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda met with Thailand's Finance Minister Suchart Thadadamrongwej on 12 October in Washington D.C. to discuss and exchange views on global financial crisis and Asian economy. A possibility of ADB lending to Thailand for a mega-project was also discussed.
 ADB pays courtesy visit to Thailand's new Finance Minister
Jean-Pierre Verbiest, Country Director, ADB Thailand Resident Mission, met Finance Minister Suchart Thadadamrongwej on 2 October to discuss a possibility of ADB loan for a mega-project and a new initiative for regional financial cooperation. The establishment of Asian New Deal to cope with the impacts of the global financial crisis and consolidate the economic growth base of the region in the future was also discussed.
ADB Country Director talks at Thai PBS Channel
Country Director Jean-Pierre Verbiest and Regional Economic Officer Luxmon Attapich of ADB Thailand Resident Mission were interviewed at a morning program of Thai Public Broadcasting Service. The interview focused on ADB operations in Thailand and in the GMS, regional financial cooperation, and ADB's prospects on Thailand's economy. View video clip.
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| Knowledge Sharing and Advisory Services |
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Capital Market Development Phase II
Under a new ADB's technical assistance on capital market development approved in July, a team of five international consultants are now helping the Government draft a new capital market master plan. A team of two consultants are working closely with the Public Debt Management Office to help establish the bond market development fund and the framework and procedures for on-lending and guarantee for state-owned enterprises. Another international consultant is giving recommendations to the Bank of Thailand on how to establish an active and well-organized mortgage insurance market in Thailand, and helping formulate an implementation plan.
Assessment of Thailand's water and sanitation sector
Based on a request from the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB), ADB is undertaking a board assessment of clean water and sanitation services in Thailand. The NESDB is preparing a Clean Water Development Plan to ensure the sustainable provision of clean water to urban and rural households across the country, and to meet the future needs of the industrial and service sectors of the economy. As part of the assessment, the staff consultant examines how decentralization is influencing or effecting the provision of water supply by Local Government Authorities (LGAs).
 To gain first-hand knowledge of how LGAs are adjusting to these new responsibilities, ADB conducted short site visits to Udon Thani and Nakornrachsrima provinces on 25-26 September and 2-3 October, respectively. The visits aim to (i) highlight the difficulties and successes regarding how LGAs are managing their water supply and wastewater systems; and (ii) discuss and exchange views on the financial, management, and technical challenges in meeting the water supply needs of the city in the future.
Negotiation meeting on the arrangements for implementation of the GMS Customs Transit System (CTS) along the East-West and North-South Corridors
 Senior officials from Customs and Transport, together with CEOs of Road Transport Associations of the GMS countries, negotiated on the arrangements for implementing a Customs Transit System to promote transport and trade facilitation. The meeting was held from 29 July to 1 August in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Nonglak Wongsuksiridacha, Director, Ministry of Commerce, Thailand, and Jean-Pierre Verbiest, Country Director, ADB Thailand Resident Mission, opened and co-chaired the meeting. The finalized MOU sets out detailed provisions on the roles of and relationship between the Customs and the Associations for implementing the Customs Transit System, to promote transport and trade facilitation.
GMS Country Customs Transit Guarantee Network
 The Network was established at the First Working Group Meeting held on 7-9 October, in Hua Hin, Thailand. CEOs of national freight forward associations or road transportation associations from six countries met and reached agreement on the model work flow procedures to administrate GMS Customs Transit and Temporary Admission System (CTS), including a guarantee arrangement and claim procedure. They also agreed on the time bound work plan for the preparation of CTS once they signed the MOU with customs authorities on CTS. Jingjai Hanchanlash, Member, Board of Trade, Thailand, and Jean-Pierre Verbiest, Country Director, ADB Thailand Resident Mission, opened the meeting.
GMS Business Forum Board of Directors' Meeting
ADB's Thailand Resident Mission assisted the GMS Business Forum (BF) organize BF Board of Directors (BOD) Meeting on 30 June. The BOD Meeting agreed on BF action to strengthen BF capacity to provide better services, study the establishment of the GMS Freight Transport Association, assess the capacity development need of the GMS local chambers of commerce, enhance private sector participation in the implementation of cross-border transport agreement (CBTA), and integrate SMEs into global value chains in the medium and long term. See summary of the Meeting .
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| Environment |
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Viet Nam's next Power Development Plan*
 GMS-Environment Operations Center (EOC) will support the development of Viet Nam's next Power Development Plan. The final workshop of the Strategic Environmental Assessment of Hydropower Master Plan,as part of Viet Nam's Power Development Plan VI, was held on 17 July in Hanoi, Viet Nam. Among the workshop participants were the Government of Viet Nam working group, EOC representatives, government agencies, development partners, NGOs, and Mekong regional representatives. The workshop reviewed the overall conclusions of the strategic environmental assessment process, stipulating recommendations for the Vietnamese energy planning system. The workshop generated a specific request to support the development of Strategic Environment Assessment capacity within the next Power Development Plan for Viet Nam – PDP VII.
National workshops on environmental performance assessments*
The workshop will result in knowledge products. Resource manual materials were given a trial run during a regional training workshop held at the Mekong Institute in Khon Kaen, Thailand. Participants from the six GMS countries gave positive feedback. Two national level training workshops were subsequently held in Siem Reap, Cambodia, and in Vientiane Province, Lao PDR. Refinement of the resource manual will continue over the coming months to ensure their relevance and usefulness to GMS countries. The training materials will be used by national ToTs in reaching out their intended country audiences. In addition to the technical content, participants' feedback highlighted the emphasis given to adult learning concepts in developing the resource manual.
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| Economic and Sectoral Work |
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Thailand's economic growth to moderate in 2009
ADB has maintained its projection on Thailand's economic growth at 5% in 2008, and has lowered its forecast from 5.2% to 5% in 2009. Renewed political uncertainties and rising inflation have undercut consumption and investment in 2008. GDP growth slowed in the second quarter and will likely trend lower in the rest of the year, while inflation accelerated in July to more than 10-year high. Read the Thailand Chapter and a news release.
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| Conferences |
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 Press conference on Climate Change: Call for Action
ADB Thailand Resident Mission, together with the TEAM Group and the Stock Exchange of Thailand, participated in the press conference, to promote the Climate Change: Call for Action conference to be held on 13 November. Read a news release .
Investment and trade opportunities in the North-South Economic Corridor
On 13 October, under the sponsorship of the Yunnan Government, officials from chambers of commerce and industry, investment department, commerce department, and private firms from six Greater Mekong Subregion countries attended the workshop on investment and trade in the GMS North-South Economic Corridor (NSEC), held at the Mekong Institute, Khon Kaen, Thailand. Rattanatay Luanglatbandith, ADB Regional Economist, presented on GMS Economic Cooperation Program, GMS economic corridor development, implementation of the cross-border transport agreement, and investment and trade potential in the NSEC areas. See presentation .
National workshop for Thailand on the arrangements of GMS Customs Transit System
The workshop was held at Thailand Resident Mission on 26 June. About 20 senior officials from transport, custom, and private sector representatives participated in the workshop. The workshop provided Thai authorities with an update on the current status of the Customs Transit System (CTS), and identified some critical areas which will allow, expedite, and complete the ratification process by Thailand. Jean-Pierre Verbiest, ADB Country Director, Thailand Resident Mission, opened the workshop. |
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