Dr. Warong presses Prime Minister 'Nuu' to clearly state whether 6 million poor people will retain their benefits. He criticizes Minister Aeknithi and the Ministry of Finance for working from an ivory tower, causing repeated failures. He refuses to comment on whether the government is financially broke and emphasizes technocrats' mistakes.
At 10:30 a.m. on 23 July 2026 GMT+7. Dr. Warong Dechgitvigrom. A party-list MP and leader of the Thai Pakdee Party, he held a press conference at the Parliament regarding the case of the State Welfare Card (also known as the Poor People’s Card). He said he views the current government as spending large sums, including borrowing 400 billion baht, claiming it stimulates the economy, yet becoming stricter with the poor. He did not deny that among the over 13 million State Welfare Card holders, some relatively well-off individuals might have received benefits. However, setting criteria that disqualify as many as 6 million people, mostly poor, is unfair. Even cleaning staff and restroom attendants at Parliament have complained to him about losing their rights.
Though the government allows appeals, many have spoken out causing confusion. The Prime Minister even said the appeal period would extend to 20 September. Yet recently, the Deputy Minister of Interior clarified that village heads will survey homes and take photos to distinguish the poor. Today, the poor demand a clear answer from the government: in early August, will they still be able to redeem shrimp paste, fish sauce, and rice with their cards? For the over 6 million poor people cut off, urgent clear communication is needed. The 300-baht benefit means a lot to the poor who are very stressed. He calls on the Prime Minister to provide a clear answer, not just say appeals are allowed and surveys will be done, but not whether they will get the benefits.
"We do not oppose the government removing wealthy individuals from poor people's benefits. But appeal criteria must be clearly set and compared against the database. If new criteria remove even more poor people, the government will be in trouble. I remind Minister Aeknithi Nitithanprapas of Finance, who said benefits will be restored via the Thai Chua Thai Plus program, that the 300-baht support is very meaningful to the poor."
Asked if the situation indicates the government is nearly broke, Dr. Warong said he does not want to blame but notes they have failed twice before: first, when child support payments for parents were deducted from taxes causing parents to lose benefits; now the second, which is worse, involving attempts to squeeze savings. Viewed negatively, it suggests the government is financially broke. Viewed charitably, it means they want to remove wealthy people from poor benefits but have done it poorly. Since the 400 billion baht loan has been approved by the Constitutional Court for use if necessary, that money should help the poor first. He urges empathy and warns against being too strict with poor people.
When asked about the condition causing poor people to lose State Welfare Card benefits—an insurance premium of 12,000 baht per year—and whether that defines someone as wealthy, Dr. Warong replied, this shows the inexperience of technocrats. The Ministry of Finance, under Minister Aeknithi, consists of academics working in an ivory tower. They differ from MPs who meet poor people in many areas. Many policies arise from not understanding the real lives of the poor. Even though the Ministry of Interior has sent people to survey, it was somewhat delayed. He urges speeding up corrections so everything is settled before announcing again.
Thanakhun Calls for Parliamentary Anti-Corruption Committee to Investigate Royal Rainmaking Department Aircraft Procurement
Later, Thanakhun Jittisara, chairman of the Santiprachatham Club, submitted a letter to Dr. Warong as a member of the parliamentary Commission on Anti-Corruption regarding alleged corruption in the procurement of aircraft for the Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation Department. Thanakhun said he received information from a whistleblower about suspicious contracts. The aircraft purchase, conducted via an electronic bidding on 8 November 2022, involved 1.1 billion baht with deliveries in April and May 2026, delayed by over 500 days beyond contract terms.
The contract stipulated delivery before payment. He urged the anti-corruption commission to investigate all facts from contract signing to delivery, examine all related documents about delays, production steps, legal authority for penalty waivers, and whether these comply with the Public Procurement and Supplies Management Act. He also requested scrutiny of penalty waivers for delayed aircraft delivery, as the state lost benefits by not receiving due fines.
Dr. Warong said he would bring this matter to the anti-corruption commission meeting for further investigation.