Thailand’s Department of Business Development (DBD) is currently reviewing the possibility of liberalizing five businesses under List 3 of the Foreign Business Act B.E. 2542 (1999) (FBA), which currently restricts  foreigners from having ownership of more than 49%.

Vietnam’s new Law on Cybersecurity was finally adopted by the National Assembly on June 12, 2018, after more than a dozen drafts and wide debate in the business and government sectors. This Cybersecurity Law imposes tremendous obligations on both onshore and, especially, offshore companies providing online services to customers in Vietnam.

On May 22, 2018, the government of Vietnam promulgated Decree No. 81/2018/ND-CP providing detailed regulations for the implementation of the Commercial Law for commercial enhancement activities (Decree 81). Decree 81 will come into effect on July 15, 2018, replacing Decree No. 37/2006/ND-CP, dated April 4, 2006 (Decree 37).

As Thailand gradually transforms into an ageing society, the potential economic and social burden of retiring workers is one issue that is likely to be on the minds of many employees, employers, and policymakers.New amendments to Thailand’s Labor Protection Act have addressed this issue by introducing a retirement regime for the Thai private sector employees, placing severance obligations on employers, enhancing protection for employees, and creating a more effective framework for enforcement of labour laws.

On May 25, 2018, the new Law on Intellectual Property No. 38/NA, dated November 15, 2017 (the “New IP Law”), was officially published on the electronic Lao official gazette. The New IP Law will be effective 15 days after its publication. The New IP Law replaces the Law on Intellectual Property No. 01/NA, dated December 20, 2011. 

The National Committee on Minimum Wage issued Notification 2/2018 (the Notification) on May 14, 2018, which enters into force on the same date and sets the new minimum wage in Myanmar to be MMK 600 (approximately USD 0.45) per hour and MMK 4,800 (approximately USD 3.6) per eight-hour workday, irrespective of the type or location of work. This new minimum wage increase does not apply to small and family-owned businesses with less than 10 employees.

Over the past several months, the Lao government has been introducing a number of measures aimed at promoting foreign investment, including implementing Notification No. 2633/Cabinet/MOIC to abolish minimum registered capital requirements for certain foreign investors, and enacting the new Law on Investment Promotion No. 14/NA (LIP) to facilitate investments among both domestic and international private investors.