Elderly Woman's Hopes Dashed: Thailand Help Thailand Plus Program Fails Due to No Internet on Phone After Nearly 3-Hour Wait
A 74-year-old woman abandoned her three-hour wait at a Bangkok bank to verify Thailand's Help Thailand Plus program after staff discovered her basic phone had no internet connection. The elderly applicant, unable to complete the digital ver
On May 26, 2025, reporters surveyed the verification process for the second day of the Thailand Help Thailand Plus program at Krung Thai Bank's Bang Nam Priao Branch in Bang Nam Priao District, Samut Prakan Province. Large crowds of elderly citizens and those unable to verify through a mobile app were lined up throughout the morning. Nang Lek Chanthapoht, 74, had left home at 6:00 a.m. and hired a motorcycle taxi from Soi Bang Sai in Muang Samut Prakan District to travel to the bank, hoping to verify her eligibility and receive the program benefits. However, she found a massive queue and had to wait nearly three hours for her turn. When staff checked her phone, they discovered it had no internet connection—it was only a basic calling device with no data plan, as she had never purchased an internet package and didn't know how to use the internet. This prevented her from completing the verification process. Lek expressed frustration, saying she had intended to use the money to support her family and daily expenses, but the complicated procedures and long wait defeated her purpose. She has decided not to participate in this program again, having only once received benefits from the "Khon la Khrun" (People's Half) program before and never qualifying for assistance since.
