“Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.”
Aldous Huxley
• Thailand is the world’s largest exporter of shrimp.
• Although Thailand is the world’s largest exporter of rice it is only the world’s sixth largest producer behind China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Vietnam.
(Rice Exporters Association)
• Thailand is the 22nd highest carbon emitter in the world.
(United Nations Development Programme)
• It is estimated that cross-national marriages have contributed Bt 8.6 billion to the economy of Northeastern Thailand.
(Khon Kaen University research report)
• In 1991, there were 143,000 HIV infections in Thailand. In 2007 the figure was 14,000.
(Anand Panyarachun, former Prime Minister)
• Bangkok's office space is the third cheapest in Asia with only Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur offering lower office rentals.
(CB Richard Ellis)
• In 1989 3.7% of blood donated to the Thai Red Cross Society was contaminated with HIV/Aids.
(The Nation, March 31 2008)
• Thailand’s health care system has an annual budget of around Bt 2,300 per person.
(Bangkok Post, April 2 2008)
• Thailand is the world’s largest rubber producer with a total output in 2007 of 3,063,000 tonnes.
(IRSG)
• In the first quarter of 2008, monthly rent for prime retail space in central Bangkok was Bt 2,458.19 per square metre compared with Bt 34,408.03 for the equivalent in New York.
(Knight Frank)
• There are over 3,000 7-Eleven stores, 492 Tesco Lotus, 59 Big C, 45 Makro and 29 Carrefour outlets in Thailand.
(Business Development Department)
• Thailand has an estimated 1.87 million businesses of which 99% are SME’s.
(The Nation, April 7 2008)
• Currently, there are about 40,000 Thai workers in South Korea.
(TNA, April 8 2008)
• Last year, there were 4,274 road accidents countrywide, killing 361 and injuring 4,805 people during the long holiday.
(Bangkok Post, April 13 2008)
• The sale of alcoholic beverages during the ongoing Songkran festival, Thailand's traditional New Year, is expected to rise to an estimated Bt3.1 billion.
(TNA, April 13 2008)
• The proportion of imported brand PC’s and to locally-branded PC’s was 40 to 60 in 2007 compared with 20 to 80 in 2005.
(Bangkok Post, April 9 2008)
• The total area in Thailand under maize production is more than 7.7 million rai with a total production is around 4.47 million tonnes. The country imported 150,356 tonnes of maize worth Bt495.07 million in 2007. Since early this year, import volumes reached 50,741 tonnes worth Bt164.13.
(The Nation, April 15 2008)
• There are at least 1.24 million single parent families in Thailand out of 17.8 million households.
(Provincial Administration Department)
• Thailand has only 104.7 million rai of fertile forest left out of a total of 320.7 million rai of forest land.
(Natural Resources and Environment Ministry)
• There were 229 deaths and 3,315 injuries during the 2008 Songkran period from April 11 to April 16.
(Road Safety Centre)
