Myanmar is entering a new chapter in its commercial arbitration history—on January 5, 2016, the country enacted a new Arbitration Law (Pyihtaungsu Hluttaw Law No. 5, 2016), reforming its domestic legislation to meet its obligations under the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards 1958 (New York Convention). The Arbitration Law of 2016 supersedes Myanmar’s Arbitration Act of 1944, which failed to garner support from the international community and struggled to establish reciprocal arbitration arrangements with other countries.

On February 4, 2016, Vietnam and 11 other countries signed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The TPP includes Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, the United States, Vietnam, and Singapore. According to the World Bank, the TPP represents 36 percent of global GDP and more than 25 percent of world trade. Assuming that the treaty is ratified by its various participants, it will significantly impact business in Asia.

There are three tiers of courts in Thailand—the courts of first instance (Civil Court, District Court, Provincial Court, and other specialized courts), appeal courts, and the Supreme Court (Dika Court or Sarn-Dika). Thai law traditionally has allowed parties to appeal any court of first instance decision to the appeal courts and subsequently the latter’s decision to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court’s judgment (referred to as the Dika) is final.

If you have existing contracts or are contemplating execution of new contracts in Myanmar, you should be aware of a recent announcement made by the Internal Revenue Department (IRD). The announcement addresses the requirement that a contracting party affix proof of paid stamp duty to all dutiable contracts made within Myanmar in accordance with the Myanmar Stamp Act.

Cambodia has introduced a new law and subsequent regulations which categorize all taxpayers into one of three classes based on criteria relating to their size. Each class has a different annual patent tax (a type of annual business registration tax), which is payable on every business activity of the company. The classes and criteria, as well as their fees, are set out in the following table:

Recent headlines in Thailand and abroad have drawn attention to a spate of high-profile cases involving insider trading and the inadequate punitive action that follows. Many have called into question the efficacy of sanctions imposed by the Thai Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to deter insider trading. This article will look at the law surrounding insider trading in Thailand, how it is enforced, and whether the law is effective.

IP enforcement in Vietnam saw continued development in the past year. As we have reported previously, 2014 saw several breakthrough cases in patent infringement, domain name dispute resolution and other areas. In 2015, the law continued to evolve as more and more complex questions arose.

Myanmar’s general election, which took place on November 8, was the first nationwide vote since the military junta’s dissolution in 2011. It was also the first poll contested by opposition party the National League for Democracy (NLD) in 25 years. Rapid economic reforms since 2011 have resulted in enormous growth opportunities. With the NLD winning a sweeping majority in both houses of parliament, the country now enters a transitional phase with the quasi-civilian government gradually transferring power to the NLD.