The Cabinet approved draft legislation expanding the Labour Court's authority to hear criminal cases under labor laws and also approved the 2026 Thai Red Cross Lottery to use revenue to support charitable activities.
On 25 August 2026, Ms. Lalida Perwivatthana, Deputy Spokesperson of the Prime Minister's Office, disclosed that the Cabinet approved two draft Acts reviewed by the Office of the Council of State: the draft Labour Court Establishment and Labour Procedure Act (no year specified) and the draft Human Trafficking Procedure Act (no year specified). These aim to improve the handling of labor-related cases to be more appropriate, efficient, and fair.
Currently, the Labour Court has authority over labor cases except criminal ones, so if a dispute involves both labor and criminal offenses under labor laws, parties might face proceedings in separate courts. The new draft law grants the Labour Court authority to hear criminal cases related to labor laws directly, ensuring cases are heard by judges with expertise in labor law and reducing the burden of handling separate cases.
The criminal cases within the Labour Court's jurisdiction cover offenses under 11 labor-related laws, including laws on home-based workers protection, labor protection, labor in fisheries, employment services and protection, foreign worker management, social security, occupational safety and health, compensation, maritime labor, state enterprise labor relations, and labor relations, plus others that may be added by royal decree. Cases under the jurisdiction of juvenile and family courts remain excluded from the Labour Court's authority.
"The key point of this legal amendment is to allow criminal cases arising from labor laws to be heard directly by courts specialized in labor law, instead of having civil and criminal labor cases handled separately by different courts. This will enhance continuity in fact-finding and the context of employer-employee relationships, and reduce the burden on parties in the justice process," said Ms. Lalida.
She added that the draft law also sets principles for cases involving multiple offenses: if a single act violates multiple laws with at least one offense under the Labour Court's jurisdiction, the court can consider all related offenses. For multiple related acts, the court may consolidate or separate the cases to courts with proper jurisdiction, prioritizing convenience and fairness.
The criminal procedure will follow the Criminal Procedure Code or the law establishing district courts and criminal procedure therein, as appropriate. Appeals against the Labour Court's criminal judgments or orders will be filed with the Specialised Appeal Court. The draft law guarantees that procedural rules in the Labour Court must not reduce the defendant's criminal trial rights below those provided by law.
However, the draft law clearly excludes human trafficking cases from the Labour Court's jurisdiction, despite some involving forced labor or services. Due to the seriousness, high penalties, and possible links to other criminal offenses, the Human Trafficking Procedure Act of 2016 is amended concurrently to ensure such cases remain with general criminal courts for trial.
For criminal cases pending before the new law's effective date, the existing court will continue to handle the cases until final judgment, avoiding disruption. Next, the two draft Acts will proceed through the legislative process as usual.
Government advances new Thailand-Laos cooperation framework on natural resources and environment.
Meanwhile, Ms. Lalida also revealed that the Cabinet approved a draft memorandum of understanding on cooperation in natural resources and environment between Thailand's Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and Laos' Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. This updates the cooperation framework to reflect Laos' changed agency structure and better address current environmental issues, with signing planned during the Laos minister's visit to Thailand in September 2026.
Thailand and Laos have maintained cooperation on natural resources and environment since 2017, engaging in activities like environmental and pollution management action plans, air pollution control training, hazardous waste cross-border movement control, and policy and knowledge exchange on natural resources and environmental management.
After Laos restructured its agencies in 2025 by merging the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry into the "Ministry of Agriculture and Environment," both sides agreed to revise the memorandum of understanding to align with this structure and enhance cooperation to meet evolving challenges.
Ms. Lalida said the new memorandum will still cover sustainable natural resource and environmental management, environmental policies and plans, prevention and control of air, water, and soil pollution, hazardous chemicals and waste management, climate change response, environmental and social impact assessments, natural disaster warnings, and joint development of knowledge, personnel, and databases.
Additionally, the scope of water cooperation has shifted from managing water resources under the Mekong River Commission agreement to focusing on "wetland conservation and development," better matching both countries' missions regarding public water resources and wetlands.
"This new cooperation will enable Thailand and Laos to more systematically exchange information, experts, and best practices, especially on cross-border issues such as haze, air pollution, water and soil quality, climate change, and natural disaster warnings—matters no single country can manage alone," she added.
The Deputy Government Spokesperson further explained that cooperation will involve knowledge and experience exchange, expert and academic exchanges, seminars and workshops, study visits, research sharing, and joint development of plans and projects approved by both sides, with each party covering its own costs unless otherwise agreed.
The draft memorandum will take effect upon signing, last for five years, and automatically renew every five years unless either party gives advance notice to terminate under specified conditions. The document does not create legally binding international obligations, is not a treaty, and is not a contract under Section 178 of Thailand's Constitution.
Approval of the 2026 Thai Red Cross Lottery to support charitable activities.
Additionally, the Cabinet approved that the Thai Red Cross, provincial Red Cross chapters, or district Red Cross branches, as lottery licensees for the 2026 Thai Red Cross Lottery and related lotteries at Red Cross events and diplomatic spouses' bazaars, pay tax at a rate of 0.5% of the ticket sales price before expenses.
The Thai Red Cross Lottery is intended to raise funds for the Thai Red Cross's royal charitable purposes and to support charitable activities. Under the ministerial regulation issued under the Gambling Act, lotteries with the purpose of generating income for charitable activities and approved by the Cabinet can pay tax at 0.5% of the sales price.
Ms. Lalida added that this approach has been consistently approved by the Cabinet. From 2009 to 2025, the Cabinet approved a 0.5% tax rate on the Thai Red Cross Lottery 17 times, most recently for the 2025 lottery.
The Ministry of Finance and the Budget Bureau have no objections to the Thai Red Cross's proposal. The Ministry of Finance noted that issuing the Thai Red Cross Lottery does not create tax liabilities under the Revenue Code. "Setting the tax rate at 0.5% supports the Thai Red Cross's fundraising for charitable missions and public assistance, following the same criteria used consistently over many years," she concluded.