BANGKOK, THAILAND–(Marketwire – February 26, 2010) –   (Media OutReach-Marketwire) — The 4th Thailand Auto Parts & Accessories Exhibition (TAPA 2010) will be held from April 28-May 2, 2010 at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Center (BITEC) in Bangna, Bangkok.

TAPA 2010 aims to promote ASEAN as the regional sourcing hub for auto parts and accessories. The event is designed to meet the expansive sourcing needs of the automotive and accessories industry.

For the first time in the history of TAPA, there will be an ASEAN Pavilion, participated by 5 ASEAN countries. Leading auto parts and accessories companies from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam have confirmed their participation.

Exhibitors that have confirmed participation include ACMA, Thai Rung, Sammitr Auto, Formula Industrial, Summit Auto, Wichien Dynamic, Fortune Parts, The Summit Auto, Srithai Auto Seat, Somboon Group and Thai Radiator.

Another new feature at TAPA 2010 will be the Buyers’ Pavilion which will serve as a valuable platform for automotive buyers to share their needs with the exhibitors, explore business opportunities and discuss strategic partnerships.

A total of 288 exhibitors from Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Korea, China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and Singapore have confirmed their participation.

TAPA 2010 will showcase a range of products from auto parts and components (OEM/REM), auto accessories, petroleum/lubricants/maintenance products, vehicle and repair and maintenance services at more than 10,000 square meters at BITEC, Bangna. More than 16,000 visitors from ASEAN, South Asia, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Africa and Europe are expected to attend this exhibition.

As a regional automotive manufacturing hub, ASEAN’s automotive suppliers have the expertise to meet international standards in terms of quality, delivery and cost for both original equipment and replacement market.

The export oriented nature of the industry gives ASEAN the necessary scale and advantage to be price competitive, while providing the engineering design capabilities to develop automotive parts for global needs. TAPA 2010 will be the best place to source for auto parts and accessories from ASEAN.

TAPA 2010 is organized by the Department of Export Promotion, Ministry of Commerce, Royal Thai Government and co-organized by the Thai Auto-Parts Manufacturers Association.

For more information, please visit the website at www.thailandautopartsfair.com

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Ms. Sasikarn Watthanachan
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This article is intended to provide a primer to those seeking information about maintaining lawful Thai Immigration status through border runs.

Thai Immigration regulations are fast becoming more constrictive, multifaceted, and stringent. Compared to the European Union, the United States of America, Canada, Australia, or the United Kingdom Thailand’s immigration rules are relatively liberal. However, compared to countries in Southeastern Asia such as Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, and Indonesia the Thai Immigration rules are considerably more stringent.

The promulgation of Thai visa exemption stamps is one area of Thai Immigration that has slowly become more regulated over the years. There was a time when non-Thai nationals could remain in the Kingdom for a virtually indefinite period of time so long as they made monthly trips to the border in order to be stamped out and stamped back into the country on a visa exemption. These trips to the border were called “border runs,” or “visa runs,” which explains the etymology of those terms. Around the beginning of this decade, Thailand’s Immigration authorities began giving serious thought to the visa exemption program and many modifications have been made over the past ten years. Most important to many is the end of the infinite “border run,” because now non-ASEAN citizens are only granted a maximum of 15 days presence in the Kingdom without a visa and those repeatedly utilizing a visa exemption are viewed suspiciously. Although this method of visa running is being phased out, there are other methods of maintaining lawful status which may still be beneficial to those wishing to remain in the Kingdom.

The “airport visa run,” has become somewhat popular as flights to countries like Malaysia and Vietnam are relatively inexpensive. Couple this with the fact that Thai Immigration currently grants thirty day exemption stamps at the airport to many nationalities and this creates a situation in which some opt to use the airport in a manner similar to previous land border usage.

Another method of “visa running,” now being employed is that of running to a nearby Consulate and obtaining a tourist or non-immigrant visa. These travel documents provide at least 60 days lawful status with a possible option to extend the visa domestically at Royal Thai Immigration. However, Consulates and Embassies in Southeast Asia are becoming less cooperative in granting multiple tourist visas.

The Thai visa process is generally easier for those who begin the process from their country of origin or travel back to their country of origin in order to apply for a long term visa. This could be attributed to the fact that some choose to apply for a long-stay multiple entry visa. This method still requires visa running, but the upside is a lack of hassle because it is not necessary to return to a Consulate. Also, Thai Immigration routinely stamps such visa holders out and back in on the same day thereby providing 90 more days of lawful status in the Kingdom. As this method provides the most lawful presence in Thailand and creates the least amount of consternation, it has become the preferred method for long term travelers staying in Thailand.

We can provide useful input during the project/building phase for M&E related issues, and the often overlooked back-of-the-house area planning, essential to the smooth and effective operation of any operation providing hospitality services.

- Comprehensive business plan including 5-10-15 year forecasting and operational budgeting (for the benefit of developers, banks and investors)

- Presentations to developers, bankers and investors

- Attend daily or weekly contractor and project manager meetings

- Adjust project timelines

- Maintain supplier timelines

- Detailed and expansive marketing exercises including SWOT analysis, competitor’s analysis, market analysis, advertising, website design and optimalisation, exhibitions, press and press-releases to travel trade and more.

- Issue tailored SOPs (stand operating procedures) for all operating departments

- Rules and regulations for juristic bodies

- Rental agreements with owners

- Rental agreements with tenants

- Structuring of condominiums and juristic entities

- Complete and cost-effective FF&E (furniture, fixtures and equipment) package proposals

- Kitchen, restaurant and spa lay out / designs and O.E. (operating equipment)

- Selection of front and back office software (reservations, reception, acconting, purchasing etc)

- Concept development for restaurants, rooms, apartments, villas, public areas

- Recruitment in conformity with current labour laws including;

- A) Application forms

- B) Staff handbooks

- C) Employment contracts

- D) Interviewing

- Soft opening

- Grand opening and launch party organisation

- Management on opening either interim or long-term.

ASEAN HOTELWORKS can also provide asset management services to audit companies who are engaged in any of the above assignments and make assessments and recommendations to developers, project owners on an ad-hoc or ongoing basis.

Please feel free to contact us with your requirement (s) for an initial consultation or assessment without any obligation whatsoever.

www.asean-hotelworks.com

As far as time and working hours go, Thailand businesses work the same hours as other countries in the Western world, but it is still a common situation for many people to work Saturdays for a half-day in the business world. Saturday is not a day for business meetings, though, so don’t ask and don’t expect to be invited to one unless there is an urgent matter to take care of. Thai business people are much less worried about punctuality than most other westerners, so don’t be surprised if people show up ‘late’, because it’s not late to them. There is also a consciousness about social classes in Thailand that you will need to be prepared for. Some things have changed, but people still use age and appearance to determine how they react to people.

For example if a Western businessman walks by in a business suit, they will likely show a great deal of respect for this person simply because of the status that he has in accordance with their knowledge and understanding of Western business and civilization. While this is nice, it can be counter-productive because people might often agree with you or not tell you information that you need to know simply because they won’t want to give bad news because it is a sign of disrespect. Dress shirts and ties are standard wear among the Thai business culture, and full suits will often be required by upper management. Basically, they follow Western dress codes for business environments.

Bangkok hotels are not going to be able to help you with these things. Make sure that you take the time to find a respectable hotel, though, because if you don’t people might associate you with the wrong people and/or situations. Business negotiations are generally one of the most challenging aspects of Asian business, but not for lack of trying. The main barrier here will be the lack of English skills that a company has and the fact that they don’t have anyone on hand to translate for them. If you find a translator, they might not know anything about business, and will not be able to make decisions or translate things effectively because they have no knowledge of the industry. There are many business hotel Bangkok Thailand that you can find to stay in to help you get through business trips a little easier than you might have otherwise.

Bangkok hotels-both luxury and cheap hotels teem with people during this time. Avid film lovers come to watch the best movies made by renowned filmmakers from all across the world. Film lovers get a chance to understand the place of cinema in the cultural map of Thailand today. The numerous tourists getting to Thailand every year are ushered in with a hearty reception. With international directors, film-stars, journalists and producers, the Bangkok International Film Festival exemplifies a star-studded atmosphere.

The recently conducted Bangkok International Film Festival this year festival played host to several feature films and documentaries.  These films were made by successful filmmakers from within the country, the ASEAN region, and from all over the world.

A carefully chosen international jury adjudges two competitive programs for the Golden Kinnaree Awards. A gala Red-Carpet and a screening event in all its opulence are the characteristic features of the festival. Some of the other significant features of the international festival are workshops, exhibitions and panel discussions. The popularity of the Bangkok International Film Festival has made Thailand a recognized center of entertainment to film lovers all over the world.

Last year, the festival kicked off in style during the month of September at the SFCinema, Central World shopping complex. This week-long festival screened over 80 films from across 40 countries. The world-famous director Woody Allen’s movie Vicky Cristina Barcelona was shown here. The main objective of the FNFAT is now to enhance the production and sales of budget films, documentaries. This will make Thailand make that cut at home and across the world.

Pullman Bangkok King Power is considered as the official hotel during the festival. With the latest facilities and hospitality services, the hotel makes for a luxurious stay. However, if you are looking for cheap hotels and discount rates on services, you can refer to hotel booking worldwide. Discount hotel booking lets you know about the lowest rates on hotel amenities at this time. Browse through the various online hotel booking sites and get to know about the discount hotels near the location of Bangkok International Film Festival and reserve a room right now!

A sole proprietorship is a kind of business set up that can be owned by only one person with unlimited liability. This type of set up is subject to certain kinds of legal actions. Unless included under the United States-Thailand Treaty on Amity and Economic Co-operation, a foreigner is not permitted to start a sole proprietorship business in Thailand.

When comes to partnership business, Thailand allows three types of business such as unregistered ordinary partnerships, registered ordinary partnerships, and limited partnerships. Since it is not promoted by the Board of Investment (BOI), partnership business is seldom operated by foreign investors.

A public limited company in Thailand offers shares for sale through the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET.) But, a host of legal requirements must be complied with the Public Limited Company Act for starting a public limited company. For instance, half of the promoters must be Thai nationals and there must be at least 15 promoters for the Memorandum of Association.

Private limited companies are the most popular type of business set ups in Thailand. A foreigner can easily set up a private limited company. However, according to the Foreign Business Act, there are certain businesses that cannot be started by a foreigner on a majority basis.

Laws pertaining to the establishment of a private company in Thailand are governed by the Civil and Commercial Code, the Revenue Code, and the Accounts Act. Private limited companies are akin to western corporations and are regarded as one of the most prominent vehicles to set up a permanent business in the country. Establishment and registration of a private limited company involve certain important steps.

Foremost is the reservation of corporate name for your company. However, the name you have chosen or reserved for your company should not be same or similar to the corporate name of other companies. According to the law, certain names are not allowed as the company name. One can lean guidelines provided by the Commercial Registration Department in the Ministry of Commerce for reserving a company name. Filing of Memorandum of Association with the Commercial Registration Department is the next step in the incorporation of a private company.

Memorandum of Association must include the company’s reserved name, location of the company, business goals, share capital amount as well as how it is divided, and names of seven promoters who sign this document. Once the Memorandum of Association is registered, a government fee of about 0.5% of the registered capital must be paid. Then, a statutory meeting of all shareholders must be convened, in which the bylaws as well as articles of incorporation are approved and the board of directors and auditors are selected.

After this, the directors must file their application for the establishment of the company, within 90 days from the date of the statutory meeting. When the application is filed, a government fee of Thai 5,000 baht, which may go up to a maximum of 250,000 baht, must be paid. It is mandatory that within 60 days of the incorporation of the company should register for income tax and receive a tax ID card and a number for the company from the Department of Revenue.

Above all, once the company is incorporated and has successfully started its operation, it is required to maintain accurate books of accounts as per the Accounts Act, the Civil and Commercial Code and the Revenue Code. Accounting documents can be prepared in any language, however with a Thai translation.

Company formation and registration in Thailand offer some obvious benefits. One of the prime advantages is that the law does not entail any minimum capital requirement for establishing a business set up. Another benefit is that the Board of Investment (BOI) of the country renders a multitude of incentives to promote and encourage company formation in Thailand. As it is a founder member of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), the country provides access to a prospective ASEAN market.

A myriad of specialist consultancy firm coupled with the services of attorneys are in the scenario to help you with the processes involved in company incorporation and registration in Thailand. They help you deal with a number of activities pertaining to the registration of company such as selection of appropriate company name, financial consulting, legal consulting, drafting company by-laws and business objectives, preparation and filing of the Memorandum of Association, registering Corporate Tax and VAT, creating company logos and seals, and more.

The terrible devastation and the aftermath of this catastrophe caught on tape. . . .

The terrible devastation and the aftermath of this catastrophe caught on tape. . . .