Bangkok  - China's home-appliances giant Haier on Thursday opened a new 170-million-baht (4.9-million-dollar) factory in Thailand to produce air conditioners for the domestic and export markets, company sources said.

The new factory, situated in Prachin Buri, 70 kilometres north-east of Bangkok, has a capacity to produce 500,000 air conditioners a year, of which 30 per cent will target the local market and 70 per cent will be exported to Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia.

Bangkok - Thai shares lost 2.15 per cent in value Wednesday on profit-taking

Bangkok - China will not attend the upcoming 14th summit of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) if it is held on February 27 to March 1, as tentatively planned, officials said Wednesday.

Thailand was initially scheduled to host the 14th ASEAN Summit in mid-December 2008, but had to postpone the regional meeting indefinitely because of political chaos at home that had led to the closure of Bangkok's two airports from November 26 to December 3.

Bangkok has proposed several new dates for the summit, with the latest being set for February 27 to March 1.

Bangkok - Thai officials said Tuesday that the government has recently blocked 2,300 websites for allegedly insulting the monarchy and is seeking court approval to shut down another 400.

"We are preparing to ask for court approval to shut down an additional 400 sites," said Thailand's Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) Minister Ranongruk Suwanchawee.

Bangkok  - Hundreds of Thai Muslims on Tuesday staged a second day of demonstrations outside the Israeli embassy to Bangkok, warning of "unexpected" incidents around the world unless Israel ceases its attack and occupation of the Gaza Strip.

About 700 members of the Muslim Group for Peace rallied in front of the embassy wearing "Stop Gaza Slaughter" T-shirts and waving banners reading "Boycott Israel" and "Israel is the Real Terrorist."

Bangkok - Thai shares jumped 6.39 per cent in value Monday as investors snapped up energy sector stocks, confident that oil prices will rise because of the crisis in the Middle East, brokers said.