Bangkok  - Faced with falling exports, rising unemployment and negative growth, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Sunday named 2009 the "Year of Investment."

Addressing the nation on his weekly television show Sunday morning, Abhisit vowed to facilitate corporate investments in Thailand this year, the Thai News Agency reported.

Abhisit, 44, vowed to set up a "one-start, one-stop" centre, gathering with personnel from all government agencies under the prime minister's office, to speed up investments.

Bangkok  - An ancient bead featuring the Hindu sun god Surya Dev was stolen while on display at Thailand's National Discovery Museum Institute, media reports said Saturday.

The stone bead, estimated to be 2,000 years old, was stolen Thursday from the Bangkok museum, where it had been on display since December 19.

Bangkok- Thailand's national airline said Friday that it would stop flying this month out of Bangkok's domestic airport and move all its flights to the capital's much bigger and newer Suvarnabhumi international airport.

The remaining 23 daily domestic flights that remain at the 95-year-old Don Mueang would be moved March 29 to Suvarnabhumi, which opened in late 2006, said Narongsak Sangapong, Thai Airways International PCL's acting president.

Bangkok - If the 1997 Asian financial crisis was most painful for the relatively well-off, this time around, the poorest Thais are going to be hurt first, Ammar Siamwalla, the doyen of Thai economists, said Friday.

"A decade ago, the rich were hit by a tremendous economic shock, [but] the crisis took time to hurt low income groups," said Ammar, a senior economist at the Thailand Development Research Institute think tank. "This time around, the pain is going straight to the grassroots."

Bangkok - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Friday that he would examine the use of laws that protect the royal family from criticism after a petition this week saying the lese majeste regulations were being used for political purposes.

Abhisit told reporters there had been "some problems" with the way the laws had been implemented.

Bangkok - A widely watched lese majeste case was postponed Thursday by Thailand's attorney-general, opposition politician Jakrapob Penkair said.

Jakrapob told reporters his pre-trial hearing on whether to go ahead with his prosecution on charges of insulting the monarchy had been put back by 30 days.

A noisy crowd of about 300 opposition "Red Shirt" followers of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra chanted "fight, fight" outside the Attorney-General's Office where Jakrapob was told of the postponement.