Government Moves Forward with 4 Trillion Baht Emergency Decree Without Waiting for Court or Parliament Ruling
The government is proceeding with a 4 trillion baht emergency decree without awaiting court or parliamentary rulings, having already published it in the Government Gazette. Officials confirmed only 30 billion baht in budget returns are avai
On May 11, 2025, at Government House, Paradorn Parisunantkul, Minister attached to the Prime Minister's Office and overseer of the Budget Bureau, disclosed progress on budget reallocation intended to address urgent national needs. While the Finance Ministry and Budget Bureau initially estimated 50-70 billion baht in budget returns, recent verification revealed the actual amount may not exceed 30 billion baht.
Paradorn explained that the lower-than-expected figure results from the government's policy to continue project implementation to keep the economy moving. Clear criteria have been established: any projects not commenced by the April 30 deadline will have their budgets withdrawn. However, for projects with binding commitments, the government opted to reduce first-year budget allocations rather than cancel them entirely. For example, projects originally approved for 20 percent first-year disbursement may be reduced to 10-15 percent to allow them to proceed and avoid broader economic impact.
Regarding the progress of the 4 trillion baht emergency decree, Paradorn stated that despite the opposition submitting the matter to court, since the law has already been published in the Government Gazette, parliamentary proceedings continue normally. The government has already submitted the matter to both the House of Representatives and Senate, with the parliamentary speaker expected to include it on the meeting agenda around May 14, pending the speaker's discretion.
