Sirikanaya exposes the government for secretly channeling relief loan funds into the regular budget, patching 18.8 billion baht into the Pracharath Fund. She asks whether this is aimed at solving citizens' hardships or the government's budget problems.
At 15:15 on 20 May 2026, Ms. Sirikanaya Tansakul, a party-list MP and deputy leader of the Prachachon Party, posted a message onFacebook.She raised concerns regarding the government using relief loan funds within the regular budget, stating, "Caught red-handed! The government is using relief loans in the regular budget, secretly injecting 18.8 billion baht into the Pracharath Fund, which should be covered by the normal budget."
Ms. Sirikanaya further explained that according to Cabinet resolutions, the first program involves welfare benefits that cardholders are normally entitled to receive (300 baht assistance, utility subsidies, transportation costs, etc.), which should be funded from the annual budget and is unrelated to energy crisis relief. Because the government set the budget lower than actual needs, there isn’t enough money to pay for the welfare (using 50 billion baht but only budgeting 30 billion baht in the 2026 fiscal year). She criticized the government for daring to use 200 billion baht in relief loans meant to address the energy crisis to cover regular expenses that should be funded by the regular annual budget, which she considers a significant deviation from the original purpose.
Ms. Sirikanaya concluded by questioning whether this loan money is truly intended to solve the people's hardships or merely to address the government's budget problems.