JP/13/Money

JP/13/Money

Budiman reelected as IRSG Sec-Gen

JAKARTA: Indonesian AFS Budiman has been reelected as
secretary general of the International Rubber Study Group (IRSG)
during its 103rd meeting in Glasgow on Feb. 7, a statement from
the Indonesian embassy in London has said.

Budiman has been reelected for the next two-year term through
a vote participated in by 15 out of 17 member countries, said the
statement which was made available to Antara here Friday.

Fourteen countries including the United Nations voted for
Budiman and one country, Malaysia, did not vote for him.

IRSG is the only international organization of rubber
producers.

Indonesian Ambassador Nana Sutresna, who led an Indonesian
delegation to the vote, said a tripartite agreement signed by
main rubber producers -- Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand -- will
hopefully raise international natural rubber price following a
surplus of natural rubber worldwide.

IRSG groups Cameroon, Belgium, Britain, France, Germany,
Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Russia, Singapore,
Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the Netherlands, and the United
States.

Thailand tourists top 10m in 2001

BANGKOK: Visitor arrivals to Thailand broke the 10 million
mark for the first time in 2001, despite the Sept. 11 attacks
which depressed the tourism industry worldwide, officials said
Thursday.

Some 10,061,950 visitors came to Thailand last year, up by 5.8
percent over 2000, the Tourism Authority of Thailand said.

"Clearly, Thailand was not as badly affected by the incident
in the U.S. and the global tourism slowdown," said the TAT's
acting governor Juthamas Siriwan.

"We have successfully positioned ourselves as a peaceful and
stable country, backed by high service standards, great tourism
products and very good value for money," she said in a statement.

"We can also expect a strong year ahead in 2002."

Visitor arrivals declined in both September and October after
the terrorist attacks, which sent shockwaves through the global
tourism and airline sectors.

The authority said October's arrivals at 720,247 represented a
record low. --AFP