Sparking online debate after being captured on a Facebook live stream, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul was seen handing out cash to flood-hit residents of communities in Bangkok’s Sai Mai district late on Tuesday.
Mr Anutin, who also serves as interior minister, made an unannounced visit to the Ban Ua-Athorn housing estate in Bang Khen, Sai Mai district, on the night of September 29 to hand out supply and check on residents who have been living with floodwaters for five days. More than 10,000 people live in the community.
After the handout, some residents asked to have their photos taken with the prime minister. In a live stream by Eakpob Laungprasert from the Facebook page “Survive – ?????????????” (Sai Mai Must Survive), Mr Anutin is seen taking a wad of cash from his trouser pocket and giving 1,000-baht banknotes to residents at about the 44-minute mark.
“Hush hush, this is all I have. It won’t be enough,” he said in a jovial tone. Security staff then raised their hands to block the camera, and a man could be heard saying: “Please, no filming.”
The clip has been widely shared on social media, with users debating whether such a gesture is permissible and appropriate for a prime minister.
Speaking at the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation on Wednesday, Mr Anutin said: “My money is clean. The money I gave the residents yesterday was not even half of what I earned as prime minister.”
He said residents had walked a long way to meet him and he did not know what else to give as supplies for the handout had been depleted. “I handed out what I had. That was my intention,” he said.
TV presenter Sorayuth Suthassanachinda said on the news programme Kammakorn Khao Khui Nok Jor that handing out cash outside an election period should not be considered illegal. However, he warned that people would begin asking the prime minister for money whenever he makes an appearance.