Investment
Thai Government won’t sue telecom companies for compensation
The government will not file civil compensation claims against telecom companies for possible losses to the state caused by past amendments to concession contracts, says Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij.
Mr Korn said civil claims against local telecom firms would only penalise existing shareholders, who were not involved in past changes to concession agreements that may have been illegal.
“The [Supreme Court] verdict [in the Shinawatra family assets case] has nothing to do with current shareholders,” said Mr Korn.
“Although it is the same entity, [current shareholders] did not benefit nor were they involved [in the amendments]. To reverse the concession would only damage [current shareholders].”
The Supreme Court last month ordered the seizure of 46 billion baht in assets from the family of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra for implementing policies that benefited his personal interests, namely his shareholdings in telecom giant Shin Corp, mobile operator Advanced Info Service and satellite operator Thaicom.
via Govt won’t sue telcos.
Business
Thailand BOI approves Biotech Projects Worth 2.4 Bln Baht ($78 million)
The biotechnology sector is part of the so-called BCG model (Bio, Circular and Green economy) which the Thai government has set as a priority to lead the post-Covid 19 recovery.
The Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) said today it has recently approved new projects in the field of advanced biotechnology, worth a combined 2.4 billion baht (around USD78 million) in investment, reflecting the increased interest of local and foreign investors in the country’s biotech sector.
Asean
Indonesia’s Omnibus Law: Positive Investment List and the Liberalization of Business Sectors
Examples of non-fiscal incentives are the provision of supporting infrastructure, simplified business licensing procedures, and the guaranteed energy supply or raw materials.
In the first of ASEAN Briefing’s Indonesia’s Omnibus Law series, we analyze Presidential Regulation 10 of 2021 (PR 10/2021) on business fields open to investment — also dubbed as the positive investment list. The regulation comes into effect on March 4, 2021.
Investment
Foreigners’ Participation in Thai Listed Companies explained
Special vehicles have been created to facilitate foreign investors so that they are able to invest in Thai
securities flexibly and conveniently.
Similar to foreign business laws existing in most Asian countries, Thai laws have imposed restrictions on foreign ownership of Thai companies.
Bangkok falls 19 places to 49th most expensive location worldwide
Locations reliant on international tourism have seen their rental markets hit especially hard during the pandemic, resulting in some major...
Thai fruit exports to FTA markets up 107 percent
China, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Australia and Chile are top importers of Thai fruits, especially fresh durian,...
Digital Revolution and Repression in Myanmar and Thailand
Activists have also proactively published social media content in multiple languages using the hashtags #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar and #WhatsHappeningInThailand to boost coverage...
3 Reasons to Be Optimistic About the Baht Right Now
Probably one of the most important factors for the rise of the Baht is the continued weakness of the US...
Will Thailand’s plan for quarantine-free tourism set a global trend?
According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the quarantine-exemption measures implemented in Phuket will be extended to five other key...
Thailand Approves Latest Economic Relief Package for Businesses
Some 250 billion baht (US$8 billion) was allocated for soft loans while the remaining 100 billion baht (US$3.2 billion) will...