Sirikanya criticized the "Thai Help Thai Plus Phase 2" program as failing in all aspects, pointing out that distributing 500 baht per month does not help reduce living costs or stimulate the economy. She warned against using the 200 billion baht loan as a tool to boost the government's popularity.
On 21 September 2026 at the Parliament building, the People's Party held a press conference following the 13th shadow cabinet meeting. Led by Sirikanya Tanasukul, party-list MP and deputy leader of the People's Party, she spoke about the government's "Thai Help Thai Plus Phase 2" program, stating it had failed in all dimensions—both in providing relief to citizens and stimulating the economy. She suggested the government’s main aim was simply to regain political popularity amid declining support.
Sirikanya said that according to reports, the Thai Help Thai Plus program was set to enter Phase 2, distributing 1,000 baht over two months—equivalent to just 500 baht per month. She said this aligned with her earlier question on whether it was necessary to reallocate funds originally meant for energy transition to instead provide relief payments to the public.
As the program's scale was reduced, leftover funds from the first phase were enough to support Phase 2. However, the problem remains that this program clings to the traditional relief approach, which past experience has clearly shown to fail on all fronts.
From the perspective of a relief measure, she questioned why the government imposed a 40% co-pay condition on recipients. If the intention was genuine relief, full payment should be made to ensure immediate support reaches the people. Ultimately, the program failed to truly reduce living costs because oil prices continue to rise, which will only exacerbate the cost of living burdens going forward.
Regarding economic stimulus, it is even clearer that the program does not promote economic circulation in any way. She therefore views the government's true goal in launching this program as a political popularity boost, aiming to lessen criticism and ease public concerns.
"The government's political goal also fails because distributing an extra 500 baht per month for two months is insufficient to recover its currently declining popularity. I reiterate that this 200 billion baht loan must be used to provide targeted relief to those still left out, such as farmers, fishermen, and the transport sector, whose previous support programs only ended in August," Sirikanya said.
Sirikanya concluded by warning the government that the loan is the country's emergency reserve meant to assist citizens in crises, not a tool for political popularity gains.