Phonphir revealed that the Ministry of Interior has ordered village heads, community leaders, and district chiefs to inspect the condition of citizens' homes and vehicles, photographing them as evidence to assist in appeals for the State Welfare Card, aiming to catch all cases to help as many low-income people as possible.
At 08:30 on 23 July 2026 GMT+7 at the Government House, Mr. Phonphir Suwanchawee, Deputy Minister of Interior, commented on the Prime Minister's directive for the Ministry of Interior to facilitate citizens regarding the State Welfare Card. He said, "When we saw the announcement results, many citizens expressed concerns. The Prime Minister therefore instructed the administrative officials to provide maximum convenience. This led to the establishment of the Department of Provincial Administration's One Stop Service centers, so citizens do not have to travel far or to the main district office. Moreover, the department will do more by integrating with all related agencies to check criteria such as vehicle ownership. Village heads, community leaders, and district chiefs will visit every household to verify actual conditions. For example, regarding vehicles, this will help confirm information to the Ministry of Transport, such as vehicles parked unused for a long time, so the transport office can be notified that these vehicles are no longer operable. The Ministry of Interior will facilitate these processes. Another important issue is investigating cases where citizens' names are used without their knowledge as shareholders in companies or in bank accounts. This will be thoroughly checked to see if the individuals authorized use of their names, especially related to money laundering, proxy accounts, gray businesses, or nominee arrangements. The Ministry of Interior is serious about examining these matters."
When asked whether this inspection will be able to identify and address all complaints, Mr. Phonphir said, "We do not have a set target for how many citizens will participate in this project, but our genuine intention is to screen and assist as many low-income individuals as possible through the State Welfare Card. After gathering nationwide data, we will forward it to relevant agencies for further screening. Today, the Ministry of Finance will clarify the timeline and announce that the appeal submission deadline will be extended to 20 Sep 2026 GMT+7 to give citizens time to prepare all necessary documents, including company names, assets, banknotes, and life insurance policies. We want to give citizens enough time to organize paperwork. Afterward, the Department of Provincial Administration will send the data to other agencies, so they also have time to process it."
Mr. Phonphir added that he has coordinated with the Ministry of Finance to request lists of citizens who were excluded, but due to legal restrictions on sharing information, this may not be possible. Therefore, the administrative officials will directly verify whether the named individuals actually reside in the respective areas. He also announced that citizens living outside their registered domicile can visit any district office, regardless of their residence, to contact officials there for assistance.
Asked how they can be confident that village heads and community leaders will identify genuinely low-income residents given past problems of officials listing their relatives to receive welfare cards, Mr. Phonphir said, "I have instructed the Director-General of the Department of Provincial Administration that during these inspections, officials must take photographs documenting the condition of vehicles, the size and condition of houses relative to established criteria, and bank account statements showing transaction activity. All evidence must be collected to support appeals. We are striving to make the process as convenient as possible because citizens have asked for help from the Ministry of Interior and the government."