What sectors of the economy have seen the largest growth in BOI applications?
Dr. Atchaka: The good news is that the 11-month BOI applications are a strong indication that the 400 billion baht investment target of 2009 will be achieved. Through 11 months, we already saw 393 billion baht in investment and 1,039 project applications. Of this, projects in the services and public utilities sector, including the production of electricity from alternative energy sources, facilities for sea transport loading and unloading, industrial estates development, and scientifc laboratories represent the highest number of investment applications. The investment value in this area increased 48% from the same period last year. The second-largest investment applications area is the electrical and electronics sector, with ICs, HDDs, PCBs and white goods. The third sector is metal products, machinery and transport equipment, especially automotive production, auto parts production and eco-car parts production. TIR: Japan and the United States are the leading investor countries in Thai
