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Thailand Rejects Starlink's 100% Ownership Proposal

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241002-starlink-vl-1242p-d76b6d.webp

File photo for reference only

 

Thailand has reportedly rejected Starlink's investment proposal due to security concerns related to foreign ownership. Minister of Digital Economy Chaichanok Chidchob stated that SpaceX, Starlink's parent company, had insisted that their investment required 100% foreign ownership in Thailand. He stressed the country's need to maintain control over its digital security systems.

 

SpaceX's proposal followed an alleged White House announcement, which Chaichanok said was unverified. The meeting between Chaichanok and Oliver Edelmann of SpaceX addressed space cooperation, but the ownership terms proved contentious. The Thai government asserted it would not allow foreign entities full ownership in sectors tied to national security.

 

Edelmann emphasized that Starlink aimed to improve internet access in remote areas of Thailand, not compete in the existing market. However, Chaichanok expressed concerns that Starlink's introduction could disrupt Thailand's telecommunications ecosystem. He further noted a lack of documentation supporting the claimed agreement.

 

Authorities are investigating the source of the alleged White House statement and have consulted the Prime Minister's Office for clarification. This is essential, as no recent agreements with ASEAN partners included modifications to foreign investment rules.

 

A source noted that allowing Starlink could have been part of a deal to lower US tariffs on Thai imports, a move reportedly discussed during former PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra's administration. The current Thai government, led by PM Anutin Charnvirakul, signed a related trade agreement but still upholds the ownership restrictions.

 

Looking forward, Thailand must balance potential economic benefits of foreign investment by companies like Starlink against preserving its digital sovereignty. The situation may affect trade tariffs with the US, highlighting the need for a strategic approach, reported The Nation.

 

Key Takeaways

  • Thailand denies Starlink’s 100% ownership request over security concerns.
  • An alleged White House directive remains unverified by Thai officials.
  • The situation could impact US-Thai trade tariffs on imports.

 

Related Stories:

Thai Military Seizes 38 Starlink Receivers from Chinese Smuggler

Sky’s the limit: CIB nabs Starlink scammer in Bangkok condo bust

 

image.png  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Nation 2025-11-14

 

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  • They must be able to spy on you 24/7 and block all requests they don't like or it's not allowed - Starlink bypasses their control and they're never going to allow that. So Thailand remains on a l

  • unblocktheplanet
    unblocktheplanet

    Let's put it this way: Why does Thailand need Starlink? We do just fine without any more American overreach.

  • Yeah, but when Musk decides he doesn’t like a country for some reason, it seems he can just pull the plug at will. The guy may or may not be a genius, but he isn’t particularly stable imho. He is pron

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They must be able to spy on you 24/7 and block all requests they don't like or it's not allowed - Starlink bypasses their control and they're never going to allow that.

So Thailand remains on a list of a very few controlling countries who restrict what is literally the future of internet communications.

This is the opposite of what they should be doing and will eventually do anyway.

  • Popular Post

So much for the so called  

Treaty of Amity and Economic Relations 1966

which supposed to allow Americans to fully own companies

but instead they pull the National Security card.

 

At a tangent I remember a few years ago Thailand was in danger of loosing one of its geostationary satellite slots as it had not used it for so long.

  • Popular Post

Let's put it this way: Why does Thailand need Starlink? We do just fine without any more American overreach.

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18 hours ago, johng said:

So much for the so called  

Treaty of Amity and Economic Relations 1966

which supposed to allow Americans to fully own companies

but instead they pull the National Security card.

 

At a tangent I remember a few years ago Thailand was in danger of loosing one of its geostationary satellite slots as it had not used it for so long.

The Treaty of Amity and Economic Relations, signed in 1966 between Thailand and the United States, allows American citizens and businesses to own up to 100% of companies in Thailand, providing them with rights similar to those of Thai nationals. It also includes certain restrictions on American investments in specific sectors like communications and land ownership.

 

Should always read the small print as well.........

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19 minutes ago, unblocktheplanet said:

Why does Thailand need Starlink?

Thailand doesn't 'need'  Starlink  but its nice to have options.

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1 hour ago, unblocktheplanet said:

Let's put it this way: Why does Thailand need Starlink? We do just fine without any more American overreach.

Thailand doesn't want competition... 

Starlink  is not very fast ranging from 50 to 250 Mbps  where 5G 50 Mbps and 2Gbps    so don't think there would be much competition

29 minutes ago, MikeandDow said:

Starlink  is not very fast ranging from 50 to 250 Mbps  where 5G 50 Mbps and 2Gbps    so don't think there would be much competition

True  but with starlink the is no government restrictions/censorship.

3 minutes ago, Aussie999 said:

True  but with starlink the is no government restrictions/censorship.

Incorrect,  It is not an inherently unrestricted or uncensored service by default. 

Starlink must comply with the laws and regulations of the countries where it operates. As an ISP, it generally requires local government approval and licensing to provide service.

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Nobody has mentioned Thailand's relationship to China or Starlink's relationship with the US government, both of which may be relevant. 

5 minutes ago, flaming dragon said:

Nobody has mentioned Thailand's relationship to China or Starlink's relationship with the US government, both of which may be relevant. 

china has its own starlink called Qianfan    so why would it want starlink 

2 hours ago, unblocktheplanet said:

Let's put it this way: Why does Thailand need Starlink? We do just fine without any more American overreach.

 Could be useful in rural areas.

21 minutes ago, MikeandDow said:

china has its own starlink called Qianfan    so why would it want starlink 

 

Perhaps to study it and learn how to intercept communications?  The hardware is easy enough to acquire, so perhaps it has nothing to do with China. 

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7 minutes ago, TedG said:

 Could be useful in rural areas.

5G coverage is 95% plus of thailand  but yes could be useful  but can not see a rural farmer forking out the cost of starlink set up 10000 baht 1500 baht for average plan  per month  cannot see why anybody would want starlink 

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Not sure what the fuss is about internet access in Thailand. There is far better coverage here than in, for example, the UK.

 

For sure there must be some remote places without coverage, but I’ve never had a problem while touring around Isaan and across to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. 
 

In the UK my sister lived just outside Doncaster and we often struggled for internet access while touring around Yorkshire.

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53 minutes ago, MikeandDow said:

Incorrect,  It is not an inherently unrestricted or uncensored service by default. 

Starlink must comply with the laws and regulations of the countries where it operates. As an ISP, it generally requires local government approval and licensing to provide service.

Yeah, but when Musk decides he doesn’t like a country for some reason, it seems he can just pull the plug at will. The guy may or may not be a genius, but he isn’t particularly stable imho. He is prone to whims of fancy that result in flip flops of policy. Unreliable is the word that springs to mind. I certainly wouldn’t trust him for anything important 

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They should have nothing to do with any Musk company. He’ll steal information without a second thought. A despicable man without morals. Why else do you think the orange turd gave him a job, illegally. 

Just now, wensiensheng said:

Yeah, but when Musk decides he doesn’t like a country for some reason, it seems he can just pull the plug at will. The guy may or may not be a genius, but he isn’t particularly stable imho. He is prone to whims of fancy that result in flip flops of policy. Unreliable is the word that springs to mind. I certainly wouldn’t trust him for anything important 

he would fit in very well in Thailand as it is the Hub of flop Flop decisions    

  • Popular Post

very good.. whilst i would like to have the convinience of starlink i strongly believe that everything regarding media and internet should be as much as possible in thai hands...we have great mobile and fixed internet here why do we need something else floating around...good decision imho

On 11/14/2025 at 9:54 PM, johng said:

So much for the so called  

Treaty of Amity and Economic Relations 1966

which supposed to allow Americans to fully own companies

but instead they pull the National Security card.

 

At a tangent I remember a few years ago Thailand was in danger of loosing one of its geostationary satellite slots as it had not used it for so long.

These government  officials are real tech wizards and are right on top of security. What about the chinese  Gov owned companies such as Huewei mobile phones and modems  that spy on everybody and all the chinese electric cares that do the same.Star link is fantastic in Australia and people in remote areas can get reliable internet for the first time ever.

  • Popular Post
14 hours ago, wensiensheng said:

Yeah, but when Musk decides he doesn’t like a country for some reason, it seems he can just pull the plug at will. The guy may or may not be a genius, but he isn’t particularly stable imho. He is prone to whims of fancy that result in flip flops of policy. Unreliable is the word that springs to mind. I certainly wouldn’t trust him for anything important 

His new salary of 1 TRILLION US dollars is not bad for a bloke who's unreliable and scatty wouldn't you say ???

  • Popular Post
16 hours ago, MikeandDow said:

Incorrect,  It is not an inherently unrestricted or uncensored service by default. 

Starlink must comply with the laws and regulations of the countries where it operates. As an ISP, it generally requires local government approval and licensing to provide service.

 

Exactly. Some people here are conflating ownership with censorship.

 

I use Starlink in Malaysia and the ground link is via Japan. I seriously doubt Japan would permit that if Starlink was bypassing their own national communications regulations and security controls.

The Border Scam centers switched to Starlink when Thailand cut off their mobile/wired internet access.

 

Reports were of some 2,500 StarLink base stations being purchased/installed.

 

SpaceX says they disabled these units.

 

 

“On the rare occasion we identify a violation, we take appropriate action, including working with law enforcement agencies around the world,” said Lauren Dreyer, SpaceX’s vice president of business operations for Starlink, in a post on X.

 

“In Myanmar, for example, SpaceX proactively identified and disabled over 2,500 Starlink Kits in the vicinity of suspected ‘scam centers’.”

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/23/asia/myanmar-starlink-scam-centers-spacex-intl-hnk

 

 

 

Vietnam gave StarLink access in order to secure a favorable trade deal.

 

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/spacex-expected-launch-starlink-services-vietnam-fourth-quarter-2025-07-15/

 

 

16 hours ago, TedG said:

 Could be useful in rural areas.

Are there areas without coverage?  If so, how many people are affected?

  • Popular Post
On 11/14/2025 at 5:46 PM, ukrules said:

They must be able to spy on you 24/7 and block all requests they don't like or it's not allowed - Starlink bypasses their control and they're never going to allow that.

So Thailand remains on a list of a very few controlling countries who restrict what is literally the future of internet communications.

This is the opposite of what they should be doing and will eventually do anyway.

The US gov't would be spying on you with Stasrlink as well. They probably already do spy on everyone though NSA or Palantir.

1 hour ago, stevenl said:

Are there areas without coverage?  If so, how many people are affected?

5G coverage in Thailand is approx 95 %  so would it be worth forking 10000 baht for equipment plus 1500 per month plan for the 5% in remote area 

4 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Exactly. Some people here are conflating ownership with censorship.

 

I use Starlink in Malaysia and the ground link is via Japan. I seriously doubt Japan would permit that if Starlink was bypassing their own national communications regulations and security controls.

Wanna bet on that? Overt censorship may not happen in the short-term but many countries already require geolocational blocked, including Thailand.

 

I think the potential for surveillance and data collection is the greater risk.

What is find funny is that even trillionaire Elon can't have ownership in thailand, but some old fart on AseanNow thinks usufruct is gonna save him.

Thailand doesn't want any competitive pricing.   Starlink is as low as $11 USD a month in some countries.  $28-$49 USD in other countries.

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