Director Dealings: Salamander board fired up by Thailand prospect

The company is working an appraisal well at an onshore site in the north-east of the country and in an update earlier this month it said it expected the initial phase of drilling to take around 45 days to complete.

Shares in the company have moved up by around 40 per cent since November but last week three directors went into the market to increase their stakes with significant investments. Chairman Charles Jamieson bought 75,000 shares, non-executive director Robert Cathery bought 100,000 and colleague Michael Pavia bought 10,000. They paid between 271p and 276p. The trio now own more than 1.3 million shares.

• Several directors of Edinburgh-based Cairn Energy have sold millions of pounds worth of shares awarded under a long-term incentive scheme. Founder Sir Bill Gammell made gains of 550,000 as part of the disposal although all the board members concerned retain significant stakes in the business.

• Alan Burns, chairman of oil group Bahamas Petroleum, has sold 3.89 million shares at 16.37p each. He still retains a stake of more than 26 million shares. Following the disposal, Burns issued a statement saying he intends "to maintain my investment in the company at its current level as a long-term strategic investment".

• Michael Ashton, a non-executive director at Proximagen Group, has upped his interest in the company with the purchase of 15,000 shares at 156p. He now holds 56,384 shares in the company, which focuses on the treatment of disorders of the central nervous system.

• Andrew Lindsay, chief financial officer of potash mining company Sirius Minerals, has purchased 582,352 shares at 17p each. It represents his first stake in the company.

• Several directors at Canadian-focused Bankers Petroleum have taken some profits on their stakes.

Chairman Robert Cross was the biggest seller, disposing of 1 million shares at 552p a share, although he still owns 3.22 million shares.

• Geoffrey Bible, a non-executive director at brewing giant SABMiller, has bought his first stake in the company with a 1.2 million purchase. Bible bought 55,000 shares at 2,211p each.

• Kenneth Rooney, a non-executive director of employee benefits specialist Personal Group Holdings has bought shares for his pension. He purchased 4,425 shares at 289p each and now holds 242,677 shares.