Thailand's economic growth slowest in almost 2 years

Thailand's economy expanded 4.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2006, down from 4.7 percent in the previous period, marking the lowest growth rate since a 3.5 percent rise in the first quarter of 2005. For this year, experts say the recovery of investments will be slower than expected because of politics. "Growth is expected to slow down especially due to foreign investors shying away,'' said Vishnu Varathan, an economist at Forecast Singapore. "Consumer sentiment is also down because of political instability and violence.''
Bloomberg