Thai electronics manufacturers start rehiring workers

August 20th, 2009 Thai elephant damages newly fitted artificial limbBANGKOK — An elephant fitted with an artificial limb 10 years after stepping on a land mine has had a minor setback, damaging the device attached to her left front leg. Soraida Salwala of the private group Friends of the Asian Elephant said Thursday that 48-year-old Motola bent the prothesis when she lay down on it.

July 1st, 2009 Enraged elephant stomps 3 Thai workers to deathBANGKOK — A rampaging elephant stomped three rubber tappers to death in southern Thailand on Wednesday after it was left to wander freely by its handler, police said. The 38-year-old domesticated elephant is believed to have attacked the workers in three separate plantations in Trang province before it was recaptured.

April 27th, 2009 BANGKOK - Disturbed by reports that Thai monks have taken to wearing make-up, carrying pinks purses and other forms of public 'homosexual expression', a leading preacher plans to launch a 'good manners' course for novices, a news report said Monday. Senior monk Maha Wudhijaya Vajiramedhi is to introduce Thailand's first etiquette course at the Novice Demonstration School in Chiang Rai province, 600 km north of Bangkok, next month, The Nation newspaper reported.

April 24th, 2009 Thai court frees 3 top protest leaders on bailBANGKOK — A Thai court has freed on bail three top leaders of an anti-government movement accused of instigating violence during recent political protests. Bangkok Criminal Court granted their release on condition that do not leave the country, instigate violence or interfere with ongoing investigations and court cases.

April 14th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Tuesday arrested eight foreign nationals in the capital and recovered seven kg heroin, worth Rs.70 million in the international market, from them, an official said. The arrested were five Nigerian men, two Mozambique women and a Thai woman.

April 12th, 2009 MOSCOW - Russia's foreign ministry Sunday advised citizens against visiting the capital of Thailand where a state of emergency was declared over protests staged by the opposition. 'The foreign ministry recommends Russian citizens to carefully weigh the expediency of trips to Thailand during the period of the state of emergency,' the ministry said in a statement, adding that there were clashes in Bangkok between police and protesters.

April 11th, 2009 PATTAYA - Thai officials decided to cancel a summit of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Saturday after anti-government protesters broke into the summit venue at Pattaya, a resort town 100 km south of Bangkok. The Thai government said the summit between ASEAN members and six dialogue partners, including China, Japan and India, was postponed and would be held in about two months.

April 2nd, 2009 PHNOM PENH - Thailand's Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya has apologised to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen over misunderstanding caused by a word he used to describe the premier, according to a letter received here Thursday. The Thai foreign minister had used the word 'Nak Leng', which he said meant lion-hearted and courageous but Tuesday the Cambodian premier had lashed out at the minister for calling him a 'gangster'.

February 10th, 2009 LONDON - Hollywood star Angelina Jolie has upset Thai officials after remarking on the plight of Myanmar migrants, who have accused the country's military of mistreating them. The actress and her partner Brad Pitt visited a refugee camp on the Thailand-Myanmar border Feb 4 as part of her role as UN goodwill ambassador, reports contactmusic.com.

February 10th, 2009 LONDON - Manchester City has removed former Thai prime minister Thaksin Sinawatra as its honourary club president. The step was taken by City's new Arab owner Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, chairman of Khaldoon Al Mubarak, in Abu Dhabi.

February 3rd, 2009 AHMEDABAD - Gujarat's IT exports are estimated to grow to Rs.10 billion (Rs.1,000 crore) this fiscal from Rs.7.61 billion in 2007-08, an industry organisation said Wednesday. Last fiscal, the industry was hopeful of achieving 100 percent growth in exports from Rs.5 billion in 2006-07, but could not meet the target, mainly due to rupee appreciation against dollar, said Nirav Shah, president of the Gujarat Electronics and Software Industries Association (GESIA).

January 25th, 2009 BANGKOK - A free trade agreement (FTA) between India and South-East Asia will be signed at the upcoming summit of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) if the Thai parliament approves the pact, officials said Monday. 'The ASEAN economic ministers have invited the Indian commerce minister to sign the FTA Feb 26,' said Tharit Charungvat, Thai foreign ministry spokesman.

January 6th, 2009 BANGKOK - Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva Wednesday announced that the 14th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will be held in Hua Hin town and not in the Thai capital as planned earlier. He said the decision to shift the venue was taken in view of security reasons.

January 4th, 2009 BANGKOK - Delta Electronics (Thailand) will suspend its $50 million investment in a new factory in Chennai, India, and downsize operations in Thailand, news reports said Monday. 'After finishing a feasibility study, we think that the project is not viable to invest in for the time being given the current market conditions,' Delta's executive director Anusorn Muttaraid told the Bangkok Post newspaper.

December 22nd, 2008 KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia is to retrench at least 4,749 workers, mostly from the electronics sector, that has a large number of technical personnel from South Asia, according to a news report. Foreigners retrenched by 137 employers over the next three months would have to return home as per their job contracts, Human Resource Minister S.