THAILAND - Private funding offered for convention center

Phuketgazette.net, June 1, 2007

NAI YANG: Phuket’s decades-old of dream of having an International Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC) took a step forward on May 28, when Tourism and Sports Minister Suwit Yodmanee ordered the formation of a provincial committee and gave it 60 days to decide where the center should be sited.The move follows a May 25 meeting of ING Funds (Thailand) Co Ltd Managing Director Maris Tarab with Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit and Suwalai Pinpradab, Director of Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Southern Region 4 office in Phuket, at the Governor’s Office at Phuket Provincial Hall.Mr Maris proposed that ING Funds build a 10,000-seat conference and exhibition center on some 2,000 rai in Mai Khao under the control of the Treasury Department’s State Property Management and Services Office, or Ratchapassadu.Mr Maris’ plan for ING to completely fund the center’s construction on a 30-year “build-operate-transfer” agreement with the government was well-received by Gov Niran.

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