Bangkok - A team of 30 Chinese and Thai scientists have launched a two-year joint research programme to study the impact of climate change on the monsoon variability - the annual rains that are key to regional rice production, media reports said Wednesday.

The joint research programme will investigate variability of the monsoon in the Indian Ocean and China and its likely impact on rice- growing in China, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, The Nation newspaper reported.

Bangkok  - Thailand plans to request a 400-million-dollar loan from the China Exim Bank as part of its efforts to stimulate the economy which expected to shrink at least 3 per cent this year, media reports and officials said Wednesday.

The loan request is to be submitted to Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jieshi, who was scheduled to meet Wednesday with Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his Thai counterpart Kasit Piromya, The Nation newspaper reported.

Bangkok - China's Chery Automobile is mulling a production base in Thailand for right-hand-drive vehicles for the domestic and export markets, media reports said Tuesday.

"Thailand is an important market for us and a very viable location for a production site, due to the infrastructure and skilled labour," Chery Vice President Zhou Biren told The Nation newspaper.

Chery currently sells cars in Thailand through local partner Thai Chery Yarnyon.

Bangkok - Thai shares rose 1.99 per cent in value Monday on confidence that the scheduled US policy announcement on toxic assets will lead to a reinvestment in Asian stocks.

The stock Exchange of Thailand index ended at 438.17, up 8.53 points or 1.99 per cent.

Pattani, Thailand - Bomb blasts in Thailand's restive province of Narathiwat injured eleven people Monday, police said.

A bomb packed on a motorcycle exploded at 6:40 am in an open-air market, injuring two policemen and eight civilians.

"We had been warned about bomb attacks but we didn't expect one in the city," Narathiwat Police Sub-Lieutenant Anusorn Wanglee said.

Another bomb went off Monday morning outside a coffee shop at Sugai Koloh, 770 kilometres south of Bangkok, injuring one policeman.

Thailand - Thailand's economy is expected to contract by 3 per cent this year and could contract by up to 9 per cent if the government fails to push through stimulus programmes, Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij said Monday.

"If the government had no stimulus programmes the gross domestic product (GDP) could contract 8 to 9 per cent this year," Korn told reporters.

The Fiscal Policy Office has lowered its GDP growth projection for 2009 from minus 2 per cent to minus 3 per cent, he said.