News
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 ...
Wage talk warning from government
Ministry of Labour spokesman Heng Sour on 22 September threatened legal action against those confusing the concepts of “minimum” and “living” wages, as he outlined the method and schedule for upcoming minimum wage talks for the garment sector. In an apparent swipe at recent research showing garment ...
Report finds economic land concessions affected 17K families
Community representatives, civil society organisations and opposition members have urged the government for more urgent action to resolve land disputes following the release of annual data showing that all 24 provinces were affected in 2014, with hundreds of cases still unresolved. The call came at the launch ...
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 ...
Lao officials fail to enforce government ban on timber exports
A recent ban on the export of raw logs imposed by the Lao government to increase the value of processed wood products is not being enforced in the country’s southern provinces because some national leaders are involved in timber smuggling, a civil society official with ...
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, ...
KBZ and Microsoft sign tech deal
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 Central Bank official responds to NLD’s call for greater autonomy
To encourage an autonomous Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) is one of the priorities outlined by the National League for Democracy (NLD) in its draft economic policies, but officials say they are already on the right track. The draft will likely be used as a basis ...
China calls for border stability in Myanmar ahead of elections
China’s defense minister has urged Myanmar to maintain stability on their common border as it prepares for what Beijing hopes will be successful elections in November, the defense ministry said on 22 September. Myanmar holds an historic election in November, when the military-backed ruling party will compete with the ...
