JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia’s government handed legislation to parliament on Wednesday to speed up the pace of economic reform and improve the country’s investment climate, prompting a protest by trade unions.

The European Parliament is set to approve on Wednesday (12 February) a trade agreement with Vietnam, despite some MEPs and NGOs seeking to postpone their consent until the human rights situation improves in the country.

MANILA, Philippines – A Philippine church official has expressed surprise over the speedy acceptance of a bill in the country’s parliament that would legalize divorce.

On February 17, 2020, Laos’ new Income TaxLaw (Tax Law No. 67/NA) will come into effect. The law replaces Tax Law No. 70/NA, which was issued in 2015 and sets out the latest tax rates for businesses and employees.

Former opposition leader Kem Sokha yesterday told the court that the Human Rights Party he formed was not established with the support of any foreign agency and he was not a puppet of foreign governments.

On Friday, the ex-Democrat MP who exposed the proxy voting in the House of Representatives welcomed the court’s decision and also suggested that the MPs found at fault should be forwarded for investigation by the Anti Corruption Commission.

SINGAPORE: All motorised personal mobility devices (PMDs) will not be allowed on footpaths from Apr 1.

NAYPYITAW—More than half of Myanmar’s lawmakers on Monday jointly proposed a total of 114 amendments to the country’s Constitution—including changes that would limit the role of the military and its commander-in-chief in politics. The move, a significant step in the effort to amend Myanmar’s undemocratic charter, follows a year of discussion and often heated debate in Parliament.

In an interview with Oriental Daily, Nga said the bill will allow the legislature to be removed from the Prime Minister’s Department and, to a large extent, lead to a separation of powers as Parliament becomes an independent entity.

The National Assembly yesterday said it passed 20 laws from October to January, the first three months of its third session. However, civil society organisations said the process for the passing of the laws lacked transparency and input from relevant stakeholders.

Indonesian lawmakers agreed to prioritize bills related to jobs, taxation and the relocation of the capital, key to President Joko Widodo’s efforts to boost investment and accelerate growth in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. The three omnibus bills are among the 50 priority legislation for debate and approval this year, Deputy Speaker Muhaimin Iskandar told a plenary session of the parliament in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The second day meeting of Pyidaungsu Hluttaw’s 15th regular session continued discussions yesterday about the Euro 50 million ODA loans from the Government of Poland and debated the first section of Joint Public Accounts Committee Report(16/2019).

Proceedings of Parliament are open to the public. The Public Entrance is located along Parliament Place. Visitors who drive can find ample parking space at the public basement carpark. The entrance of the public carpark is situated along Parliament Place.


The Committee on Trade and Industry, chaired by Rep. Weslie Gatchalian (1st District, Valenzuela City), and the Committee on Health, chaired by Rep. Angelina Tan (4th District, Quezon), held a joint hearing on Tuesday to continue their deliberations on measures seeking to regulate the manufacture, importation, packaging, use, sale, distribution, and advertisement of electronic nicotine delivery systems and electronic non-nicotine delivery systems (ENDS/ENNDS), and heated tobacco products (HTPs).

The first meeting of the National Steering Committee and the Organizing Committee for the 41st General Assembly of ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA 41) took place on Tuesday under the chair of National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

Thailand’s parliament approved the annual budget after a months-long delay, providing a fillip for the country’s struggling economy.

CANBERRA — Multilateral parliamentary diplomacy plays an important role amidst rapid and complex developments in regional and global situations, Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Tòng Thị Phóng has said.

YANGON—The committee in Myanmar’s Parliament tasked with fixing the country’s undemocratic Constitution has finalized its proposals for charter amendments and will submit them to Parliament in two bills later this month.

National Assembly president Heng Samrin yesterday in Canberra said the Kingdom is committed to promoting international cooperation, notably in building peaceful and sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region.

A new law to better regulate healthcare services in an evolving landscape was approved by Parliament on Monday (Jan 6/20).

Delegates will be aware of the unprecedented bushfire situation in south eastern Australia. This message is to alert you to the potential impact of the fires so that you can consider your plans to attend the 28th annual meeting of the APPF in light of the situation.

Senate President Tito Sotto suspends work in the Senate on Monday

LETTERS: EVEN those who are not avid followers of Malaysian politics would have come across news articles criticising Members of Parliament for skipping parliamentary sittings.

BANGKOK — Foreign Affairs Minister Don Pamudwinai was grilled in Parliament on Thursday by opposition MPs for having falsely claimed Thailand was informed in advance before the US assassinated a top Iranian general in Iraq.