Investment policy and regulation

Dignitaries from Myanmar and Japan on 23 September launched the first phase of a huge industrial zone on the outskirts of Yangon, as the long-isolated nation pushes to rapidly accelerate its industrialisation. Housing everything from children’s toy manufacturing to a car assembly plant and a deep-sea port, ...

Microsoft has signed an agreement with Kanbawza (KBZ) Group of Companies, which the US company calls its largest IT tie-up in Myanmar to date. The multi-year corporate agreement represents a significant commitment to the Myanmar market, even as some investors employ wait-and-see attitudes around the question ...

Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) has granted 17 local and foreign firms to make investment in the country this month, sources with commission said on 22 September. Keep reading ...

The Laotian government has given the green light to a special economic zone in the southern city of Pakse, a 625-hectare site dedicated to small and midsize Japanese companies. Businesses operating there will have corporate taxes waived for 10 years starting in the first profitable year, among ...

Largely clueless about the government’s economic plans, a majority of the Thais believe officials should go on the road to publicise their initiatives to reignite the economy, a poll released on 17 September concluded. The survey of 1,200 people nationwide by the University of the Thai Chamber ...

Shares in Mega First Corp Bhd soared 19 sen or 9.22% to as high as RM2.25 on 17 September on news that it has secured a power plant project in Laos worth RM2.15 billion. At 2.53pm, Mega First narrowed its gains to trade at RM2.22, still up 16 ...

Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli on 17 September met with leaders from Thailand, Myanmar and Laos ahead of an annual expo and business summit between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in southwest China. They will attend the 12th China-ASEAN Expo and the China-ASEAN Business and Investment ...

Power and quarry player Mega First Corp Bhd said an 80%-owned unit has secured a 25-year hydropower concession in Laos. The 260MW run-of-river project will cost the firm about US$500mil (RM2.15bil) and the company planned to fund it using internally generated funds and long-term debt. Keep reading ...

Foreign investors are being wooed to invest more in Myanmar to take advantage of the country’s ASEAN membership and geographic location, which should enhance its attractiveness after the election in November. “By the end of this year, the ASEAN Economic Community will be launched. That means our market will ...

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Lao counterpart Thongsing Thammavong on 13 September attended the opening of a large potash mine in Laos. It will be one of Vietnam’s largest international projects. The ground breaking ceremony was held in Nongbok district in Khammouane province. Keep reading ...