Type Daily newspaper Founder(s) Kampol Wacharapol Language Thai | Format Broadsheet Founded 25 December 1962 Headquarters Bangkok | |
Thai Rath (Thai: ไทยรัฐ, lit. Thai State or Thai Nation) is a daily newspaper in the Thai published in Bangkok and distributed nationwide. The paper is a broadsheet published with two sections. The first section is devoted to news. Although the news section is best known for its sensationalist coverage of crime and accidents, it also includes stories on Thai politics, economy, and society. The second section features coverage of sport and entertainment. Thai Rath is the oldest newspaper in the native language (Bangkok Post, the English-language daily, is the oldest published newspaper in the country with a history of more than 70 years). Thai Rath is the best-selling newspaper in Thailand, claiming a circulation in excess of one million copies daily.
History
Thai Rath was founded on 25 December 1962 by Kampol Wacharapol. Kampol had started two other newspapers, Khaopap Raiwan (Thai: ข่าวภาพรายวัน, lit. The Weekly Pictorial), which was published between 1950 and 1958, when the newspaper was shut down by the government. Following the shutdown of the newspaper the government did not permit any new newspapers, so he "rented" the Siang Ang Thong (Thai: เสียงอ่างทอง, lit. Ang Thong Voice) newspaper name from Mr Laor Ketkaew, and the newspaper was published between 1 May 1959 and 24 December 1962.