The Trump administration has suspended $1.3 billion worth of duty-free trade for certain Thai products.

In a letter to Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announcing the decision, Trump said Thailand had not been doing enough to protect worker rights, specifically those laid out in international trade agreements.

The suspension of duty-free status will affect nearly one-third of all Thai exports to the US.

The decision by Trump is yet another hit to Thailand’s export industry, which is already stagnating due to factors such as the strong Thai baht as well as the ongoing US-China trade war.

Thailand currently sits as the second biggest beneficiary of duty-free trades to the US behind India.

The total trade between the two countries totaled $44.5 billion in 2018.

Thailand business lawyers note that the country’s fishing industry could bear the biggest brunt of the suspension as it has already seen its seafood trade to Europe fall drastically in recent years due to multiple unethical practices in the industry that perturbed the EU.

A further hit to seafood exports going to the US could signal alarm bells in the industry.

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The US State Department recently made it harder for foreigners to secure an investor visa, known as the EB-5 visa.

More specifically, the general minimum investment amount required to obtain an EB-5 visa will rise from $1 million to $1.8 million.

For foreign investors looking to invest in targeted employment areas (TEAs), areas with high unemployment, the minimum investment amount will be $900,000–the previous requirement stood at $500,000.

The EB-5 program was initially created to attract foreign investment in exchange for permanent resident status.

According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the increase in minimum investment requirement accounts for inflation.

The last time minimum investment amounts were changed was in 1990.

On top of those changes, states will no longer have the authority to designate which areas qualify as TEAs.

Now, the Department of Homeland Security will have this power.

According to Thailand attorneys specializing in securing US immigration visas including EB-5 visas, the increased investment requirements won’t significantly lower investor visa applications, due to the worldwide attractiveness of the prospect of securing a US green card.

The changes to the EB-5 visa will take effect on November 21.

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Over 500 Chinese companies made their way to Thailand last weekend in order to forge bilateral contracts that would pave the way for new Chinese manufacturing sites in the Southeast Asian country.

The move comes as a mutually beneficial economic deal for both countries.

On the one hand, Thailand will be able to link its Eastern Economic Corridor, which has prime port access to the rest of the world’s trade, with China’s insanely ambitious Belt and Road Initiative that seeks to create a trade infrastructure of roads, bridges, and other pathways from mainland China all the way to Europe.

Also, the economic symbiosis between the two countries will give Chinese manufacturing sites a crucial loophole to avoid US tariffs that have become the norm as Donald Trump’s trade war against the East Asian nation intensifies.

“It is the [opportunity] Chinese investors are seeking: a place outside China to produce with higher competitiveness to counter the effects of the trade war and also to become more competitive in global markets,” said Stanley Kim, the chairman of the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce who organized the event.

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For a qualified Thailand business attorney, contact the expert lawyers at Chaninat & Leeds.

In order to fill its massive skilled labor gaps, the German cabinet is considering a proposal that would make it much easier for workers outside of the European Union to migrate and work in Germany, according to Reuters.

The idea comes as a major surprise when you consider that anti-immigration sentiment is widespread in the northern European country at the moment, playing a large role in the rise of the uber-nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

The proposal being drafted by the cabinet would primarily make it simpler for skilled professionals from outside the EU to work in Germany, which could alleviate some of the concerns of those with anti-immigrant sentiments.

Germany stands as the EU’s largest economy, but in recent years has suffered from chronic labor shortages when it comes to young professionals.

In 2015, Germany believed that the influx of refugees would fill its record 1.2 million unfilled jobs, but the language barrier and the lack of necessary skills have made it an uphill battle.

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Myanmar recently passed a new companies law in the hopes that it will attract increased investment from Thai businesses in the coming years.

The legislation comes after massive drops in investments from Thailand into the Burmese economy in recent years.

Burmese officials point out that the revamped companies law will replace the century-old replaced legislation that stifled foreign investment in the Southeast Asian country.

Now, foreign companies will be encouraged to invest in Myanmar’s economic future and will face significantly less hurdles to do so.

Myanmar hopes to attract Thai investors in a wide variety of industries, including solar, natural gas, and manufacturing.

Thailand makes up for 14.5% of foreign investments in Myanmar, trailing only China and Singapore.

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For an expert Thailand business lawyer, contact the professionals at Chaninat & Leeds.

A Japanese firm agreed to a plea deal after allegedly bribing public officials in Thailand, in what is the country’s first ever plea bargain since introducing the new system last month.

Japanese government investigators alleged that Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Ltd. (MHPS) violated the Unfair Competition Prevention Law by bribing foreign officials.

Although MHPS struck a plea deal with the government, they did not admit any wrongdoing and got assurances that for their cooperation in the case, will not face any prosecution for any crimes.

According to the special investigation squad, members of MHPS bribed Thai government officials into choosing their company for a contract to construct a power plant in the Southeast Asian country.

MHPS also conducted an in-house investigation and found that several employees engaged in misconduct and, subsequently, turned that information over to investigators.

The violators, if found guilty, face up to $2.67 million in fines.

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For foreign business licenses in Thailand, contact the expert Thai and US business lawyers at Chaninat & Leeds.

Ecuador’s top court stood by a ruling on Tuesday that levied $9.5 billion in damages against the massive multinational oil company Chevron, for its decades of pollution that harmed both the environment and indigenous Ecuadorians.

It was a token ruling, though, as Chevron no longer has pulled all of its assets and business out of the South American company years ago. To acquire the damages, the plaintiffs, which include indigenous people, will have to continue to pursue its case in international courts.

The court case was originally launched against Texaco for their oil operations in Ecuador from 1964 to 1990 that led to environmental damage to the country’s protected rainforests. Chevron acquired Texaco in 2001 and became liable for the damages.

Chevron denies any wrongdoing and refused to settle the case out of court, stating that the damage was perpetrated by the government-run oil company Petroecuador, which had a consortium with Texaco at the time.

The plaintiffs who sued Chevron, say that during Texaco’s drilling, toxic chemicals contaminated the water and soil that 30,000 indigenous people relied on to survive.

The attempts made by the indigenous plaintiffs to sue Chevron in a wide variety of other countries where the oil company still does business has been unsuccessful. The only other country where the case is still in progress is in Canada.

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Chaninat & Leeds is a Thailand-based law firm assisting companies with Thai business laws and registration. For legal counsel, contact their experienced Thai and US attorneys.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision last week that state governments are constitutionally allowed to tax internet sales, even if the business has no property or employees in the state.

The decision, which overturns prior rulings that require a company to have a physical presence in the state before being subjected to taxes, paves the way for all 50 states to implement new taxes on goods and services sold on the internet.

As of right now, 31 states already have laws on the books that impose taxes on digital companies.

Surprisingly, the 5-4 decision was not split on partisan lines, as conservative judges Clarence Thomas, Anthony Kennedy, and Samuel Alito were joined by the liberal-leaning pair of Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Neil Gorsuch. The dissenters were John Roberts, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan.

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Need a Thai business attorney? Contact the professional and experienced lawyers at Chaninat & Leeds.

An 18 year old from the UK has been sentenced to two years in jail for hacking the email accounts of the heads of top US intelligence agencies. He said his motivation was support for the Palestinians and was against the US “killing innocent civilians”.

The hacker, Kane Gamble will go to a youth detention facility for his prison sentence. Prosecutor John Lloyd-Jones, said that Gamble was able to access highly sensitive information from top US intelligence agencies by impersonating his targets through emails and gaining password access.

One of his victims included CIA chief John Brennan, US Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, Obama’s deputy national security adviser Avril Haines and FBI special agent Amy Hess.

Gamble had access to the US Department of Justice network and read files on court cases such as the Deepwater oil spill. He reportedly shared some of the files with WikiLeaks.

The Hague Convention on Child Abduction allows for claims by parents who have had their child abducted.

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The implementation of the SESTA law may have dire consequences for the sex worker community especially for Trans sex workers who are afforded less privilege than other sex workers, says advocacy group Survivors Against SESTA.

On Wednesday, President Trump signed the SESTA law, meaning websites will be liable for what users say on their websites. The law is said to be an initiative to combat human trafficking. However, advocacy groups and sex worker communities think otherwise.

Some sex workers use ad forum websites such as Craigslist and Backpage.com to put up ads and screen clients for their safety. Advocacy groups are also concerned for Trans sex workers as they are being forced to go back on the streets where they face more harassment and abusive policing.

Issues concerning family law in Thailand should be directed to a professional law firm with expertise in family affairs.

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