Economy and commerce
New terms for year's seventh rice auction
Authorities have pledged to closely supervise the government’s next auction of rice stockpiles to limit any negative effect on domestic prices and protect the reputation of Thai rice. Duangporn Rodphaya, director-general of the Foreign Trade Department, said provincial officials were expected to complete the inspection ...
Who is the biggest investor into ASEAN?
The competition to invest into ASEAN countries has been heating up of late. As a region which has been growing, ASEAN still has a large pool of relatively cheap labour in the developing countries. ASEAN is also home to some 600 million consumers with a fast growing middle ...
H&M workers ‘sold short’
The widespread use of short-term contracts in Cambodia’s garment industry has come under fire in a new report, which looks at ongoing issues with the practice at H&M supplier factories amid pledges of reform. A Short-Term Solution, which was released by Swedish NGO Fair Action, uses ...
Vietnam draft decree on sea freight transparency worries foreign shipping lines
Several foreign logistics companies have expressed concern about a proposed government decree requiring shipping companies to publicize their freight tariffs to protect exporters and importers, the media reported 21 September. Switzerland-based MSC, French-owned CMA-GM, and Singaporean-owned APL-NOL voiced their opinion through London-headquartered law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus ...
Electricity of Vietnam to sell all shares in ABBank: report
State-owned Electricity of Vietnam has announced that it will sell all of its 16.2 percent stake in An Binh Commercial Joint Stock Bank next month, news website VnEconomy reported on 22 September. Nearly 81.6 million shares will be put up for auction on 14 October, with ...
7 more bears saved from Vietnamese farms
Animal rights activists on 22 September rescued seven bears from farms in northern Vietnam in their efforts to save the animal from the local bear bile extraction industry. Members of a Hong Kong-based animal welfare group brought the bears to Vietnam’s biggest bear sanctuary at Tam Dao National ...
Permanant border crossing planned from Phayao to Laos
Ban Huak temporary border checkpoint in Phayao province’s Phu Sang border district will be upgraded to permanent status next year to boost trade and investment with Khop district in Sayaboury province of Laos. Waradisorn Onnut, chief of Phu Sang district, said on 23 September that preparations ...
Express road to airport in works
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport on 22 September announced the start of feasibility studies aimed at building an express elevated toll road that would extend from Phnom Penh’s city centre to the airport by 2021. Public Works Minister Tram Iv Tek said that China’s Henan ...
Vietnam to lose $77 million of tax revenue each year due to free trade pacts
The government has estimated that it will lose around US$77 million of tax revenue annually between 2016 and 2025, when new free trade agreements take effect and eliminate a majority of import duties. Keep reading ...
Myanmar launches Thilawa industrial zone
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, ...
