Legal framework
Laws and regulations
Xayaboury banana farms ordered to cease operations
Five companies with banana plantations in Xayaboury province have been ordered to stop growing the fruit, but can still plant other replacement crops in compliance with regulations. Four of the companies affected are Chinese backed with banana farms located around the villages of Phonthong, Namtuan, ...
China MoU to help ‘reform’ judiciary
China has signed an agreement to assist the Kingdom with judicial reforms and to share expertise in overhauling such systems, though one international expert on September 27 cautioned that China shouldn’t be considered “a model for justice reform in Cambodia”. Under the five-year agreement, signed on September ...
Calls for new property investment law
Real estate associations have proposed amending the Law on Land and the Law on Trading Real Estate to create favourable conditions for investors in property investment. Le Hoang Chau, chairman of HCM City Real Estate Association, said the association proposed amending the two laws to permit ...
New law bans beggars, permits buskers
Thailand’s National Legislative Assembly has approved law that bans street beggars but will allow buskers provided they have a licence. The military-appointed assembly approved the Begging Control Act by 178 votes to two with seven abstentions. The law forbids all begging and sets out punishments for anyone who ...
Rainsy hit with third court case in three weeks
National Assembly President Heng Samrin has become the latest government official to accuse opposition leader Sam Rainsy of defamation, with a lawyer for the ex-president filing a complaint against Mr. Rainsy over false claims that the 1980s communist regime sentenced King Norodom Sihanouk to death. Mr. ...
New rules aim to stop crocodile escapes
Crocodile farms will need walls at least 1.5 metres high around their pits under planned government guidelines, an official said on 16 October, after 28 crocodiles escaped in early October. Keep reading ...
Vietnam's forest protection law falls short
Vietnam’s Law on Forest Protection and Development has become backwards and exposed numerous disadvantages, after more than 10 years of implementation, a senior official from the Vietnam Forestry Administration (VNFOREST) has said. Deputy director of the VNFOREST, Nguyen Ba Ngai, made his comment at a workshop ...
National Reform Council 'split' on draft charter as vote nears
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has called on National Reform Council members to exercise their discretion when voting on the draft charter on 6 September. Keep reading ...
Media bill 'should exclude newspapers'
Newspapers should be exempt from possible media curbs under the media reform bill drafted by the National Reform Council and submitted to the cabinet on 1 September, a forum was told on 2 September. Keep reading ...
Thailand leading Asia in cracking down on drinking
By banning alcohol sales near universities and technical colleges, Thailand is putting the nation at the forefront of efforts in Asia to curb booze consumption. Under amendments to the Alcohol Control Act endorsed by the government and to be implemented nationwide, bars, clubs and retailers will ...
