As global political and business leaders along with many of the super-rich gather at the World Economic Forum this week in Davos, Switzerland, international advocacy group Oxfam released a report on Monday revealing that eight men are as wealthy as the poorest half of the world's population.
The eight super wealthy individuals include Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, investor Warren Buffett, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, and Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, to name just a few.
Was it a shock? Yes, and no.
Yes, I was shocked to know that eight people could horde so much wealth, while one in nine of the world's population goes to bed hungry every night and while so many are still struggling financially.
Sirinya Wattanasukchai is an assistant news editor, the Bangkok Post.
It was also a shock to see the gap between the rich and poor rapidly widening, considering the shrinking number in the super-rich club. Last year, Oxfam released a similar report highlighting that nine individuals (rather than 62 previously estimated) were as wealthy as the 3.6 billion people who make up the poorest half of the world. The "super-rich" number also dropped from 43 in 2010.
On the other hand, it was not too shocking to me given what I witness every day of our country's levels of inequality.
Examples abound. Take a look at the military government's Pracharath (people-state partnership) scheme that was launched over a year ago with the aim to stimulate local investment and consumption.
I haven't seen much progress as regards how the poor and low-income groups have really benefited from it. Their hardship has mostly remained unchanged. The scheme only seems to have given a group of business tycoons more channels to increase their wealth.
Taking a look at the long list of the scheme's partners on its website, I only found well-known corporations.
I went through its website and found nothing more than photos of officials and business tycoons holding hands as a sign of cooperation or people in business attire "brainstorming" in meeting rooms.
Oddly, the website features dated business plans on, for example, social and economic improvements in Ayutthaya and Tak.
But to my knowledge, there has been no noticeable changes in either of those provinces since the inception of those plans.
But what has happened is a widening gap between rich and the poor. Last year, Credit Suisse's Global Wealth Report ranked Thailand as the world's third most unequal country following India and Russia.
It revealed that the Thai rich, who account for 1% of the population, own 58% of the country's overall wealth.
Forbes' Thailand's 50 Richest 2016 report reveals that the richest Thai family in the food industry ranked first with a total net worth of 660.3 billion baht; followed by another family in the brewery business with a 489-billion-baht fortune; and the third in retail business and land development with a net worth of 464 billion baht.
Unlike many big-name global philanthropists, the Thai super-rich have not done much to share a slice of their fortunes to narrow the income gap.
One-off donations to the poor and those affected by disasters have become more common as a way of expressing their generosity.
Last Sunday's televised fundraising event for the South's flood victims was another rare occasion in which we saw those on the Forbes list, and some locals with deep pockets, pour their money at the flood-ravaged South.
The live show, with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha taking calls from donors, provided a platform for the rich to give away a tiny bit of their fortunes to those affected by the storms.
It's a good cause and I have nothing but admiration for those who contributed.
For example, PTT donated 20 million baht, and ThaiBev and CP gave away 10 million baht each. Prime Minister Prayut also spared savings of 100,000 baht for the charity. Within two hours, the government successfully raised 329 million baht.
One-off donations are a good cause; however, they do not address the root causes of inequality or poverty.
As pointed out by Oxfam, philanthropy is not the most viable solution to solve poverty. In fact, it helps many billionaires pay lower taxes as well as earning them a philanthropic reputation.
We should not rely on donations as a means to help the poor and bridge the income gap. The government should map out state policies that work, along with spontaneous corporate donations.