The move came after Somkid’s discussion yesteday with Hiroshi Okawa, the governor of Fukuoka in Bangkok.

Fukuoka and Kitakyushu’s industries are related to Thailand’s targeted industries such as next-generation automotive, biotechnology and semiconductor.

Besides, Fukuoka is a part of the route connecting Silicon Sea Belt consisting of Hong Kong, Taiwan and China’s Shanghai which Thailand wants to become a part of , Somkid said.

“Thailand has used the model of Japan’s Oita for development for 15 years. Thai government now needs to forge business relationship in countries by city and province. Fukuoka is the right model for operator development. It’s an example for connectivity and developments,” he said.

Several government mega-projects, including the skytrain and highway projects across the country, are being built by Italian-Thai Development Plc (ITD), of which Premchai is president.

“The case is a personal matter and will impact an individual executive, but not the whole company,” Somkid said.

Somkid also said the arrest would not affect the confidence of foreign investors or the investment atmosphere.

In 2017 alone, ITD won several mega-infrastructure projects worth a combined Bt130 billion, including the Bt35-billion Mae Moh power plant project.

Premchai has been charged with poaching after being detained at the World Heritage Thung Yai Naresuan Sanctuary in Kanchanaburi province on Sunday. Guns and ammunition as well as the carcasses of protected wild animals were found near the campsite.

RMI Global Ventures, the provider of ThaiWPS Office Suite, has linked up with Internet Thailand (INET), an IT infrastructure provider, in developing SuperDuck with a shared goal of concretely helping transform the country into a digital nation under the Thailand 4.0 policy.

SuperDuck is a smart solution that allows people to use the office suite from anywhere, at any time, and on various devices – PCs or mobiles.

For example, you can work while travelling abroad without a computer.

The new software product will initially be available to former INET customers who need to use office software, before becoming available to other customers with different needs – especially organisations or enterprises without IT personnel, those who would like to cut their outlay on software, and those who would like to go for operational expenditure instead of capital expenditure to lower their costs.

The service will help customers save a lot on operating costs. They can choose to have additional services in order to satisfy their needs, and the flexibility of this solution also makes it possible to adapt the products to meet specific needs of different customers.

Target customers include organisations with a huge demand for such office programs and high security such as financial institutions, state enterprises, and private organisations, the two companies announced.

The local unit of Taiwanese maker BenQ also offers a variety of products such as Interactive Flat Panel or IFP-Smart Eye Care & Germ-resistance and Instashow (plug-and-play) wireless presentation to support and cover all business sectors, including start-ups, medium-sized and large operators, Thanyarak said.

IFP-Smart Eye Care & Germ-resistance is a unique anti-bacterial offering that features a two-layer-mirror lens coated with ionic silver, with abilities such as anti-glare, flicker free and low blue light for users’ eye comfort, the MD added.

Post-acquisition, the listed company’s ownership in the field – the largest in the Gulf of Thailand – will increase to 66.7 per cent.

The acquisition is credit positive for PTTEP because it will increase the upstream producer’s production volumes and reserves, according to a Moody’s credit-outlook statement on Monday.

Additionally, the company does not require incremental borrowings to fund the purchase and Moody’s expects its credit metrics to remain strong, with retained cash flow/adjusted debt of 65 per cent this year, which is well above the ratings firm’s quantitative guidance of 25 per cent for its rating.

PTTEP was in a net cash position with cash and cash equivalents, including short-term investments, of $4.5 billion at the end of last year, which will more than sufficiently fund the proposed acquisition, Moody’s added.

However, TRIS Rating is still concerned about risks in the global economy, such as the uncertain policies in the United States, the volatilities of commodity prices, and global financial instability that may affect interest and exchange rates.

The high level of household debt and the uncertainties of Thai politics are still risks that could affect household expenditures and investor confidence, TRIS said.

Earlier this month, SpherePay announced that it would launch a total of 10 billion SAY tokens, of which 40 per cent would be distributed for sale via ICO.

According to the company’s spokesperson, on the day of the announcement of its introduction of SAY – the official token for SpherePay’s cryptocurrency – it had already received many inquiries from interested buyers from all over the world, from Japan to the United States.

“During our pre-sale period, we received many inquiries and shows of interest through our Telegram Community Group, Facebook messages and e-mail. We are responding to all inquiries as fast as possible. We will increase the numbers at our service team immediately to better respond to all inquiries,” chief executive officer Joseph Chen said.