Vietnam has managed to keep the COVID-19 outbreak largely under control, but the impact on the economy however, remains uncertain.Thanks to early and decisive action by the government and a cooperative public, Vietnam has kept the COVID-19 pandemic largely under control, with just 334 cases and zero related deaths reported in the country as of June 16.

Whilst employers who choose to temporarily cease operations are required to continue paying at least 75% of their employees’ wages; the Social Security Office (“SSO”) has put additional measures in place to protect those employees further who are unable to work during this time. On 17 April 2020, Thailand’s Ministry of Labour published two new regulations, the Force Majeure Regulation and the Economic Crisis Regulation respectively.The Force Majeure Regulation

Since the first reported case of COVID-19 on March 23, 2020, the Myanmar Government has published several guidelines for preventing the further spread of COVID-19.

On March 29, 2020 Laos imposed lockdown and confinement measures instructing Lao citizens to stay home, and nonessential businesses to cease operations. Certain temporary measures are now being lifted but the borders and international checkpoints remain closed. The impact on some industries during the pandemic has been severe, but we are also seeing some positives coming out of this which may well continue once the lockdown measures have been lifted:

The Cambodian Government, like many other countries, tightened its border controls and shut down certain businesses to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Whilst many of these businesses are now reopening and more international travelers are now entering Cambodia, the COVID-19 pandemic is still having a significant impact on Cambodia’s economy, which is heavily dependent on international trade and tourism.

Cambodia is set to become the latest member of the Berne Convention—the key international treaty governing copyright and related rights—following a law passed on June 27, 2020, ratifying the convention and authorizing the government to take steps to implement it.

While the Indonesian government already has the power to exercise compulsory licensing through existing patent laws, a new regulation, thought to be a preemptive response to the development of a vaccine for COVID-19, has expanded the scope of the government’s ability to use patents in the public interest.The changes are contained in Presidential Regulation No. 77/2020 regarding Procedures of Patent Implementation by the Government, which took effect on July 8, 2020, and is an implementing regulation of Patent Law No. 13/2016 (chapter 7, articles 109–120).

We are proud to announce that Tilleke & Gibbins’ international family disputes team has successfully obtained the first return order issued by a Thai court pursuant to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, an international multilateral treaty that provides mechanisms for parents whose children are abducted from their habitual residence and held elsewhere without the parent’s consent.