Thailand’s 10,000-Baht Cash Handout Controversy: Legal Challenges and Budgetary Missteps Explored

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Picture this: hundreds of people standing in line, eagerly waiting outside the Government Savings Bank. It’s the dawn of a new scheme, a financial lifeline, or as it is more formally known, the first phase of the 10,000-baht cash handout that kicked off spectacularly last year on October 1. But this grand governmental gesture has suddenly found itself at the heart of controversy—a hefty 35-billion-baht controversy, no less.

This surprising twist has all the elements of a political thriller. On the afternoon of April 26, 2025, a fresh legal storm brewed over the corridors of power when a petition challenging the cash handout was dropped onto the doorstep of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). The stars of this unfolding drama include current cabinet ministers and some blasts from the past, all of whom played a role in the Srettha Thavisin Administration. Alongside them stand MPs and senators who once waved the budget bill for the 2025 fiscal year through the chambers of parliament.

This motion of curiosity and concern was penned by a trio of determined gentlemen: Charnchai Issarasenarak, a former Democrat MP; Somchai Swangkarn, a senator once upon a time; and Jade Donavanik, notable for his esteemed advisory role in the Constitutional Drafting Committee. They are pointing fingers and demanding answers over breaches they argue fly in the face of Section 144 of the constitution and Section 88 of the Anti-Corruption Act.

Mr. Charnchai, part hero, part protagonist, has placed the gauntlet at the feet of the NACC. Should the commission uncover solid grounds for these assertions, it will fall to the Constitutional Court to deliver its judgment and decide whether those accused should be ousted from their lofty offices.

As we rewind to June 21 of last year, we witness the 3.75-trillion-baht budget bill gracefully cruise through its initial reading in parliament. But the plot thickens—like a generous dollop of cream on one’s soup—when a whopping 35 billion baht is stealthily redirected from a budget meant for handling debts owed to state banks. This clandestine maneuver, orchestrated by the then-prime minister Srettha, deftly relocated the funds to finance the 10,000-baht cash handout scheme, much like a magician’s sleight of hand.

The House committee, safeguarding the budget and all its treasures, seemingly turned a blind eye. But this act wasn’t as smooth as it appeared, for the constitution had expressly forbidden such budgetary acrobatics. The move sent ripples through several state-run banks, each one feeling a dent in its metaphorical wallet: the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives bore a 31.3 billion-baht bruise, while the Government Savings Bank and the Government Housing Bank took 2.68 billion baht and 592 million baht hits, respectively. These funds, originally destined to cushion revenue losses for far-reaching government schemes, were instead drafted into this new fiscal adventure.

And the intrigue continues. Another tale of financial reallocation weaves its way into the narrative—the siphoning of an extra 1.25 billion baht to fund former parliamentarians’ dreams, an action equally culpable under Section 144 (2), which clearly spurns budget diversions for personal gain.

This tale of numbers and nobility implicated 309 MPs, 175 senators, and 72 budget bill scrutinizers—all of whom singed their names to support the bill’s final stages. Mr. Charnchai holds each one accountable under the harsh spotlight of public scrutiny.

Intriguingly, Mr. Jade forecasts that the NACC’s investigative cogs will revolve for no more than two months. Should their inquiry yield substantial findings, the Constitutional Court is slated to render its decision rapidly, in just a fortnight.

But wait, there’s more in this whirlwind of fiscal drama! The Paetongtarn administration might soon be caught up in the whirlwind, given that it is perpetuating the same cash handout under its governance. Observers note that March saw the creation of yet another digital wallet program. This particular phase, designed to gift 10,000 baht to 2.7 million eager recipients aged 16 to 20, is Paetongtarn’s pledge to rejuvenate the economy.

Ms. Paetongtarn, poised and assured, pictures this phase as a digital debutant ball, replacing cash transactions with digital wallets—a technological stride forward now that the system is prepped and primed for public use. Prior phases of this benevolent bonanza catered to welfare cardholders, those differently-abled, and senior citizens, all courted through PromptPay.

As we watch the complex ballet of bureaucracy unfold, it’s important to remember that this tale of baht, bureaucracy, and the balance of power is far from over. So grab some popcorn, because it’s bound to be one captivating performance!