Thailand's new industrial estate to specially serve Chinese investors

BANGKOK, August 23 (TNA) - The state-run Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) has agreed to join forces with the private sector to establish a new industrial estate in the country's eastern Rayong Province to specially welcome investors who communicate in the Mandarin Chinese language. IEAT Deputy Governor for Corporate Strategy and Development Suwatana Kmolwatananisa told journalists on Thursday that an environmental impact assessment (EIA) is being conducted for the new 3,068 rai-CPGC Industrial Estate (2.5 rai = 1 acre) and the construction of its first phase has been set to be completed by 2019, provided that the EIA is officially approved. "The new 5.6-billion baht-industrial estate, all areas of which are expected to be fully occupied over the next six years, is aimed to specially cater for investors from the mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong who speak the Mandarin Chinese language and whose investment funds are anticipated to total at least 60 billion baht and whose employment should reach at least 20,000 positions", the IEAT deputy governor said. According to the IEAT deputy governor, the "eco industrial town" concept, in which an eco-belt as a green ecological buffer zone of at least 10 per cent of the total space, is included, will be applied for the design of the new industrial estate, where a modern environmental protection system to control air and voice pollution, as well as wastes will also be put in good place for the sake of good health and quality of life of people in surrounding communities on the sustainable basis. Meanwhile, Sunthorn Arunanondchai, President of CG Corporation, told reporters that zones inside the new CPGC Industrial Estate, which will be jointly run by IEAT and his CG firm, a subsidiary of the Charoen Pokphand (CP) conglomerate, will be divided into the industrial, the commercial, the utility and the green zones and connected with the Thai government-supported Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) Project, covering Chachoengsao, Chon Buri and Rayong Provinces. (TNA)