In his first policy statement to parliament yesterday, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin likened the country to a "sick person", for which the government needs to prescribe cures such as the 10,000-baht digital cash handout and reduced energy prices. He said Thailand's longstanding economic, social and political problems have been made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the nation has yet to fully recover from its effects. "Thailand is like a sick person... Tourism and spending are recovering so slowly that there is the risk of economic recession," Mr Srettha said. MFP list-MP Woraphop Viriyaroj called on the government to adjust the digital wallet programme to make it beneficial to SMEs, otherwise large businesses would reap the benefits instead. Digital cash 'well thought out'Pheu Thai's digital wallet programme was the focus of the first day of the two-day debate on the government's policies.

Source: Bangkok Post September 12, 2023 02:16 UTC