31st August 2023
- Thailand: Chonnan Srikaew has been announced as Thailand's new minister of Public Health. Yesterday (30th August), he resigned as leader of the country's main political party, the Pheu Thai. According to our policy radar, the Pheu Thai Party has taken a negative stance on novel products and made a public commitment to support the continuation of the vaping products ban. However, yesterday a prominent member stated that the party supported legalisation – although Chonnan's views on the matter are not public. After election-winner the Move Forward Party was not approved by the military, the Pheu Thai Party allied with the military junta parties and assumed leadership of the government. On 22nd August 2023, the Pheu Tai's candidate, Srettha Thavisin, was elected as the country's 30th prime minister.
1st February 2023
- Thailand: On 31st January a Thai appeals court ordered a reduction of the fine of $4m imposed on Philip Morris International (PMI) for allegedly under-declaring import prices for cigarettes from Indonesia in 2002 and 2003, press reports. The court has ordered Thai customs to calculate the new fine.
16th February 2022
Thailand: The government has approved a draft National Tobacco Control Plan for 2022-2027. Despite recent advocacy efforts towards legalising e-cigarettes and novel tobacco products, no such move is foreseen in the the plan. In January the Digital Economy and Society Ministry reportedly established a working group tasked with exploring possible legalisation of e-cigarettes.