COVID-19: Companies in Thailand Granted Limited Relief from Statutory Annual Meeting RequirementsThe Department of Business Development (DBD) of Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce has given companies more flexibility regarding the deadline for holding their mandatory annual general meeting of shareholders (AGM) for this year, in light of the disruption caused by the COVID-19 crisis.

The dawn of the new decade brought with it familiar expectations of prosperity in global and regional commerce. This expectation has resonated throughout the ASEAN region and Thailand in particular, an historical favorite in the region for tourism and business investment. By the close of 2019 tourism numbers were at historic highs and investment in business and infrastructure were on the rebound, with parties to contracts in the region from both within and outside Thailand committing substantial resources to existing or contemplated commercial contracts.

On March 1, 2020, the government of Vietnam issued Decree No. 27/2020/ND-CP amending and supplementing two decrees in the field of science and technology, including Decree No. 87/2014/ND-CP on attracting overseas Vietnamese and foreign experts to participate in scientific and technological activities in Vietnam. Decree 27 will take effect on April 15, 2020.

Measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 are being implemented in Thailand just as the country approaches the implementation of its landmark new Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), which will come into effect in May 2020. This adds another layer of complexity to the COVID-19 issue, as employers find that they need to consider new categories of employee personal data, just as restrictions on doing so are due to come into force.