The Pacific Asia Travel Association released, Monday, preliminary figures for international visitor arrivals to the Asia Pacific region for January 2011, showing a 7% year-on-year expansion.

Local carmakers estimate the overtime stoppage begun two weeks ago in the wake of the Japanese disaster has cost them 10,000 vehicles to date, but normal production is expected to resume after next month's Songkran holiday.

Banpu will continue to look for new acquisition targets after the takeover of a coal mine in Mongolia, but the value of any deals will be lower than those sealed to date.

Thai Union Frozen Products Plc, the country's largest seafood exporter, is warning that local shrimp prices may rise due to southern flooding.

Thai Stanley Electric, Thailand's largest manufacturer of lighting equipment for the automotive industry, will invest more than Bt1.8b in a new manufacturing plant to produce lights for eco-cars.

Leading property firm Pruksa Real Estate will propose measures to treat wastewater from its four residential projects in Rangsit in Pathum Thani province to the Senate subcommittee on the environment at the end of this month.

It's time for the Ministry of Interior (MoI) to set up a special task force to begin fast-tracking the processing of the huge backlog of permanent residency (PR) applications it is now sitting on in silence.

SET-listed Sri Trang Agro-Industry (STA)expects to see its revenue jump by 30-40% to B100b this year from business expansion and an increase in production capacity in all types of rubber products. Kitichai Sincharoenkul, an executive director of STA, the world's largest block rubber distributor, said the company was seeing solid demand in the market driven by strong economic growth in Asia and emerging economies.

After a glorious year for the automobile industry with record sales in 2010, the industry is hoping for another boost from the Bangkok International Motor Show, with as much as Bt40b expected to change hands during the 12-day event.