Issue 26 | september 2011 | swIss-thaI Chamber of CommerCe | Newsletter

03Presidents Message .............. .......................... MeMber Profile

JfCCt rePort .................................. ................. MeMber & ChaMber

swiss-thai relations ............ ................ swiss sChool news

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08

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Nicolas Senn

I recently returned from a trip to Switzerland. Many friends and business acquaintances whom I met were curious about the situation in Thailand, questions ranged from: how is the political situation (quite stable), how was the political unrest resolved (through elections) how is the economic situation (better than in Europe) etc.

Compared to the problems Europe is facing (with the possible exception of Switzerland itself) I think we in Thai-land can still be quite satisfied with our working environment. Sometimes you have to put things in perspective and view the situation from a distance to see that the annoying and often petty problems we face as foreign busi-nessmen in Thailand may obscure the overall picture which remains fairly bright.

The free trade agreement (FTA) nego-tiations between Thailand and EFTA (Norway, Switzerland and Iceland) are gathering momentum again. As the EFTA side has long suggested to the Thai government, entering into an FTA would be a good exercise in preparing for the “big one” with the EU. EFTA’s trade and investment volume with Thailand is not insignificant. Switzer-land alone ranks 7th among investors in Thailand and trade between the two

countries is as about large as between Thailand and India which is an incom-parably larger country. We can only hope the new government will make this FTA one of its priorities.

While our chambers activities in August were rather subdued due to the continuing summer holiday season we do have some interesting events planned for the last 4 months of the year: on Sept. 29th we will receive an update from the BOI on foreign investment in Thailand. This luncheon event is organized jointly with the Netherlands Chamber. On Nov. 2nd an investment advisor from Switzerland will give us a briefing and the whole months of November and December will see several activities connected to the 80th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations program.

Finally I have to end this message on a very sad note. Khun Dusit Nontana-korn, Chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade passed away on 6th Sept. Khun Dusit was an exceptionally principled and far-sighted individual, he truly believed in making Thailand a better place to do business through corporate good governance, transparency and the right education to enable Thai youth to compete in the business world of the future. He achieved much in his long professional career and in the public service. To those who knew him personally Khun Dusit was a kind and good-natured friend, a real gentleman. He will be sorely missed.

Sincerely yours,Niti Meyer, President

dr. niti Meyer, President

september 2011 | SwiSS Thai Chamber of CommerCe | 03

The President’s Message

dear MeMbers and friendsstCC Calendar

Thursday, 29. September Chamber Luncheon “Update on the BOI” @ the Imperial Queenspark Hotel, 11:45-14:00 (joint event organized by the Dutch chamber, with Swiss, Belux and Scandinavien Cham-bers)Saturday, 8. October The Swiss Society Bangkok will celebrate it’s 80 year anniver-sary at the Shangri-La Hotel with excellent food, Entertain-ment and Raffle. You are kindly invited to join us at this event. Details you find at http://www.ssb.or.th/new_calendar.asp or contact us at secretary@swis-sthai.com .Thursday, 13. OctoberStamm at Amari Atrium Hotel, 18:00Wednesday, 2. November Chamber Luncheon @ Nai Lert Hotel, 11:45 – 14:00: SwissLife – update on Social Insurances in Switzerland, private cover solu-tions etc. (in German Language) Thursday, 10. NovemberStamm at Amari Atrium Hotel, 18:00Thursday, 26. November Swiss Racclette evening by the Swiss Society Bangkok @ the Swiss EmbassyThursday, 8. DecemberStamm at Amari Atrium Hotel, 18:00

04 | SwiSS Thai Chamber of CommerCe | september 2011

The original ASEAN agreement was signed in 1967. ASEAN is a regional affiliation of ten nations - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The agree-ment today consists of 3 pillars – Political/Security, Socio-Cultural and Economic Communities.

The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) aims to create a common economic com-munity, similar to the European Union, in Southeast Asia and aims to achieve:• a greater choice of goods and services

for consumers; • larger economies of scale for businesses

and industries; • the lowering of production costs, lead-

ing to lower prices; • a greater demand for goods and ser-

vices; • increased trade and investment; in-

creased economic integration; • increased employment.

For implementation purposes, the AEC is further broken down into key areas, each covered under separate agreements:• Free flow of Goods• Free flow of Services• Free flow of Investments• Freer flow of Capital• Free flow of Labour

The JFCCT AEC Committee aims to capture and prioritise the main issues for JFCCTs members, and explain these to the JFCCT community as soon as possible. The committee will also develop a JFCCT

policy from a Thailand business perspec-tive on the prioritised issues. Lastly the AEC committee’s role will be to source some useful information materials and some contacts for professional advisors on the use of existing FTAs and other trade and investment regimes.

In practical terms, the AEC means that an ASEAN member citizen should be able to move more freely within the ASEAN member countries, as well as work, make investments and undertake trade. Some of the changes necessary for this environ-ment have already been made by some of the countries.

This also means that ASEAN registered companies will enjoy the same sorts of freer trade opportunities. For example a Thai company will be able to own 100% of a business in other ASEAN countries. This also means companies from other ASEAN countries will be able to own 100% of a business in Thailand.

There will be a number of limitations on these freedoms, and issues such as sensitive industries are included in these limitations. The details of all the limita-tions have not yet been finalized.

Many JFCCT members understand that a number of regulations and processes in the ASEAN countries need to be amended to allow for this freer environment. The ASEAN governments have developed a Roadmap (available on the JFCCT AEC Webpage) to assist manage this.

The ASEAN Economic Community Score-card is the mechanism designed to track the progress of measures implemented by member countries to achieve the goal of establishing the AEC in 2015. The score-card is being updated currently.

The first scorecard (also available on the JFCCT AEC Webpage) covered the period from Jan. 2008-Dec. 2009. As of Dec. 2009:• Tariffs have been eliminated for 99

percent of intra-ASEAN trade, and the average remaining tariff rates have fallen.

• Nine ASEAN member-states (not includ-ing Thailand) have ratified ATIGA (the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement), designed to consolidate and synergize all provisions relating to the trade of goods into a single document.

• Eight member states (not including Thailand) have ratified ACIA (the ASEAN Comprehensive Agreement on Investment), designed to facilitate the liberalization and protection of interna-tional investments in member states.

• Seven MRA’s (mutual recognition ar-rangements) regarding specific profes-sions have been signed, permitting the freer flow of labor across ASEAN borders, and allowing service profes-sionals greater mobility throughout the region.

• ASEAN is currently developing guidelines for economic competition, consumer protection, the protection of intellectual property rights

• ASEAN passed, but requires the indi-vidual member ratification of, three agreements relating to the liberalization

JFCCT AEC Committee

suMMary of aeC august 2011

september 2011 | SwiSS Thai Chamber of CommerCe | 05

of transport across ASEAN borders, with the aim of creating a single avia-tion/logistics market

• ASEAN is designing a plan to foster and encourage the development and growth of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs).

• Several free trade agreements (FTAs) have been signed between ASEAN and some of their larger trading partners, including Australia, China, and India.

In general, 73.6% of ASEAN targets de-signed to be completed by the end of 2009 were achieved, with 100% of the targets being completed in the areas relating to fostering equitable economic develop-ment, and integrating with the global economy. Progress is still lagging with efforts at creating a competitive economic region and a single market and produc-tion base.

91 of 124 legal instruments relating to the development of the AEC were ratified.

Of importance to many JFCCT members are the agreed actions in relation to

Services. By the end of 2010, the ASEAN governments agreed that foreign owner-ship of up to 51% of services companies would be allowed. To date Thailand has not implemented this change. In some cases by 2012 or 2013, the foreign owner-ship level should raise to 70%.

The Ministry of Commerce has informed the JFCCT AEC committee that the 51%/70% foreign ownership rule applies to ASEAN citizens only, although the definition of ASEAN Citizen in relation to companies has not been clarified.

The JFCCT Committee has tabled a number of questions with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce to assist clarification of the implementation plans in Thailand. These questions include clarification of the definition of “ASEAN citizen” and “ASEAN company”. Other questions include ask-ing for details of the processes that will need to be followed for Thai companies to take advantage of the freedom of labor concepts.

In the future, to facilitate greater progress toward stated goals, there is a need to: • expedite the ratification of all AEC

agreements/protocols, • prioritize the initiatives or actions

required to implement the provisions of each AEC agreement and protocol,

• identify and address areas of diver-gence/areas of concern,

• identify the inconsistencies between national legislation and implementa-tion of regional commitments in order to address the delay in ratification and compliance with ASEAN agreements, and

• enhance outreach and advocacy activi-ties.

The JFCCT AEC committee would welcome involvement on the committee from any members of the JFCCT member country chambers. The committee has compiled a list of initial questions that we hope to be able to obtain answers for and distribute to all members, and would also welcome any questions from members in relation to the AEC.

06 | SwiSS Thai Chamber of CommerCe | september 2011

At SCCC, we are committed to protecting our earth by doing everything we can, to ensure a sustainable future

Strength. Performance. Passion.

Making the World a Greener Place

GreenHeart-Ad-SwissThaiNewsletter.ai 1 28-Jan-11 3:28:32 PM

80 years ago, Switzerland and Thai-land launched their diplomatic rela-tions with the signature of the 1931 Treaty of Friendship and Commerce between the two countries. This friendship has steadily increased and intensified over the following de-cades. H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej spent most of his childhood in Swit-zerland and studied at the Université de Lausanne. To mark this important anniversary, the Embassy of Switzer-land in Thailand together with the

Swiss Student Alumni Association are organizing several events.

4 November 2011 – Concert by Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra and Claude Villaret

The season’s opening concert of the Thai-land Philharmonic Orchestra will include the first symphony of Johannes Brahms, and the premiere of a cello concerto by Swiss Composer Fabian Müller, who wrote this piece especially for the 80th

Switzerland and Thailand celebrate 80 years relations

Many events and aCtivities

september 2011 | SwiSS Thai Chamber of CommerCe | 07

Talingchan | Bangkok | Tel 0 2448 7469www.hotairtools.in.th

Plastic Welding Equipment

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Anniversary of Thai-Swiss diplomatic relations. Cello soloist Pi-Chin Chien, who has a Swiss-Taiwanese background, will play this piece and Claude Villaret will be the conductor for the night. Tel.: 02 800 2525 extension 154 www.thailandphil.comwww.music.mahidol.ac.th/salayalink/

24 November 2011–22 January 2012 Criss+Cross. Design from Switzerland

Criss+Cross is a travelling exhibition of the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia and will be shown at the Thailand Creative and Design Center located on the 6th floor at The Emporium Shopping Complex.

28 November – 30 November 2011 Exhibition at Siam Paragon

During three days there will be a full program with artists, sponsors and information at the Siam Paragon Exhibi-tion Hall on the first floor. The Embassy of Switzerland is especially proud to present Nicolas Senn with his Hackbrett. Among others he won the Prix Walo. There will

also be concerts by a Thai Khim player, which will give the audience an op-portunity to compare these two similar instruments from two different conti-nents. Beside concerts, one can also enjoy the smell and taste of cheese and Thai food during the live cheese-making and Thai cooking show. Another attraction will be the comparison between Thai and Swiss weaving techniques. A presentation of Thai and Swiss Art can’t be missing on such an event. Five Swiss and Thai artists will present their work. Five paintings will be put up for auction and

their proceeds will benefit the Ananda Mahidol Foundation. On top of this, one can place orders for the limited edition watch, discover what the sponsors have to offer on their stands and an exhibi-tion on H.M. King Bhumibol. This event will be the visit of H.R.H Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn to the exhibition at Siam Paragon on the 29th November.

13 December 2011 – Screening of movie “How About Love” by Stefan Haupt

The Swiss Director Stefan Haupt will per-sonally present his movie at the openair filmfestival at the Goethe Institute in Bang-kok. The movie is about a Swiss cardiac surgeon who finds a new life purpose and a new love in Thailand, while his family in Switzerland waits for him. The entrance is free and open for everyone.

Further InformationPlease visit and like: www.facebook.com/ 80anniversarythaiswissMore information:www.eda.admin.ch/bangkok

08 | SwiSS Thai Chamber of CommerCe | september 2011

1. Name or AliasBruno G. Odermatt

2. Birth Place & BirthdayHorw, Switzerland, 23.10.1956

3. Occupation / EmployerEducated in Switzerland and USA with Major in Insurance and Risk Management. Managed for the last 13 years Thai Zurich and ThaiSri Insurance and since 1.1.2011 Partner in VR Insurance Broker, an insurance and risk management advisory.

4. LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Spanish and Thai, which is still work in progress.

5. Family & HomeWe recently moved from our peaceful home in the suburbs to an apartment in the city and my wife Gabriele and our two teenagers are just lov-ing it.

6. Years in ThailandAfter moving around across Continental Europe and living for 10 years in the United States, we moved from New York to Bangkok 15 years ago and call this great place now our home.

7. Favorite restaurant in ThailandI am blessed to have some great chefs amongst my customers. Here is my shortlist: French food definitely Herve Frerard at Le Beaulieu, Italian food Angelo Rottoli from Beccofino, Internation-al food Artur Klucewski at Artur, and Thai food our all time favorite Ruen Rod in Mooban Sum-makorn.

8. Favorite destination in ThailandAo Nang Beach and Chiang Mai

9. How do you spend your free time?We are a golfer’s family and spend the weekends walk-ing and playing fairways and greens, if time permits. We love to read and enjoy cooking and fine dining.

10. Which book or movie would you recommend to your friends and why?If you want to better understand Thailand’s his-tory with China during the Cold War, then I en-courage you to read the “Dragon’s Pearl” of Sirin Phathanothai. I have become to known her per-sonally and her life story is truly amazing and in-spiring. Forrest Gump is my favorite movie. It is a true reflection of American culture seen through the eyes of my generation.

11. If you had a million dollars, how would you spend it?In a nutshell, in teachers and education. My wife happens to be a teacher and I can see the pro-found impact a good educational system has on prosperity of a nation and civil society. When Lee Kuan Yew transformed Singapore from one of the poorest nations in Asia into a financial and indus-trial powerhouse, his key driver was building up a high performing educational system. I believe it is money well spent.

12. If you had the power to change something in Thailand, what would it be?I would definitely make Bangkok a greener place. More trees, more public parks, more golf cours-es - and fewer concrete bunkers, fewer shopping complexes, fewer parking houses.

Member Interview

bruno g. oderMatt

Business ConsultingStart up – Business Registrations – Visa & Work permits

RecruitingAccounting Services

including VAT, Tax, year-end closings, reportings

Insurance SolutionsMedical Insurances (individual and staff / groups)

Car- , Bike- & Property InsuranceLife Insurances

TRINA Management (Thailand) Co. Ltd.18th Floor, Unit 1802; Bangkok Business Center Building

#29, Sukhumvit 63 Road, Wattana, Bangkok 10110Tel: 02 714 4177; Fax: 02 714 4179

trina@loxinfo.co.th www.trina-thai.com

Member of the Swiss & German Chamber of Commerce

TRINAINTERNATIONAL

ONE STOP

Your reliable Partnerin Thailand

+ Swiss Management +Since 1996

september 2011 | SwiSS Thai Chamber of CommerCe | 09

STCC intern

New corporate members

Rembrandt Hotel & Towers19 Sukhumvit Soi 18 (Pichit), Sukhumvit Road, Klongtoey, Klongtoey, Bangkok 10110Tel: 02 261 7100 , Fax: 02 261 7016e-mail: reservations@rembrandtbkk.comwebsite: www.rembrandtbkk.comRepresentatives: Mr. Simon P. Rindlis-bacher, Hotel Manager; and Mr. Eric Hal-lin, General ManagerActivity: A luxurious Bangkok Hotel in the central Sukhumvit district of Bangkok. Award-winning restaurants. 407 exquisite guest rooms and suites.

Oriental Residence Bangkok (Sinsubchangmhowthai Co. Ltd.)110 Wireless Road, Lumpini, Pathumwan, 10330 BangkokTel: 02 252 5538, Fax: 02 252 5539e-mail: email@oriental-residence.comwebsite: www.oriental-residence.comRepresentatives: Mr. Patrick Schaub, General Manager, and Mr. Kunihiro Iwa-kiri, Director Sales & MarketingActivity: Oriental Residence Bangkok of-fers refined accommodation surrounded

by a lush enclave in the centre of the city. Unparalleled attentiveness and cordial service attracts business and leisure guests, alike to this Bangkok serviced residence.

New associate members

IFW Niggemann, Fischer & Partner LLC1126/2; 34th Floor, Vanich Bldg. New Petchburi Road, Makkasan, Rachathevee, 10400 BangkokTel: 02 655 3111, Fax: 02 655 3112 e-mail: g.brain@ifwniggemann.chwebsite: www. ifwniggemann.chRepresentatives: Mr. Graham Brain, Asian Representative, and Mr. Edy Fischer, PartnerActivity: Business Services & Consulting

New individual members

Rene A. von RautenkranzDera Mansion 12B, 23 Sukhumvit Soi 18, Klongtoey, 10110 BangkokManager, Herrenknecht (Asia) Ltd.www.herrenknecht.com

Dr. Peter A. NeumannWilshire Condominium, 80/67 Sukhumvit Soi 22, Klongtoey, 10110 BangkokActivity: Retired, Consultant

Member detail updates

Do you have changes among your del-egates or changes to your e-mail, mobile, telephone, or fax numbers? Please send all updates to secretary@swissthai.com

Membership fee 2011

We still have outstanding Membership fees. As we do not have messengers cruising in the city - NO cheque- pay-ments please – direct pay in to our Bank of Ayudhya account only . Please verify with your accounting that the fee is paid and the copy of the pay in slip has been sent by e-mail [no fax] to our secretary@swissthai.com ; only then the fee is considered as paid and a receipt is issued. Thanks for your help to minimise collec-tion efforts.

STCC intern

MeMber & ChaMber news

Premier International Co., Ltd.

We fabricate P.T.F.E. Coated Glass Fabric Material into different kind of belts for many Industries. We produce textile dryer belts, packaging belts, processing belts and tapes according to customer specification Contact us: Tel.0-2935-9023 to 5 Fax. 0-2539-1743, 0-2935-9026 E-mail: premier_admin@csloxinfo.com

Website: www.premier-belting.com, www.premier-belts.com

Thailand‘s leading German language print and online magazine

The best way to reach the German speakers

The Specialist for Branding and Advertising

Ask mark@euro-thai.net

10 | SwiSS Thai Chamber of CommerCe | september 2011

Southeast Asia Link Co., Ltd. | Tel 0 2732 2092 | www.seal-ast.com

imported from SwitzerlandAdhesive & Sealant Technologies

Disposable MixersDispensers, Cartridges

Adhesives & Sealants

27.10.2011

annual general Meeting / sea17.–24.10.2011

Chulalongkorn holidays (sChool offiCe Closed)

Upcoming events

Opening Ceremony School Year 2011-2012 –Start of the English-speaking profile

On Monday, the 8th of August 2011, at 9:20 am, Swiss School Bangkok arranged a ceremony marking the beginning of the new school year.Students, teachers, administration staff, parents and other guests were greeted with welcoming words from the new school director, Mr. Michael Gwerder. After introducing himself to the audience, the director described the coming school year as a very important one, especially because it marks the start of the English-speaking profile of the school. Starting with this school year, English speaking classes will be available from kindergarten up to grade 3. Swiss School’s Eng-lish branch will later apply at the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) to be able to offer all of their three programs. Students will then have the opportunity to graduate with the IB Diploma that gives access to universities worldwide.The further highlights of the ceremony were the introduction of the new students and teaching staff members and the music performances of the school’s teacher band accompanied by the powerful voice of Mrs. Liv Lange.

Swiss School Bangkok received the quality seal “Excellent German School Abroad”

The new ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Thailand, Mr. Rolf Schulze, presented the award “Excellent Ger-man School Abroad” to Swiss School Bangkok during his visit at the school on August 24, 2011. Beginning May 2011, German schools abroad that have been deemed worthy by a German government inspection team will be awarded the “Excellent German School Abroad” quality seal in the form of a certificate signed by German President Christian Wulff. With these certifi-cates, the German President will reaffirm the excellent reputa-tion German schools abroad enjoy as places of education and inter-cultural exchange. The new quality seal for schools abroad will also be a tribute to their efforts to raise standards with the aid of a comprehensive quality management process.After the successful inspection by a Federal-State commission

Education

oPening CereMony

The handover of the BLI quality seal to the SMT (from left to right): Michael Gschnaidner, Michael Gwerder, Rolf Schulze, Johanna Väns-kä, Annette Sévery.

in March 2011, Swiss School Bangkok fulfills the requirements to be awarded the certificate of an “Excellent German School Abroad”. The certificate “Exzellente Deutsche Auslandsschule” means an important milestone in the quality management pro-cess which the Swiss School Bangkok started three years ago. The work and improvement of the schools’ curricula will also be continued in the new academic year.In his visit, the new ambassador promised to support the school in the future. The director of Swiss School, Mr. Michael Gwerder, then expressed his gratitude to current and former members of the teaching staff for their exemplary commitment and cooperation, which eventually made this outstanding suc-cess possible.

september 2011 | SwiSS Thai Chamber of CommerCe | 11