For years, Thailand has been among the most successful countries in Asia for attracting Foreign Direct

Investment (FDI). In the ever-competitive investment environment that characteri es the !"st, Thailand has continued to remain attractive to foreign investors. For more than three decades, successive Thai governments have recogni ed that the private sector in Thailand has been the main facilitator of gro#th and the government has actively played a promoting and supporting role. The Thai government has ta$en a consistently favorable stance to#ards foreign investors, recogni ing their importance to Thailand%s economic and technological development. In fact, government approval to invest in Thailand is not even needed unless the special incentives offered by the &oard of Investment are being applied for, and most sectors of the Thai economy are open to foreign investors. The combination of factors and the continued efforts of government agencies to reduce 'red-tape( and facilitate investors has led to Thailand being among the highest-ran$ed countries for FDI by independent observers, as #ell as by foreign investors. A fe# )uic$ facts about Thailand* The combination of factors and the continued efforts of government agencies to reduce 'red-tape( and facilitate investors has led to Thailand being among the highest-ran$ed countries for FDI by independent observers, as #ell as by foreign investors. Thailand has the #orld(s* "+th largest agricultural output ",th largest manufacturing output !-th largest economy by purchasing po#er !.th largest trade in goods !/th largest industrial output /.th biggest e0port volume /!nd largest earnings from services and income //rd largest economy /1th largest services output "2th most air travel ",th most tourist arrivals "/rd largest tourist receipts 3ource* The 4conomist 5oc$et 6orld in Figures, !."! edition In !."", Thailand is also the #orld(s 7 " producer of hard dis$ drives !nd largest producer of natural and synthetic rubber +th largest producer of sugar 1th largest producer of rice "!th largest e0porter of total food 7 " e0porter of cassava 1th largest e0porter of rice and grains !nd largest e0porter of sugar "+th largest producer of automotive 3ource* The 4conomist 5oc$et 6orld in Figures, !."! edition 8ational Food Institute, !."". The combination of factors and the continued efforts of government agencies to reduce 'red-tape( and facilitate investors has led to Thailand being among the highest-ran$ed countries for FDI by independent observers, as #ell as by foreign investors. 6orld &an$ 4ase of Doing &usiness !."/ 4very year, the 6orld &an$ conducts a study of 4ase of Doing &usiness in countries around the #orld. The Doing &usiness report, #hich loo$s at domestic and medium-si ed enterprises and )uantitatively measures regulations affecting them, covers nine indicators for "9+ economies. 4ase of Doing &usiness !."/ ran$ed Thailand 7"9 in the #orld, placing in -th in 4ast Asia 5acific.

:overnment agencies in Thailand have been collaborating to promote a friendly business environment. This, along #ith
other measures such as improving the )uality of education and promoting innovation, #ill help Thailand attract investors and remain competitive.; Annette Di0on, 6orld &an$ <ountry Director for Thailand

Thailand continues its efforts to reduce the cost and time of doing business. This, combined #ith reforms aimed at
improving s$ills and promoting greater competition in the services sector,#ould promote greater investment and improve business operations,= >irida &haopichitr, 6orld &an$ 3enior 4conomist for Thailand. Country 2013 Ranking 3ingapore " Thailand "9 ?alaysia "! @ietnam 22 <hina 2" &runei ,2 Indonesia "!9 <ambodia "// 5hilippines "/9 Aaos "1/ 3ource* http*BB###.doingbusiness.org A.T. >earney !."" :lobal 3ervices Aocation Inde0C (:3AI) International global management consulting firm A.T, >earney(s :lobal 3ervices Aocation Inde0C (:3AI) offers a snapshot for both business leaders #ho must choose among a gro#ing number of offshore locations, and the policy ma$ers #ho see$ to influence their decisions. Thailand ran$ed 7, in the #orld in the !."" inde0, Country Global Rank ?alaysia / Indonesia + Thailand , @ietnam 9 5hilippines 2 3ingapore /! 3ource* AT >earney D3&< 40pat 40perience Eeport In its !."" 40pat 40perience Eeport, D3&< found that Thailand #as the top-ran$ed location in terms of e0pat lifestyle, far ahead of A34A8 neighbors, ?alaysia (7-), 5hilippines (7+), 3ingapore (7"") as #ell as <hina (7!,) and India (7/"). The report focused on e0pats( e0periences of setting up in the ne# country of residence, integrating into local society as #ell as their )uality of life in comparison to #here they used to live. The reports /,/..F respondents (from more than ".. countries ) ran$ed Thailand 7" in terms of ')uality of life,( -th in overall setting up and "!th in overall integration. 40pats in countries #hich ran$ highly on the 40pat 40perience league table are more li$ely to have lived there for ". years or more, and are more li$ely to say they #ill remain in that country or #ill return after subse)uent postings. For e0ample, e0pats in Thailand ("st on 40pat 40perience league table), 3pain (,th) and 8e# Gealand (9th) are much more li$ely to say they #ill either stay in or return to their current country (+!H, /2H and ++H respectively) than e0pats overall (!/H). 3imilarly, #or$Blife balance seems to play an important role here and e0pats in these countries have a much better than average (-9H) #or$Blife balance I #ith Thailand (1!H),3pain (+2H) and 8e# Gealand (,2H) all scoring highly on this aspect of e0pat life. 40pats in Thailand, 3pain and 8e# Gealand are also more li$ely to say it #as easy to fit into the ne# culture (1"H, 1,H and ,+H respectively) than e0pats on average (+9H)

For those loo$ing for the best overall e0pat e0perience, our findings this year sho# Thailand as the top e0pat
destination, being ran$ed as number one by our e0pats for ease of organi ing healthcare, finding accommodation

and the #or$ environment. Aast year this destination #as ran$ed highly as a retirement hotspot so it(s great to see the country develop in terms of its economic appeal.; Aisa 6ood, head of mar$eting at D3&< &an$ International

Countries

Overall Overall Experience up ..1! ..1" ..+2 ..+9 ..+, ..+1 ..+1 ..+" ! / + 1 , 9 2 ..1+ ..1! ..1, ..+2 ..+9 ..19 ..+2 ..,! ..+/

Setting

Overall Integration ..," ..,..,! ..19 ..19 ..,+ ..9! ..11 ..1, ..,/

Overall Quality !i e ..+9 !

"#ailan$ Cana$a Sout# % rica &alaysia %ustralia Spain (e) *ealan$ +elgiu,

, / ". "! ! "" " !. 2

"! ..+9 " 9 "" ..+- + "1 ..++ ", ..+1 / + " ..-2 ". ..-2 2

'#ilippines ..+9

!" ..-2 9 "2 ..+" 1 2 ..-, "1

-nite$ ..+". ..1. States 3ource* D3&< 40pat 40plorer 3urvey !."".

?ercer !."! <ost of Aiving 3urvey The ?ercer Duman Eesource <onsulting <ost of Aiving 3urvey-6orld#ide Ean$ings !."!, sho#ed that &ang$o$, Thailand, ran$ing of 79" indicates &ang$o$%s cost of living #as far lo#er than 3ingapore (1th most e0pensive city in the #orld), Dong >ong(72), &eiJing(7",), 3hanghai(7"1) and many other maJor cities in Asia. Rankings City . 3ingapore .1 Ka$arta /1 &ang$o$ 102 >uala Aumpur 13. Danoi 3ource* ###.mercer.com Country 3ingapore Indonesia Thailand ?alaysia @ietnam

<&E4 Lffice Eents and Lccupancy <osts (M/ !."!) According to <&E4, as of M/B!."!, prime office rents in Thailand #ere the lo#est of maJor cities in 3outheast Asia at N3O!2Bs).ft.Byear. -S01s23 t1%nnu, ".+ -9 24 -, -2 City 3ingapore Danoi &ang$o$ >uala Aumpur Ka$arta Country 3ingapore @ietnam Thailand ?alaysia Indonesia

3ource* <&E4 ?ar$et @ie# Asia 5acific Lffice,M/B!."!

<: 6atch !."! In !."!, <A3A, in conJunction #ith the Asian <orporate :overnance Association, ran$ed mar$ets in Asia-5acific for corporate governance, and compared the results #ith the findings from !.., and !.".. Thailand enJoyed a three percentage point Jump in its absolute score in !."., #hich #as eight percentage-points higher

than its scfore in !.., <A3A commented that Thailand #ins the a#ard for Pmost improved= in Asia for corporate governance. 2010 2012 Country C#ange Rank Rank 3ingapore 1, 12 F! Thailand ++ +9 F/ <hina -2 -+ -Indonesia -. /, -/ 5hilippines /, -" F3ource* ###.acga-asia.org 6omen in ?anagement The !."! International &usiness Eeport, issued by :rant Thornton, ran$ed Thailand ran$ed /rd out of -. economies measured, in terms of the percentage of senior management positions held by #omen. Eussia and &ost#ana ran$ed "st and !nd place, respectively. Kapan #as ran$ed -.th. At /2H, the percentage of #omen in senior management positions in Thailand #as double the global average (!"H), and ".H higher than in any other 3outheast Asian country. 'ercentage o &anage,ent /2 /2 !9 !/ !, 32 21 5o,en in Senior

Country Thailand 5hilippines ?alaysia 3ingapore @ietnam %SE%( Global %verage

Source6 Grant Thornton IBR 2012 MasterCard Worldwide 2011 Women's Financial Literacy Index Thai women are found to have the hi hest literacy in financial mana ement in the !sia"#acific re ion$ says the first survey on women and finance conducted %y MasterCard& Thai women scored the hi hest a re ate score with '(&) *oints$ %ased on three indicators& They had the hi hest scores in Financial #lannin +,'&0- and Investment +.)&(-$ outshinin their *eers in the other 1( !sia/#acific mar0ets surveyed& The survey indicated that Thai women ive im*ortance to financial mana ement$ which demonstrates that Thai women are acce*ted and trusted to *lay ma1or roles and can wor0 in financial and investment"related *ositions that re2uire 0nowled e$ thorou h understandin and financial awareness& Overall Country Ranking

Thaila nd 3ietna m 4in a* ore #hili** ines Indon esia Malays ia

'(&) '0&1 .)&5 .,&2 ..&6 ..&0

4ource7 www&mastercard&com 2012 5o,en7s Econo,ic Opportunity Thailand ran$ed -,th out of "!9 economies for overall ran$ing #hile holds 7, out of !! economies in the Asia 5acific

region for 6omen(s 4conomic Lpportunity #ith the highest overall score of 1..", improved from !.". score. 4conomic opportunities for #omen have e0panded in much of 4ast and 3outh Asia in the past year, the !."! Inde0 reflects increases in overall scores for nine of t#elve countries. Thailand and ?alaysia have the highest overall scores of 1.." and +,., respectively. 4ast and 3outh Asian countries increased their education and training scores, though improvements #ere more modest in 3outh Asia. The female labour participation rates in 4ast Asia and 3outh Asia are 1-H and !2H, respectively. A #oman(s ability to #or$ outside the home in 3outh Asia is often restricted by a re)uirement of consent from the husband or by allo#ing him to contest his #ife(s employment if it conQicts #ith family interests. <riteria and categories used in survey #ere ") Aabor 5olicy and 5ractice !) Access to Finance /) 4ducation R Training -) 6omen(s Aegal and 3tatus +) :eneral &usiness 4nvironment.

!."! 6orld(s &est <ities &ang$o$ has retained the 8o. " spot as 6orld(s &est <ity in Travel F Aeisure(s maga ine(s ",th annual 6orld(s &est A#ards readers( poll for the third year. 5eninsula &ang$o$ is also named Top <ity Dotel in Asia.

Source* Travel and Aeisure ?aga

8acts about "#ailan$ 5opulation (!.".)

ine, Kuly !."!

11 million

A34A8 5opulation Aiteracy Eate ?inimum 6age (" Apr("!, &ang$o$) :D5 (!."") :D5 per <apita (!."") :D5 :ro#th (!."") :D5 :ro#th (!."!, proJected) 40port :ro#th (!."") 40port :ro#th (!."!, proJected) Trade &alance (!."") <urrent Account &alance (!."") International Eeserves (!."") <apacity Ntili ation (!."") ?anufacturing 5roduction Inde0 (!."") <onsumer 5rice Inde0 (8ov !."!) (!..,S"..) <orporate Income Ta0 6ithholding Ta0 @alue Added Ta0

1.. million 21H /.. &ahtBday N3O/-+.1 billion N3O+,""/ .."H +.+H "1.-H +.+H N3O",.. billion N3O+.2 billion N3O",+."! billion +9."-H ",!./2 ""1.-" ".-!/H ".-"+H ,H

8ovember Average 40change Eates N3O" S /..," baht " S /2.-. baht T" S -2../ baht ".. U S /,.21 baht <8V" S -.2/ baht

Leadin international com*anies confirm their stron su**ort for investin in Thailand&
The 8ow Chemical Com*any

9To ether with our *artner$ we have rown in Thailand with the encoura ement of the %oard of investment and we %rou ht the %est technolo y we have availa%le in the world as well as the %est environmental health and safety *ractices& This is only *ossi%le %ecause of the reatest resources of them all$ which is the *eo*le of Thailand& They are very technolo y oriented$ very onto the %est standard on the environment$ health and safety and we see nothin %ut rowth in our *ro1ects and our a%ility to sell reat *roducts to hel* the economy row& We are investors in the economy than0s to the %oard of investment as a reat assistant in hel*in ma0e the 8ow Chemical Com*any a rowth story in Thailand&9 Andrew N. Liveris Chairman and Chief Executive Officer The ow Chemical Com!any Cassava Waste to :ner y Co&$ Ltd&

9Thailand;s a%undance in waste water resources com%ined with the country;s environmental commitment and investment in :co"friendly technolo y ensure the continued success of the reen *ro1ects& 9 "ho#i Nonomura $anaging irector Cassava %aste to Energy Co.&Ltd.

Thomson <euters

9The sense of service in Thailand is ama=in and it is very very im*ortant *oint to us& We are initially su**osed to deliver only care and maintenance out of Thailand %ut we are actually today a%le to deliver much more$ than0s to the creativity and the sense of innovation of all staff&9 'illes e!aty (ead of Asia evelo!ment eskto! )latform 'rou!& "ales and Trading $arkets Thomson Reuters