Now is the time for U.S. firms to invest

SIRITAJ ROJANAPRUK Chief Executive Officer of Com-Link

THERE is still plenty of room for U.S. investment in Thailand, and with the economy gathering pace, now is the time for American firms to take advantage of it, declares Siritaj Rojanapruk, Chief Executive Officer of fiber optic operator Com-Link.

“We are safe and open in Thailand, and we welcome foreigners,” says Mr. Siritaj. “American primary investors are not aware of the good economic and political situation of Thailand today. If they don’t come now, they could be too late.”

Established 13 years ago, Com-Link won a 20-year concession from the Telephone Organization of Thailand (now the TOT Corporation) to build and transfer a $200 million fiber optics communication system along the railway routes of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT).

The company installed more than 1,800 miles of fiber optic cable during the project, and will operate and maintain it for the remainder of the concession term, up to 2010. The concession also included the provision of a network maintenance center and a nationwide telecommunications system for the SRT.

Com-Link has subsidiaries working for other authorities, installing fiber optics systems for the Communication Authority of Thailand (CAT) and the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT), for example.
“Recently we have diversified quite a lot, and we have acquired Trinity, a securities company,” says Mr. Siritaj. “We have some construction companies, as well as some software-related business.”

The company is technically supported by the Canadian company Alta Telecom International (ATI), and last year won the Best Partner Award from the Thai-Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
“We are a strong company because we are fast and flexible, and can adapt to the market very quickly,” says Mr. Siritaj.

He sees growing potential in the growth of the regional economy. “Once the region develops, we can expand to our neighboring countries,” he adds. “Thailand is very strategically placed, and we will use this advantage for expansion.”