Since 2017, Thailand’s Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) has been developing an amendment to the Anti-Money Laundering Act B.E. 2452 (1999) (AML Act) to improve Thailand’s anti-money laundering framework.

A new royal decree retains the current land and building tax rates, which have been in place since 2020, through the end of 2022.

On December 9, 2021, the Government of Vietnam issued Decree No. 111/2021/ND-CP amending and supplementing Decree No. 43/2017/ND-CP dated April 14, 2017, on goods labeling (Decree 43). Decree No. 111/2021/ND-CP (Decree 111) takes effect on February 15, 2022. Under Decree 111, the regulations on goods labeling will change as follows: Exported goods The scope of regulations for goods labeling is currently restricted to goods imported and circulated in Vietnam according to Article 1.1 of Decree 43. However, under Decree 111, the scope is expanded to include exported goods, and exporters are added to the list of entities subject to the regulations. An exception is added whereby exported goods do not need to be labeled in Vietnamese if the goods are not consumed domestically. According to the new regulations, labels for exported goods must comply with the regulations of the import country. The origin of goods must be identified and labeled in compliance with Vietnam’s laws on origin of goods or with international agreements Vietnam has joined or signed. Moreover, the label must not display any images or information relating to a sovereignty dispute or other sensitive information which may affect national security, politics, the economy, society, diplomatic relations, or traditions of Vietnam. Origin of goods Under Decree 43, it is compulsory to display the origin of goods on their labels with no alternatives. This can cause difficulty for entities who cannot determine the origin of the goods. Decree 111 has addressed this issue by adding a clause whereby, if the origin of goods cannot be determined, it is required to clearly state the place where the final production stage is conducted to complete the product. The following statements should be used to present the final production stage: “assembled at”, “bottled at”, “mixed at”, “finished at”, “packed at”, or “labeled at”, followed by the country name or

On November 23, 2021, Thailand’s cabinet approved in principle the amended Ministerial Regulation No. 13 issued under the Exchange Control Act, B.E. 2485 (1942), as amended (ECA). The ECA is an integral instrument of the Bank of Thailand (BOT) for regulating businesses relating to foreign means of payment (i.e., foreign exchange business) and controlling inward and outward remittances as well as exchange and conversion between Thai baht and foreign currencies. Under the current ECA, no party may purchase, sell, lend, exchange, or transfer foreign currencies except for authorized juristic persons (bank and non-bank entities) or authorized individuals who are licensed by the Ministry of Finance. The major amendments to Ministerial Regulation No. 13 of the ECA introduce a number of changes to the current regulations for foreign exchange business operations: Expansion of the scope of foreign exchange business The scope of a foreign exchange business is currently limited to purchasing, selling, lending, and exchanging foreign currency in the form of banknotes, coins, and travelers’ cheques (i.e., banknotes-to-banknotes conversion only). The new amendments will expand the scope of foreign exchange business to include more foreign currency payment types. For instance, foreign travelers will be able to use credit or debit cards issued by a foreign commercial bank to exchange for cash (i.e., card-to-banknotes conversion). Additional modes of authorizing foreign exchange businesses Licensing is currently the only mode of authorization for a foreign exchange business in Thailand. Under the amended regulations, there will be two options for authorization: licensing or registration. While the exact requirements and definition of “registration” will become clearer after the actual amended regulation and any subordinate legislation become available, this indication of an additional mode of authorization may imply varying requirements and burdens in the application process. Allowance of a foreign exchange business license to cover all branches and channels A license is currently granted

Indonesia’s National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM) has issued a regulation to amend the country’s food labeling regulations by instituting various additional restrictions and providing additional clarity on food labeling requirements—not only for final food products but also for food additives and food products for further processing. The additions are contained in Regulation No. 20 of 2021 (an amendment to Regulation No. 31 of 2018), which took effect on August 2, 2021. The deadline to comply with the new labeling requirements for final food products is December 31, 2021, and the deadline for requirements related to food additives and food products for further processing is August 2, 2022. The new requirements introduced by the latest regulation are outlined below. Final Food Products Non-halal foods. The new regulation clarifies that food products containing non-halal ingredients are exempt from halal certification requirements. This provision is important as it explicitly confirms that non-halal food products can still be sold and distributed in Indonesia. Ingredient percentages. Percentages of ingredient content must be included in the list of ingredients on a food label, and on any ingredients that are emphasized on the label in words or pictures, or stated as part of the food name. Polyol warning. Labels for food products containing polyol must now include a warning to this effect. Allergen information. The new regulation provides an alternative for indicating allergen information on the food label. Under the 2018 regulation, allergens had to be indicated in the ingredients list in bold type, and the label had to have the disclaimer “contains allergens, see list of ingredients printed in bold.” The new regulation, however, allows allergen information to be declared on the label with the phrase “contains allergens:” followed by the allergen name(s) printed in bold. With this new alternative, it is no longer required to print allergen ingredients

On February 9, 2021, Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS) released the full text of the Draft Decree on Personal Data Protection (“Draft PDPD”) for public consultation, after having released an outline in December 2019, with an ambitious goal for the Draft PDPD to be promulgated and take effect on December 1, 2021. This date has now passed and the Draft PDPD remains unissued, with no concrete details on when the situation will change. Many new contents have been introduced in the Draft PDPD (please see our previous articles here and here). In this article, we take a deeper look at the issues that have attracted the most attention from national and international stakeholders as they wait for the draft to be finalized and promulgated. Please click below to read the full article.  

On November 17, 2021, Vietnam deposited its instrument of accession to the World Intellectual Property Organization Copyright Treaty (WCT), becoming the 111th member of the WCT. The provisions of the WCT will officially take effect in Vietnam three months after the date the document is handed over to the Director General of WIPO, i.e., by February 17, 2022. The WCT is a special agreement under the Berne Convention that was first adopted in 1996 to deal with the protection of works and their copyright in the digital environment. The WCT additionally deals with two important objects that should be protected by copyright: (i) computer programs created in any form of expression, and (ii) databases of any kind, as long as the selection or arrangement of database content is intellectually creative. With respect to rights granted to authors, in addition to those recognized by the Berne Convention, the WCT also grants (i) distribution rights, (ii) rental rights, and (iii) broader rights of communication to the public. With respect to limitations and exceptions, Article 10 of the WCT extends to all rights the application of the “three-step” test originally set forth in Article 9(2) of the Berne Convention for the right to reproduction. That is, member states may legislate limitations and exceptions in national law, provided they are in certain special cases (i.e., they are not overly broad), do not conflict with the exploitation of the work, and do not prejudice the legitimate interests of the author. Member states may introduce new exceptions and limitations appropriate to the digital environment, as long as the conditions of the “three-step” test are met. Vietnam’s accession to the WCT not only helps the country meet its commitments in new-generation free-trade agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement

As international integration has been one of Vietnam’s principal economic goals, the country’s demand for a highly educated labor force equipped with international-standard education has become higher and higher. As studying abroad may be financially burdensome, international-standard education offered by local entities has become a reasonable choice for many Vietnamese students. As a result, the sector has attracted more and more investors, both local and foreign. Some popular options for global brands to enter the promising education market of Vietnam are discussed below. 1. Establishing a Foreign-Invested Educational Institution Foreign-invested educational institutions (FIEI) include (i) short-term training institutions such as foreign language centers; (ii) kindergartens; (iii) compulsory educational institutions (primary, intermediate, or high schools or combined schools); (iv) universities; or (v) branches of foreign universities). To establish a FIEI in Vietnam, a foreign investor needs to either establish a wholly foreign-owned enterprise (WFOE) or form a joint venture company with a local partner. The established company must have in its license a business line of providing educational services (e.g., primary education services or university education services) because Vietnam practices the doctrine of corporate ultra vires, meaning that all enterprises, including WFOEs and joint ventures, may only engage in activities (business lines) which are approved by the licensing authorities. Moreover, under Vietnamese laws, educational services are a conditional business line; thus, the established company must obtain required sublicenses for providing these services in Vietnam. Typically, some or all of the following steps will need to be carried out for a FIEI to be established and start operating in Vietnam: Obtaining an Investment Registration Certificate (IRC). The IRC will recognize the contents relating to the investment project, such as the investor(s), project location, objectives and scale of the project, investment capital, investment incentives and restrictions, etc. Obtaining an Enterprise Registration Certificate (ERC). The ERC will provide for the