Veterans Day 2026: Traffic advisory for Victory Monument as parade set to cause delays

Tuesday, February 3, 2026, is Veterans Day. This year, the War Veterans Organisation of Thailand will hold a major commemorative event in remembrance of the great benevolence of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother.

A veterans’ parade and a series of key ceremonies will inevitably affect traffic around Victory Monument between 10.30am and 3.30pm.

For members of the public who need to travel through the city centre, the following routes may be affected:

Five main roads to avoid

• Ratchawithi Road
• Phahonyothin Road
• Si Ayutthaya Road
• Phaya Thai Road
• Din Daeng Road

Key highlight

A veterans’ parade representing seven war cases will set off from the War Veterans Organisation of Thailand and proceed to Victory Monument.

If you do not have an essential reason to travel through the area, the BTS Skytrain (Victory Monument Station) is recommended as the most convenient option, as traffic lanes will be closed for the wreath-laying ceremony and honouring events.

Rare and significant ceremonies

In addition to the parade, the programme includes ceremonies that are considered sacred and rarely seen:

• Ash interment ceremony: Held to honour soldiers who died while carrying out duties to protect the Thai–Cambodian border.
• Wreath-laying ceremony: At Victory Monument, to commemorate the courage of heroes who made sacrifices.

Live broadcast

Those unable to attend in person can watch the parade live on Royal Thai Army Television Channel 5 from 10.30am to 11.30am.

Background: The War Veterans Organisation of Thailand

During the Second World War, Thailand sent troops to take part in the Greater East Asia War. When the war ended, soldiers who had served in combat were abruptly discharged, causing severe hardship for them and their families.

The government at the time, led by Rear Admiral Thawan Thamrongnawasawat as prime minister, assigned the Ministry of Defence to consider assistance measures. The ministry then established a committee to find ways to support reserve soldiers on September 11, 1946, based at the General Staff Department (now the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters), using General Staff personnel to carry out the work. Funding for welfare support came partly from Ministry of Defence subsidies.

As assistance expanded, it was later considered that operating solely as a committee lacked sufficient rigour and appropriateness. The Ministry of Defence therefore proposed legislation to establish the War Veterans Organisation of Thailand as a permanent body to provide direct support to war veterans. The law was published in the Royal Gazette on February 3, 1948, marking the first day the organisation had a legal basis and the formal recognition of war veterans. As a result, February 3 each year is recognised as the organisation’s founding day and Veterans Day.

In 1967, the War Veterans Council, the Defence Council and the government reviewed and improved the legislation by expanding support coverage to include soldiers, police, civil servants and civilians who perform duties to defend against or suppress threats to national security or the safety of the Kingdom—both domestically and abroad—as designated by the Ministry of Defence or the Office of the Prime Minister. This also included off-duty military personnel. The revision also transferred the activities of a foundation assisting soldiers and families involved in United Nations operations in the Korean War to the War Veterans Organisation of Thailand.

The revised law was published in the Royal Gazette on December 28, 1967, and is known as the War Veterans Organisation of Thailand Act B.E. 2510 (1967), which remains in force today.