Subscribe to the BlogThailand's economic prospects could be put in jeopardy because of a continuing dispute at a huge industrial complex. Recent figures on GDP and exports have been encouraging for the Thai government. But economists and investors are warning that two major factors have the potential to derail Thailand's nascent recovery. One is political instability. The other is the legal morass at Map Ta Phut. One does not know which one is a bigger problem. Map Ta Phut is one of the biggest petro-chemical hubs in the world.
It is the size of a small town built of gleaming steel pipes, storage tanks and chimney stacks, jutting out into the sea; an industrial peninsula clearly visible from the white sand beaches and fishing villages on either side.
Map Ta Phut has been driving Thailand's industrial growth for decades. But will it continue? That is the big question.