Handout recipients urged to avoid alcohol
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Handout recipients urged to avoid alcohol

Questions remain about how many more people will receive stimulus funds, and how much they will get

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Recipients of the government’s 10,000-baht cash handout queue in front of ATMs at a branch of the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives in Buri Ram on Thursday. (Photo: Surachai Piragsa)
Recipients of the government’s 10,000-baht cash handout queue in front of ATMs at a branch of the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives in Buri Ram on Thursday. (Photo: Surachai Piragsa)

Anti-drunk driving campaigners are urging recipients of the government’s 10,000-baht cash handout not to spend the money on alcohol, in order to prevent accidents.

The funds would be better spent on necessities or investments rather than on alcoholic beverages, as drinking could lead to accidents and result in disabilities for the recipients or others, said Phattarabhandhu Krissana, chairman of the Network of Victims Against Drunk Driving.

He said the network and the Don’t Drive Drunk Foundation decided that members who received the handout should allocate part of the money to pay for vehicle taxes, which help fund protection for accident victims.

Mr Phattarabhandhu said some members of the 15,000-strong network had received the funds in the first round of distribution by the government this week, providing them with a lifeline during a time of economic hardship.

The government is in the process of distributing the 10,000-baht cash payments to 12.4 million state welfare cardholders and 2.1 million disability cardholders.

The government has prioritised the handout for vulnerable groups, with the last batch of recipients set to receive payments on Monday.

The handout is part of what was originally envisioned as a “digital wallet” stimulus programme that would cover 45 million Thais aged 16 and over. However, amid mounting concerns over funding, it is not clear how many more people will receive money, and how much they will receive, in subsequent rounds next year.

A government source indicated that the scheme would continue but the handouts might be reduced to 5,000 baht per person in the second phase.

This reduction is being considered because the government needs to allocate more funds for the rehabilitation of victims of widespread flooding, said the source, asking not to be named.

About 152.7 billion baht in the 2025 fiscal budget has been earmarked for the handout scheme, and part of it is likely to be transferred to the central fund to help flood victims.

Deputy Finance Minister Paopoom Rojanasakul said the sharp increase in cash withdrawals following the rollout indicates that recipients are struggling financially and that their spending will stimulate economic activity.

Sirikanya Tansakun, an MP of the opposition People’s Party, said the reduced size of the cash handout, from 500 billion baht to 145 billion, will not be sufficient to raise GDP as initially planned.

“It’s unlikely that we’ll see a jump in economic activity, and many business operators are already complaining that business remains slow despite the handout,” she said.

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