in 2011, the country’s economy experienced a slowdown compared
to the previous year since the manufacturing sector was greatly affected by the
disaster in Japan, resulting in a shortage in parts. Moreover, the severe flooding in
Thailand that spread over the large area of the central part of the country caused the
industrial sector a great deal of damage and difficulties in product distributions. This
resulted in a contraction in exports, consumption and private investment during the
last quarter of the year.