Thawee flags 400 billion baht borrowing as potential fiscal misconduct; insists aid must reach all groups as entire nation bears debt burden
Opposition leader Thawee Sodsong questions whether the government is legally using 400 billion baht in emergency borrowing to fund welfare payments, arguing the entire nation will bear the debt burden while aid may not reach those most in n
On May 23, 2026, Thawee Sodsong, Prachathai Party leader, posted on Facebook stating: "65.8 million Thai people must collectively bear 400 billion baht in new debt... the state must spend according to law, not sentiment."
The Emergency Energy Crisis Loan Decree B.E. 2569, Section 5(1), clearly defines the borrowing purpose as "to assist people, farmers, and business operators affected by the energy crisis situation." However, the law contains no provision authorizing the government to use these funds for "state welfare card holders," of which approximately 13.18 million are registered according to the Finance Ministry's latest data.
According to the Department of Local Administration, Thailand has approximately 65.8 million registered citizens, all of whom bear legal responsibility to collectively repay the 400 billion baht loan plus future interest.
Thawee raises three key concerns:
1. **Blurring regular expenditure with special borrowing, violating fiscal discipline**: The 300 baht monthly living assistance is a "regular expense" the government should fund through normal welfare budgets under existing frameworks. The 2026 budget allocated 30,000 million baht to the grassroots welfare fund. On May 12, 2026, the cabinet approved an additional 1,667.68 million baht in emergency funding. However, instead of properly increasing the welfare budget through parliamentary review, the government is using approximately 18,800 million baht from the special emergency loan—potentially violating the State Fiscal Discipline Act B.E. 2561, which requires special borrowing only for urgent national crises that cannot wait for regular budget allocation. The government should propose a supplementary budget bill to parliament rather than circumvent democratic oversight.
2. **Outdated database and potential exclusion of the truly poor**: The 13.33 million welfare card holders figure relies on screening data from years past and has been criticized for both missing poor households and including non-poor card holders. The database is flawed because it counts "card holders" rather than "poor people," meaning some beneficiaries may not fall below the poverty line while truly impoverished citizens lack cards.
