Category: The Bangkok Post

Australian biosecurity officers have warned travellers to declare all plant-based products after a popular Thai-brand herbal inhaler carried by a passenger arriving at Cairns Airport was found to contain six plant species of biosecurity concern.

In a Facebook post, Australian Biosecurity shared a photograph of a Hong Thai inhaler and highlighted the case as a reminder that even traditional remedies can pose risks to the country’s strict biosecurity system.

The agency said the traveller avoided a substantial penalty by complying with declaration requirements. The agency did not disclose the identities of the six plant species. Under Australian law, travellers must declare certain food, plant material and animal products upon arrival.

Declared goods are assessed by biosecurity officers and may be inspected before entry is permitted.

Travellers may also voluntarily dispose of prohibited items in designated airport bins.

More than 300 cryptocurrency mining machines were seized during raids on illegal Bitcoin mining operations across five northeastern provinces, with total losses estimated at over 40 million baht.

The Ministry of Interior, the Provincial Electricity Authority, police and provincial administration officers inspected 14 locations in Ubon Ratchathani, Yasothon, Amnat Charoen, Roi Et and Maha Sarakham on Saturday.

The operation resulted in the seizure of 315 digital currency mining machines after investigators uncovered electricity metre tampering and illegal power connections used to run the equipment. Damage was estimated at 40.38 million baht, including 5.38 million baht in penalties for electricity violations and about 35 million baht in unpaid electricity charges.

Officials have collected evidence and filed complaints against those involved.

Phangnga is transforming itself from a seasonal beach destination into a fast-growing premium tourism market, supported by strong visitor spending, niche attractions and growing investor confidence.

“The structure of the Green Season market has shifted, with Thai travellers helping fill rooms alongside arrivals from Australia, Europe, Britain and Italy,” said Uthit Limsakul, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Phangnga Office.

The changing visitor profile is helping fuel growth across the province, which was recently named the world’s most welcoming destination in Booking.com’s Traveller Review Awards 2026.

The award reflects not only service standards but also the reputation for hospitality that has become one of Phangnga’s strongest tourism assets, he said.

Tourism revenue reached 20.3 billion baht between January and April this year, doubling from the same period last year, while visitor numbers topped 1.5 million, including 927,091 foreign arrivals and 582,898 domestic travellers, according to the provincial Tourism and Sports Office. The figures build on momentum from 2025, when tourism generated more than 50 billion baht for the local economy.

Green Season growth

June to September has traditionally been the quietest period of the year for tourism in Phangnga.

Yet many businesses now see the Green Season as an opportunity rather than a setback.

Occupancy rates currently stand at around 40-50% across the province’s estimated 15,000 hotel rooms, concentrated largely in Khao Lak, Na Tai and Koh Yao.

While the Fifa World Cup has affected some overseas travel demand, domestic travellers are stepping in to help fill rooms.

Mr Uthit said Australia remains the leading overseas market during the rainy season, followed by visitors from Europe, particularly the UK and Italy.

Many are long-stay travellers who remain in the province for 10 nights to two weeks and spend an average of around 13,000 baht per trip.

To attract visitors during the quieter months, many hotels have reduced room rates by more than 10%, creating a more affordable alternative to peak-season prices while preserving the area’s premium appeal.

Mr Uthit said the changing visitor mix had helped reduce the impact of seasonality and broaden the province’s tourism base.

Premium markets

Tourism operators are now looking beyond traditional leisure travel and targeting high-value visitor segments.

Mr Uthit said Khao Lak continues to enjoy a strong reputation among affluent Indian travellers after being named Best Wedding Destination, International Category by Travel + Leisure India, an award voted on by the magazine’s readership.

Tourism businesses and the Phangnga Hotel Association will hold roadshows in Mumbai and New Delhi from June 23 to 25.

The events are designed to secure bookings ahead of the high season, running from November to February, when occupancy rates are expected to climb to around 90% if international travel conditions remain favourable.

He said tourism agencies are also preparing a campaign targeting expatriates living in Phuket, a nearby market viewed as having strong purchasing power and potential for weekend travel.

If the Green Season has become an opportunity for Phangnga, nowhere is that transformation more visible than in Khao Lak’s growing surfing scene.

At Memories Beach in Takua Pa district, rough monsoon seas that once deterred tourists are now attracting surfers from across Thailand and overseas.

The beach has become the centrepiece of efforts to establish Khao Lak as the country’s leading surf town.

“Khao Lak has developed into a genuine surf village, with restaurants, bars, surf schools and facilities for visitors throughout the season,” said Chatchai Somporn, president of the Phangnga Surfing Club.

Surfboard rentals start at 200 baht for a 90-minute session, with additional hours costing 100 baht.

Beginner lessons for visitors are available from 1,800 baht, reduced from the standard 2,200 baht rate, while family packages are also offered.

The destination attracts surfers from Scandinavia, Russia and the Philippines.

Mr Chatchai said many are first-time students, among them an 80-year-old man, reflecting the sport’s growing appeal across age groups.

Supporting the sector is The Board Factory, a Khao Lak-based manufacturer producing handcrafted Sunova surfboards for international markets.

“Opening the factory to visitors allows tourists to connect directly with the surf culture and manufacturing heritage of Khao Lak,” said Eknarin Yotiphai, manager of the company.

Away from the beaches, tourism growth is increasingly reaching farming communities.

Alongside bamboo rafting, white-water rafting at Song Phraek and boat tours through the mangrove forests of Khlong Sangne, fruit orchards are another popular attraction.

At the centre of the trend is Salika durian, a geographical indication (GI) fruit unique to Kapong district.

The variety is renowned for its creamy texture, rich flavour and distinctive characteristics.

Phangnga expects to produce about 4,285 tonnes of durian this year from 8,919 rai of productive orchards.

Salika durian accounts for around 400 tonnes and generates more than 100 million baht for the provincial economy each season.

“Although farm-gate prices have softened slightly from last year, demand for Salika durian remains strong because of its distinctive creamy texture and flavour,” said Ronnapol Khwanseng, owner of Suan Keng orchard.

Tourism authorities have organised fruit tourism festivals for three consecutive years, with 34 orchards participating this year.

One recent promotion saw Ford Phuket organise a caravan of 65 vehicles carrying more than 200 visitors to Kapong district orchards, allowing tourists to purchase fruit directly from growers.

Following the Salika harvest, mangosteen, rambutan and jackfruit will draw visitors until August, extending the tourism season deeper into rural areas.

Future confidence

Despite concerns over weaker global consumer spending and uncertainty stemming from conflicts in the Middle East, business leaders remain optimistic about Phangnga’s future.

A major source of confidence is the proposed Phangnga airport.

“The airport plan has created enormous positive sentiment among investors, leading to investment in accommodation, hotels and tourism-related businesses,” Mr Uthit said.

For many tourism operators, the province’s success no longer rests solely on its beaches or marine attractions.

Instead, it increasingly depends on the ability to combine world-class hospitality with distinctive local experiences, whether through surf culture in Khao Lak, destination weddings, fruit tourism or community-based travel.

That diversification is helping Phangnga turn the traditional low season into a period of opportunity.

Police arrested a Frenchman aged 38 in Phetchaburi province on Saturday for alleged involvement in a Ponzi investment scheme and defrauding his European victims of about 7.5 billion baht.

Pol Maj Gen Songprote Sirisukha, commander of Immigration Division 3, said on Sunday that a “Mr Dogan” was apprehended at a pool villa in Cha-am district on Saturday. He was named in an Interpol red notice with arrest warrants issued by France and Turkey.

The Frenchman was also suspected of being a key member of a Ponzi scheme run by a gang based in the United Arab Emirates.

The gang of five set up a ‘digital finance firm’ in 2022 and claimed to have close connections with large-scale finance companies in Dubai. They lured victims, especially Turks who resided in France, Belgium, Switzerland and New Zealand into investing 20,000-300,000 euros each. The gang promised high returns of 15% a month, five-fold annual profit and a 10% bonus for recruiting new investors.

There were about 900 victims whose losses were estimated at 200 million euros (about 7.5 billion baht) in total.

The suspect faces extradition proceedings.

Bangkok governor candidate Mallika Boonmeetrakul Mahasuk pledged to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) to tackle traffic congestion and flooding, while rival Anucha Burapachaisri of the Democrat Party vowed to overhaul Bangkok’s waste-collection system as campaigning intensified in the final week before the June 28 election.

In Lak Si district on Saturday, Ms Mallika, candidate number 14, visited Rim Bueng market, a busy commercial area. She was welcomed by supporters who raised problems they want the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to address.

Ms Mallika said the visit was part of her final campaign push, with only seven days remaining before the election, to seek support and promote her 14 strategies for Bangkok, which she said could be implemented immediately.

“At present, the poll puts me in second place but not by as much as academic polls suggest. Right now, I have a very high chance of winning — the gap is so close I’m breathing down the leader’s neck,” she said, in reference to former governor Chadchart Sittipunt, who is running for a second term.

She said residents in Lak Si were mainly concerned about household finances, trade and the rising cost of living. She pledged measures to stimulate the grassroots economy and support small traders, community markets and small businesses.

She also highlighted chronic problems including congestion on Chaeng Watthana Road, recurring flooding, inadequate lighting, public safety concerns and poor use of public spaces.

Her proposed solutions include an AI Traffic Real-Time system, an AI Flood Radar system, expanded smart lighting and CCTV coverage, and upgraded public services.

Meanwhile, Mr Anucha, candidate number 5, campaigned with Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva and senior party executives in Sathon, Yan Nawa and Bang Khae districts, visiting several communities and markets.

Mr Anucha said residents had responded well to the Democrat Party’s five policy areas and identified waste management and flooding as urgent concerns in Sathon. He pledged to revamp waste collection after residents complained that separated rubbish is often mixed during collection.

He urged Bangkok residents to exercise their voting rights on June 28, saying Democrat candidates in all 50 districts would work alongside a governor backed by a strong party team.

Italy has offered to employ 20,000-30,000 Thai workers a year to remedy labour shortages in three sectors, deputy government spokeswoman Patdarat Thongsaluaykorn said on Sunday.

She said Labour Minister Julapun Amornvivat was advised of the offer by the Italian ambassador.

Italy was interested in employing 20,000-30,000 Thai workers a year in the farming, health and service sectors.

According to Ms Patdarat, Italy was looking to import about 500,000 workers from countries outside the European Union.

The labour minister proposed Thailand and Italy sign a memorandum of understanding to confirm the demand for labour, she said.

The government will launch the “Thailand Fast Pass” scheme on Tuesday to accelerate major investments by cutting approval times and easing regulatory bottlenecks, says Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas.

The scheme builds on the success of the BOI Fast Pass programme, which has proven capable of stimulating investment without requiring additional budget spending, said Mr Ekniti, who is also a deputy prime minister.

He said streamlining government approval and licensing procedures through closer coordination among state agencies can help promote investment, as reflected in higher levels of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Thailand.

Mr Ekniti said fast-track policies directly strengthen investor confidence, noting that Thailand’s ranking in international investment competitiveness compiled by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) improved from 30th to 24th place.

The Board of Investment (BOI) says Thailand Fast Pass is designed to speed up approvals and permits for large projects in targeted industries, reducing processing times by 20-50%.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul will preside over the launch on Tuesday at Government House.

Mr Ekniti, who chairs the BOI, recently held a meeting to review progress in accelerating investment through the Thailand Fast Pass system, focusing on key concerns raised by investors, including access to electricity, clean energy and investment sites.

At a BOI board meeting on May 6, nine additional projects worth a combined 52.1 billion baht were approved under the Thailand Fast Pass programme, bringing the total number to 25 projects with combined investment valued at 223.2 billion baht. In March, 16 projects were approved.

Projects accepted into the programme will receive expedited approvals and permits from agencies including the BOI, the Department of Industrial Works, the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand, the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning, the Customs Department and electricity authorities.

Between 2023 and 2025, a total of 78 large-scale projects worth 480 billion baht received investment promotion approval.

Of these, 35 projects worth about 100 billion baht began investment, while 30 projects worth 110 billion baht had clear plans to start in 2026-27. Another 13, valued at about 270 billion baht, still faced obstacles related to electricity supply, land availability and regulation.

Experts say that if the government can address these issues, 350 billion baht more investment will take place by 2027. The BOI will monitor progress on a quarterly basis.

‘This is part of the roots of Thai culture. One day, it may no longer exist. The place where it all began is slowly fading away,’ says Payao Sitthisong, 70, looking out onto the street from her herbal medicine store. ‘But the truth is, this is where it all started – right here at Tha Phra Chan.’

Strolling through the tourist area around Tha Phra Chan and Tha Maharaj pier, I was wondering why there were so many Thai medicine stores. So, I took the opportunity to explore and find out.

Located on the eastern bank of the Chao Phraya River, Tha Phra Chan is one of Bangkok’s oldest piers. The area has long been known not only as a transport hub but also as a centre of traditional Thai herbal medicine.

Lined with shops selling balms, oils and traditional remedies, Tha Phra Chan preserves a rich heritage based on local wisdom and herbal knowledge passed down through generations. For people seeking authentic Thai medicine, it is a must-visit destination.

Ms Payao, the owner of the store that bears her name, shared the story of the area with me.

‘Back then, this area was called Dong Ya (Medicine Cluster),’ she explained. ‘Around Tha Phra Chan and Tha Tien, people came here to buy herbal balms and traditional medicines.

‘There were also many medicine shops in front of Wat Pho that also originated from Tha Phra Chan. People have been coming here to buy herbal remedies for decades.’

Tha Phra Chan, she continued, is where authentic traditional medicine began. ‘Just as Thai traditional massage is deeply rooted at Wat Pho and Tha Tien, Thai traditional medicine began here, at Tha Phra Chan.’

Wat Mahathat, located between Tha Phra Chan and Tha Chang, has long been the cultural hub of the area.

‘In the old days, people sold these medicines around Wat Mahathat. They set up simple stalls. Most of the herbal medicines were made by people from the provinces,’ the long-time seller recalled.

‘Back then, there was no Food and Drug Administration approval or regulation. They simply made the medicines themselves, often based on traditional folk remedies – ya phee bok, or ghost medicines as they were known – and it became part of the area’s legend.’

The neighbouring Tha Chang area was also influenced by Tha Phra Chan, but it has come to specialise in topical remedies only.

‘Back then, most of the medicines sold in Tha Phra Chan were homemade,’ said Jitra Sirilerdpornchai, 80, owner of the Lor Yong Jit store at Tha Chang. ‘Our shop specialises in traditional Thai medicines for external use, including herbal balms and other topical remedies.’

Tha Phra Chan’s customers are mostly Thai people. Not many foreigners know about Thai traditional medicine here.

‘Most foreign tourists tend to go to Tha Chang and Tha Tien,’ said Ms Payao. ‘Thai customers still stop by, but business has become very quiet. For the past three years since Covid, it’s been slow.

‘Back then, we could make many thousands of baht in daily sales. Now, we’re lucky if we make just a few thousand. There simply aren’t as many people walking through here anymore,’ she said.

One of the major challenges facing herbal remedy sellers is applying for FDA approval of their homemade medicines. Older store owners in particular find it a struggle to deal with all the required documents, some of which require English translation.

Many traditional herbal ingredients do not have recognised scientific or English names or lack sufficient scientific documentation. As a result, they cannot be registered with the Thai FDA, even though they have been used for hundreds of years.

In addition, manufacturers must meet strict production standards. Small local or traditional producers often cannot afford or comply with these requirements, making it difficult to legally market their products.

Consequently, many traditional herbal remedies remain unregistered and unavailable in the formal market, limiting public awareness and preventing local herbal knowledge from being preserved and expanded.

For the shopkeepers of Tha Pra Chan, the tradition goes beyond medicine to reflect culture, belief and folkways. Some say that Thai traditional medicine is still waiting for foreigners to find out that it works, which could give new life to Tha Phra Chan.

Thailand’s cabinet has approved a draft Lemon Law aimed at strengthening consumer protection by making sellers more accountable for defective goods, allowing buyers to seek repairs, replacements or compensation more easily when products fail within a specified period.

The new legislation shifts the burden of proof from consumers to sellers. Under the proposed law, if a product becomes defective within the legal warranty period, it will be presumed that the defect existed at the time of delivery unless the seller can prove otherwise.

Known formally as the Draft Act on Liability for Defective Goods, the Lemon Law marks a major change in consumer rights. Previously, consumers were largely responsible for proving that a product was faulty. Under the new framework, sellers must take responsibility for inspecting and addressing defects covered by the law.

The cabinet approved the draft law proposed by the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) on June 16. The bill will now be submitted to parliament for further consideration, said Supamas Isarabhakdi, the minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office, who oversees the OCPB.

The government said the law would bring Thailand’s consumer protection standards closer to international norms while helping consumers obtain fair remedies more quickly and avoid lengthy legal disputes and unnecessary expenses.

The law provides four forms of consumer remedy depending on the severity of the issue: repair, product replacement, price reduction and contract termination.

Under the proposed protection period, defects in general consumer goods discovered within six months of delivery, and defects in cars found within one year, will be presumed to have existed from the outset.

Repair timelines are also clearly defined. Sellers must complete repairs for general goods and motorcycles within 60 days, while repairs for cars must be completed within 90 days from the date the product is received for servicing.

If sellers fail to complete repairs within the required timeframe, consumers will immediately have the right to request a price reduction, terminate the contract or claim damages under the law, preventing delays in repair processes.

The law also covers severe defects, such as products suffering system failures that prevent normal operation. In such cases, consumers may request an immediate replacement within the designated period: seven days for general goods and 14 days for electrical appliances and electronic devices from the date of delivery.

For automobiles with safety-related defects that cannot be fixed, sellers will be required to replace the vehicle with a new one of the same model.

The draft bill has already been vetted by the Council of State and has undergone public hearings involving citizens, businesses, and relevant agencies in accordance with Section 77 of the Constitution.

The Lemon Law will apply to transactions between businesses and consumers, business-to-business deals, hire-purchase agreements, credit-financed sales, and exchange contracts. However, it will exclude secondhand goods, live animals, and peer-to-peer consumer sales.

Is Thailand becoming a welfare state? The answer remains to be seen, given the government’s fiscal constraints.

Public debt has risen recently, nearing the statutory ceiling of 70% of GDP.

The government is striving to establish a welfare system that supports all segments of society, particularly low-income and vulnerable groups. While the financial assistance and benefits provided may be modest and intended merely to help recipients get by, they are significant for those who rely on them.

The administration revised the eligibility criteria for the state welfare card, initially attempting to exclude the parents of children who claimed parental tax deductions on their income tax returns. However, the government scrapped this screening method recently following public outcry.

The goal is to ensure welfare benefits are directed to those who are genuinely poor, rather than those who merely qualify on paper. The move also reflects growing concern within the Finance Ministry over the government’s rising welfare spending burden.

What is the government’s current welfare expenditure burden?

A significant portion of the government’s annual spending budget consists of costs that cannot realistically be cut, including welfare spending for both public and civil servants, which has continued to increase, especially as Thailand transitions into an ageing society.

Debt servicing obligations and salaries and compensation for public sector employees also cannot be reduced. Taken together, this spending accounts for more than half of the government’s annual budget and is trending upwards, rising from 62% of total government spending in 2019 to 67% in 2023, before easing to 66% in 2024.

Welfare expenditure for civil servants and the public has increased consistently over time. Spending on civil servant welfare accounted for 12.7% of total government expenditure in 2019, rising to 15.1% in 2024, equivalent to 542 billion baht. This category includes medical benefits, gratuity and pension payments, as well as government contributions to the Government Pension Fund.

Welfare spending for the public tallied 11.9% of the annual expenditure budget in 2019, rose to 13.1% in 2021, then dipped to 12.2% in 2024, amounting to 437 billion baht.

Government welfare spending for the public includes: (1) living allowances for the elderly, people with disabilities, and HIV/AIDS patients; (2) child support subsidies; (3) school lunch programmes and supplementary nutrition programmes (school milk); (4) government contributions to various social funds, including the National Savings Fund, National Health Security Fund, Social Security Fund, Elderly Fund, and the Pracharat Welfare Fund for Grassroots Economy and Society, which administers the State Welfare Card programme.

Based on Thailand’s medium-term fiscal framework for 2027-2030, there are growing concerns about rising government obligations, particularly healthcare costs. To address this issue, a committee was established to review medical expenses under the public healthcare welfare system, exploring measures to reduce costs and improve spending efficiency. Healthcare expenditures are expected to continue increasing as the population ages.

The National Health Security Fund, which oversees Thailand’s Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS), also known as the 30-baht scheme, received a budget allocation of 272 billion baht for fiscal 2026, which translates to a per-person allocation of 4,298 baht for individuals covered by the scheme.

This growing burden is increasingly viewed as a fiscal risk. Credit rating agencies have urged the government to maintain stricter fiscal discipline following the sharp increase in public debt during the pandemic.

In response, the Finance Ministry set a target to reduce the fiscal deficit to a ceiling of 3% of GDP by 2029. For fiscal 2026, the fiscal deficit is projected to remain at 4.4% of GDP.

What welfare systems does Thailand have?

Thailand’s most important welfare mechanism is the Social Security Fund, which operates as a contributory system involving the government, employees and employers. Employees are entitled to benefits when they become ill or suffer work-related injuries. Upon retirement, they are also eligible to receive a monthly pension for life, although the amount may not be substantial.

Civil servants are covered under a government-funded healthcare scheme. The medical benefits also extend to their parents and up to three dependent children who are not yet adults. Spending under this scheme has risen steadily, and during the first half of fiscal 2026, expenses amounted to 64 billion baht.

The UCS covers nearly 50 million people, around 70% of the country’s population, with the scheme launched in 2001 by Thaksin Shinawatra’s Thai Rak Thai Party as the first nationwide universal healthcare initiative in Thailand.

According to Thailand Development Research Institute, welfare-based healthcare programmes existed before the UCS. In 1975, under the government of MR Kukrit Pramoj, a programme offered free medical treatment to low-income citizens, and successive governments implemented healthcare welfare programmes targeting low-income groups and other vulnerable members of society.

The state welfare card programme, a policy of the National Council for Peace and Order government led by Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, represented the first major attempt to establish formal criteria for identifying and supporting only those classified as poor. The programme was introduced in 2017.

Research by Chatra Kamsaeng, a Thai public policy researcher, discovered that of the 14 million cards issued, only around 3 million were received by individuals who were genuinely poor. Up to 2.7 million people who were genuinely poor did not receive a card.

The study also found some households in the top 20% income bracket were among the beneficiaries of the programme.

The state welfare card is designed to support low-income individuals, with a key eligibility criteria being annual income of no more than 100,000 baht. Under the programme, the government provides beneficiaries with a monthly allowance of 300 baht through an electronic wallet for essential expenses.

In addition, cardholders are entitled to a range of subsidies, including a cooking gas subsidy of 80 baht every three months, power bill support of up to 315 baht per household, water bill support of up to 100 baht per household, and a public transport allowance of up to 750 baht per month.

Why is the eligibility criteria for the welfare card being revised?

According to Vinit Visessuvanapoom, director-general of the Fiscal Policy Office, the rejig addresses two issues. The first is reducing leakage by removing beneficiaries whose financial conditions have improved or whose income exceeds the eligibility threshold, ensuring that limited government resources are directed towards those most in need.

The second issue is reaching those who have been overlooked by adopting a more proactive approach. The Interior Ministry and the Social Development and Human Security Ministry plan to conduct field visits to identify genuinely disadvantaged individuals who may be unable to travel and register on their own, ensuring they can access welfare benefits.

The revised eligibility criteria for the state welfare card introduces four additional categories of ineligibility: students considered under the care of their parents; shareholders or company directors; individuals holding stock or bond investment accounts; and individuals paying life insurance premiums exceeding 12,000 baht per person per year.

The income criteria was also revised, as previously eligibility was based on average household income not exceeding 100,000 baht per person per year. Under the new criteria, eligibility is determined based on individual income, which must not exceed 100,000 baht per person per year.

The new financial asset criteria follows the same rule, evaluating individuals rather than the household. Personal deposits and savings lottery holdings must not exceed 100,000 baht per person.

In terms of real estate, in addition to maintaining the existing limits of no more than 10 rai of agricultural land and no more than 1 rai of non-agricultural or residential land, applicants must also not own a motor vehicle, except for motorcycles with an engine capacity not exceeding 300cc; three-wheeled vehicles; small four-wheeled public-hire vehicles; or vehicles used for agricultural purposes.

Applicants must not hold credit card or loan balances exceeding a combined total of 100,000 baht across all accounts.

Regarding the criterion concerning children claiming tax deductions for their parents, which would disqualify the parents from the welfare card, critics said the measure was unfair.

On June 11, the Finance Ministry agreed to remove the condition, and the entire set of eligibility criteria is expected to be reviewed again and submitted to the cabinet for consideration.

A final decision on all criteria is expected before July 17, which is the scheduled date to announce individuals eligible to receive the card.