Huge crowds seek new King Rama X coins

Huge crowds seek new King Rama X coins

People make long queues for new coins under the reign of King Rama X at the coin unit of the Treasury Department on Rama VI Road in Bangkok Friday. (Photos by Pornprom Satrabhaya and Apichit Jinakul)
People make long queues for new coins under the reign of King Rama X at the coin unit of the Treasury Department on Rama VI Road in Bangkok Friday. (Photos by Pornprom Satrabhaya and Apichit Jinakul)

Large crowds formed long queues at provincial offices of the Treasury Department to exchange cash for the first lot of circulated coins bearing the image of King Rama X on Friday, the Chakri Memorial Day.

The new coins are available in denominations of 10, 5, 2 and 1 baht, as well as 50 satang. Each person was allowed to exchange up to 1,000 baht -- 40 10-baht coins, 40 5-baht coins, 100 2-baht coins, 100 1-baht coins, and 200 50-satang coins.

Coins with the 25-satang denomination will be available on April 11.

Hathairat Ratatatrai, 52, said she arrived at the treasury branch in Phun Phin district of Surat Thani in the morning because she wanted to collect the new coins for her children and grandchildren.

She asked the Finance Ministry to also publicly circulate new coins in 10-satang, 5-satang and 1-satang denominations because she never saw a coin of such values. The Finance Ministry planned such coins for circulation among financial institutions only.

Thamrong Thongtan, treasury chief of Surat Thani, said most people who showed up Friday wanted to collect the new coins because they were of the first lot issued under the reign of King Rama X. He asked people to also use them to prevent shortages.

In Khon Kaen province, queues went beyond the main gate of the provincial treasury office. Ishawut Rithapai, Khon Kaen treasury chief, said there was high demand for the new coins as most people planned to collect them and the new coins were designed to honour His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun.

New banknotes under King Rama X were also debuted on Friday in 20-, 50- and 100-baht denominations.

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