Trinuch fears that news about Social Security could undermine the confidence of over 24 million insured persons and orders an urgent report of facts within 24 hours. Although this concerns past events, every issue must be verifiable and open to scrutiny.
On 22 January 2026, Ms. Trinuch Thienthong, Minister of Labor, addressed reports about the use of 12 million baht from Social Security administrative funds to renovate the cafeteria at Social Security Office Region 3, located within the Ministry of Labor premises. She stated that this occurred in 2018 and that both the budget and construction had already been approved. She requested the Social Security Office to summarize all facts and report directly to the Minister within 24 hours.
The Labor Minister said her greater concern is the impact on the trust of over 24.5 million insured persons, who are questioning the Social Security Office. Every baht of the Social Security fund comes from monthly wage deductions, intended to secure the lives of insured workers from birth, sickness, death, disability, unemployment, child care, through to old-age pensions. This money belongs to the insured, not the Social Security Office. Any use of funds must be correct, transparent, and accountable.
"I thank civil society for bringing this information to light, showing that the Social Security Office must operate carefully to provide social security for insured persons, not to enrich the organization. They must always remember that the insured are the owners of the money, not just contributors," said Ms. Trinuch. She added that mismanagement or misuse of insured persons’ money is not only a serious offense but also erodes the social security system and diminishes insured persons’ trust, which may take a lifetime to restore.
Ms. Trinuch said that this is a good opportunity to expose these issues because it is time for the Social Security Office to implement measures to enhance transparency. In the future, the Office should practice good governance by openly disclosing investment information, fund status, and detailed use of funds, so the public can easily and quickly access the data. It must listen directly to insured persons’ feedback to improve services and benefits accurately, ensuring every baht of the insured’s money is used transparently to support them from birth to death, fulfilling the true purpose of establishing the Social Security Office.