Economy and commerce
ANZ still owes villagers over sugar loan: Oxfam
Australian banking giant ANZ has come under fire for its response to a scandal over its financing of a sugar plantation previously linked to forced evictions and child labour in Kampong Speu province. Titled Still Banking on Land Grabs, Oxfam’s Australia branch released a report on ...
Thai food exports to Myanmar surge
The National Food Institute of Thailand’s Ministry of Industry says small and medium-sized food processing businesses should target Myanmar given the jump in Thai food imports. The institute revealed that Thai food exports to Myanmar increased 24 per cent last year. That makes Myanmar the world’s fourth largest importer ...
Vietnam Government calls on local firms to improve foreign market strategies
The Government has approved a plan to help Vietnamese businesses directly participate in foreign distribution networks through 2020 to help Vietnamese goods penetrate international markets, a senior Government official said. The project aims to promote exports by ensuring that Vietnamese products are directly sold into major ...
Greater availability of loans boosting business in Laos
“I bought my mobile phone for 8 million kips (about Bt34,500) by using First Choice because that facility enabled me to make the payment over 15 months,” a customer of the brand, Somkhith Chitdavongsor, said last week. It was the first time he had made a purchase ...
US trade treaty to aid Cambodia's TPP ambitions
As Prime Minister Hun Sen attends the US-ASEAN Summit in California on 15 February, government officials are in the midst of ongoing negotiations with their American counterparts to formulate a trade and investment agreement, which analysts say could be a stepping stone towards one day ...
Myanmar’s health ministry deems Thai cosmetic products ‘unfit for use’
Products of a popular Thai cosmetics brand were found to be “unfit for use,” according to an official announcement by Myanmar’s Ministry of Health on 10 February. “Two products of ‘Forever Young’ cosmetics were found to contain prohibited chemical ingredients that can harm people’s health and [we] ...
Ho Chi Minh City businesses will need 19,000 new workers after Tet: report
Ho Chi Minh City will need 19,000 new employees for 1,371 businesses after the Tet Lunar New Year break, a labor center said. Keep reading ...
Thai BJC to seek $6.2 bln loan for Big C purchase; shares drop
Thailand’s Berli Jucker PCL (BJC) said it would seek a short term loan and may consider an equity issue to fund a planned $6.2 billion acquisition of hypermarket operator Big C Supercenter PCL , sending its shares down 5 percent. Berli, controlled by Thai tycoon Charoen ...
ASEAN currencies prove they're not as vulnerable as you think
Typically regarded as the more vulnerable currencies in Asia to external shocks, the ringgit, baht, and rupiah are proving the most resilient on their relatively lower exposure to China and a dovish Federal Reserve. The Malaysian, Thai and Indonesian exchange rates are the top three performers ...
Thailand ready to halt imports of Australian salad
Thailand is ready to halt imports of prepacked salad products from Australia if salmonella bacteria is detected by Thai food safety officials. Keep reading ...
