Cabinet mulls ways to boost investment in special economic zones
The government cabinet has been exploring ways to better facilitate and promote investment in Special Economic Zones, after many zones have been set up in the provinces and in Vientiane. The cabinet on September 26 convened an extraordinary meeting and discussed a draft of the Law on Special Economic Zones, which outlines incentives to attract investment in these zones. The meeting, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Bounthong Chitmany, asked the law drafting committee to revise the draft in line with the recommendations of cabinet members. The draft law will be submitted for debate and approval at the next Ordinary Session of the National Assembly, scheduled to take place late next month. The meeting heard a report on the progress made in legalising Lao workers in Thailand where a number of Lao nationals are known to be working both legally and illegally. In this regard, the meeting instructed the authorities in charge to continue working with Thailand to legalise the remaining undocumented Lao workers. The cabinet entrusted the Lao authorities to work with local labour recruitment agencies to improve ways to help Lao labourers wanting to work in other countries so that they depart and work through legal channels.
