MALAYSIAN BUSINESS COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTES 200,000 BAHT TO THAI PEACE NETWORK
Bangkok, 5th September 2011: The Malaysian Thailand Chamber of Commerce (MTCC), with the support from the Embassy of Malaysia, Kelab Malaysia and Thailand Peace Network Foundation, has raised 200,000 Baht for the Thailand Peace Network to support its peace-building programmes through a charity gala dinner.
Mr. Yeap Swee Chuan, the chairman of MTCC in his welcoming speech noted that the charity dinner, which carried the theme Malaysian Charity Dinner 2011, is the first of its kind to be organised in Thailand and is an effort by the Malaysian business community in Thailand to contribute back to the Thai society.
MTCC came into being in 2002 and currently has more than 100 paid members. The Chamber collaborates closely with Malaysian government agencies based in Thailand such as the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), Malaysian Industrial Development Authority (MIDA), Tourism Malaysia and Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) to grow bilateral trade and investment between both countries.
Bilateral trade between both countries stood at US$ 22.57 billion in 2010. Malaysia’s exports to Thailand were valued at US5.95 billion as of January – June this year, while imports from Thailand were valued at US$5.50 billion for the corresponding period. Meanwhile, Malaysian investment in approved projects in Thailand currently amounts to US$2.9 billion, while Thailand’s investment in approved projects in Malaysia amounts to approximately US$0.4 billion.
The attendees to the dinner enjoyed a specifically selected menu that was put together by Dato’s Ismail Ahmad – a celebrity chef from Malaysia who was specially flown in from Malaysia to showcase the best of Malaysian cuisine. The event, among others, witnessed the attendance of HE Kittirat Na Ranong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce, Thailand, Dato’ Nazirah Hussain, the Malaysian Ambassador to Thailand as well as a host of Malaysian and Thailand?s captains of industries and other dignitaries.
Dato’ Nazirah Hussain in her speech commended MTCC’s efforts in terms of strengthening bilateral ties between both countries. She also noted that such activities highlight the fact that both countries are not merely bound by trade and investment relationship alone, but is also bound by a strong human relationship that goes back over many centuries.
