Atchaka Sibunruang, Secretary General of the Office of the Board of Investment said foreign investments in Thailand continue to grow steadily, defying the assumption that they have moved their capital elsewhere in this region, according to the National News Bureau of Thailand (NNT).
She said that January this year saw the number of investors rise by 103, compared to the same period of last year with the amount of investment increasing by 78 billion baht, while it was only 26.3 billion in January last year.
Atchaka said the flood crisis did not scare away foreign investors as they all remained in the Kingdom, though some have moved their production bases away from flood prone areas, but not to overseas as previously thought.
Among all regions in Thailand, the central part has seen the highest number of investments where the accumulated cash flow is worth more than 60 billion baht. They are mostly in petrochemical, paper and plastic industries.
Meanwhile, the second biggest investment destination is in Rayong eastern province, where investment is said to be around 47 billion baht, followed by the North of Thailand where foreign investment totals around 500 million baht.
Atchaka said the auto industry is seen as the most active sector for the moment as manufacturers are accelerating their production in response to the demand. It is expected that by the end of this year, there will be 2 million cars produced in Thailand./.
