Bangkok--16 Apr--Fitch Ratings Fitch Ratings will host a teleconference on Thursday, 17th April at 3PM Bangkok/4PM Singapore to discuss the agency's outlook on the Thai banking sector and the local economy. The teleconference will be hosted by Vincent Milton, Senior Director of Financial Institutions and James McCormack, Managing Director of the Sovereigns team. Mr. Milton will provide a brief overview of the Thai banking sector and an update on the outlook for the major banks in 2008. He will address how well-positioned the major Thai banks are in withstanding the more volatile operating environment, as well as the key credit and liquidity risks. Mr. McCormack will discuss Thailand's recent economic performance and its outlook. He will also touch on the sources of economic growth and the risks posed by the deteriorating global economic environment, as well as domestic risk factors. The call coincides with the release of Fitch's "Thai Banks' 2007 Results and Outlook 2008: Another Tough Year Amid Global Shocks" which is available on the Fitch Ratings subscription-based website www.fitchresearch.com. The call is expected to run approximately 20 minutes, followed by a short Q&A session for interested participants. To register for this event, please contact Valerie Tan at +65 6796 7209/ [email protected]. Instructions: Participants should dial the listed toll free telephone access number at least 5 minutes before start time. Participants will be placed in listen-only mode with music until the moderator or speaker starts the conference. All callers are advised to dial the toll free lines from an IDD-enabled fixed landline. Following are the details of the teleconference: -- Date: Thursday, 17th April 2008 -- Time: 3PM Bangkok/4PM SG/HK -- Thailand Toll Free: 001800 612 1073 -- Australia Toll Free: 1800 097 137 -- New Zealand Toll Free: 0800 603 458 -- Japan Toll Free: 0044 2206 2130 -- South Korea: 00798 612 1030 -- China North: 10800 6110 114 -- China South: 10800 3610 134 -- Hong Kong Toll Free: 800 962 681 -- Singapore Toll Free: 800 6162 212 -- Malaysia Toll Free: 1800 181 225 -- Indonesia Toll Free: 00180 3061 2084 -- Philippines Toll Free: 1800 1612 0024 -- India Toll Free: 000 800 100 6486 -- UK Toll Free: 0808 234 8304 -- US Toll Free: 1866 888 7010 -- Alternate International: +61 2 8113 1400 Replay: An archived replay of the teleconference will be available from the 'Events Calendar' on the Fitch Ratings Asia website, www.fitchratingsasia.com, from 19 April 2008. Contacts: Vincent Milton, Bangkok, +662 655 4759/ [email protected]; James McCormack, Hong Kong, +852 2263 9925/ [email protected]. Media Relations: Shivani Sundralingam, Singapore, Tel: + 65 6796 7215. Fitch's rating definitions and the terms of use of such ratings are available on the agency's public site, www.fitchratings.com. Published ratings, criteria and methodologies are available from this site, at all times. Fitch's code of conduct, confidentiality, conflicts of interest, affiliate firewall, compliance and other relevant policies and procedures are also available from the 'Code of Conduct' section of this site. 101 Finsbury Pavement, London, EC2A 1RS