On 20 August 2018, the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training (“MLVT”) issued notice No. 028 K.B./S.Ch.N (“Notice 028”) regarding approval requests for employing foreign employees (“Quota Approval”) and renewing work permits for 2019. According to Notice 028, employers or managers of any corporate entities employing foreign employees must apply for the 2019 Quota Approval […]

In June the President signed a new notification issuing guidelines to government departments and organizations in relation to the execution of international convention and ‘commercial contracts.’ The notification was published in the gazette last month, and aims to codify existing internal governmental practices. The Notification contains a number of new elements that local and foreign […]

he Ministry of Electricity and Energy has issued a notice to proceed to the developers of the 60-megawatt Deedoke hydropower project in Mandalay Region. Ministry officials signed the notice with the developers – Andritz of Austria, Kansai of Japan and High Tech Construction Trust, which is a subsidiary of Myanmar’s Shwe Taung Group – at […]

On the 15 June 2018 the Ministry of Construction (“MOC”), in partnership with VDB Loi, organized a landmark conference on Public Private Partnerships for Toll Roads in Myanmar. Highlights Overview Reports Panels First Step on the Road to Making the Yangon Expressway Project a Success

The Union Ministry of Construction, in coordination with the Union Ministry of Transport and Communication, and the Yangon Regional Government seeks to implement its first ever elevated expressway, the Yangon Elevated Expressway. Highlights Situation of existing toll roads in Myanmar Myanmar has a lot of experience with toll road bot contracts, but not the right […]

VDB Loi held a workshop in Tokyo titled “Public Private Partnership for Myanmar Toll Roads”. There were more than 30 participants from developer companies, construction companies and banks. Edwin highlighted the key points to know when structuring a PPP project in Myanmar. Discussions were held about the prospects of road transportation projects in Myanmar. Topics discussed […]

The Council of Ministers of Cambodia has recently approved the long-awaited project for the construction of a 60MW solar power plant. This is the first part of a 100MW project, which, according to the pre-feasibility study, proves to be not only viable, but will also contribute to national grid stability and an increase in energy […]

Cambodia’s regulatory framework in the area of alternative dispute resolution has developed considerably. In the last few years, Cambodia has seen the first foreign arbitral award successfully enforced by the Cambodian courts and has also seen the first completion of domestic commercial arbitration cases. These developments have given investors, both foreign and local, increased confidence […]

The National Committee for The Minimum Wage (the “Committee”) publicized a Notification on 2 January 2018 in which a new minimum wage of MM4,800 per day, calculated at a rate of MMK600 per hour, was proposed. In relation to the previous effective Minimum Wage (MMK3,600 per day / MMK450 per hour), this represents an increase […]

Re-register or be ceased! Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (“DICA”) has issued a draft of the Companies Regulations 2018 called Myanmar Companies (Electronic Registry System and Miscellaneous Matters) Regulations 2018 (“Regulation”) with a commencement date of 1 August 2018. The Regulation is a continuation of the Myanmar Companies Law issued in 2017 and is […]

Although others forms also exist, most port terminals with private interests in Myanmar are “Landlord Ports”. That is to say, the port is leased to the private sector for it to operate the port services, for which it invests capital – generally through a concession. Highlights What are the assets of a Target in the […]

With Cambodia’s rapid economic growth and development, the country’s demand for reliable electricity supply continues to increase. This growth, combined with Cambodia’s liberal approach to foreign direct investment, provides significant opportunities for foreign investment in electricity production, transmission and distribution. This power sector update provides an overview of this sector and a discussion of the […]

Further to its Notice No. 012/18 dated 29 March 2018, the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training (“MLVT”) issued Notice No. 016/18 dated 25 April 2018 (“Notice 016”) to further extend the deadline to apply for renewal of foreign employees’ work permits. According to Notice 016, the previous deadline of 30 April 2018 is extended […]

On 7 March 2018, the Ministry of Commerce (“MOC”) issued Prakas No. 088 MOC (“Prakas 088”) regarding the filing of business association statutes. According to Prakas 088, as part of ongoing obligations after registration with the government authorities, all business associations must file their statutes with the MOC. The filing must include their statutes as […]

Good news for corporate entities that have not yet renewed the 2018 work permits for their foreign employees with the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training (“MLVT”).On 29 March 2018, the MLVT issued Notice No. 012/18, extending the previous deadline of 30 March 2018 to 30 April 2018 to give employers more time to renew […]

Commercial Law – Filing Statute of Business Associations On 07 March 2018, the Ministry of Commerce (“MOC”) issued Prakas No. 088 MOC (“Prakas 088”) regarding filing statutes of business associations. According to Prakas 088, as part of ongoing obligations after registration with government authorities, all business associations, including foreign chambers of commerce, must file their […]

Despite their high profile presence in Myanmar, there are relatively few Japanese invested energy projects slated as a priority project in Myanmar. For example, the four recently announced LNG/Gas to Power projects which received approval from the Government have no Japanese investors at this stage. This was one of the issues discussed at a recent […]

On 30 January 2018 the Ministry of Electricity and Energy (MOEE) held a ceremony in NayPyiTaw to sign four so-called “Notices to Proceed”, each one for a planned LNG or Gas to Power project, in total nearly 3,000 MW. Highlights Highlights of this note What is a Notice to Proceed? Why a Notice To Proceed […]

As part of ongoing efforts to strictly enforce work permit requirements, following a notice from the Office of the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Interior (“MOI”) and the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training (“MLVT”) issued a joint Prakas (No. 719 Br.K) dated 19 February 2018 (“Joint Prakas 719”) on the enforcement of foreign […]

The Ministry of Electricity and Energy (MOEE) has yesterday approved 4 large gas/LNG to power projects. The MOEE is using a new approval instrument which they call the “Notice to Proceed” (NTP). Highlights of this note Total & Siemens consortium at Kanbauk in Taninthary Region Ayeyarwady Region LNG to Power project TTCL’s LNG to power […]