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BANGKOK: Long lines of unemployed people who depend on free food in Bangkok, struggle for cash and fish in fetid canals: Thais are becoming increasingly desperate as the COVID-19 pandemic destroys the economy and the government struggles to reply.
About 27 million informal workers, who lost their jobs in the tourism, entertainment, food and service sectors, have requested a monthly cash payment from the government, although only half have received approval.
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Hundreds queued for food donations in Bangkok’s historic neighborhood. (Photo: AFP / Lillian Suwanrumpha)
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha has also released conflicting information about how long the state can afford to give people 5,000 baht ($ 150) a month.
A spirit of volunteerism has filled the gaps left by the state.
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“The government has not helped me with anything,” said Chare Kunwong, a 46-year-old masseuse who caters to tourists, an income stream that dried up with COVID-19’s dominance of world travel.
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A spirit of volunteerism has filled the gaps left by the state. (Photo: AFP / Lillian Suwanrumpha)
On Wednesday (April 22) he lined up with hundreds in Bangkok’s historic neighborhood, hoping to receive donations of rice, noodles, milk and curry packets.
“If I wait for government help, I will die first,” he told AFP.
An hour north of Bangkok in Pathum Thani province, increasing numbers of locals are fishing in a murky canal in hopes of alleviating food shortages, Thai media reported.
The tank economy has also led Thais to come together to sell their gold jewelry, such as the price of spikes in precious metals around the world.
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Thais are increasingly desperate as the pandemic destroys the economy. (Photo: AFP / Lillian Suwanrumpha)
Angry scenes have erupted in the finance ministry in recent days as protesters demanded responses about the government’s cash delivery scheme closing.
Thailand’s economy dependent on exports and tourism is forecast to see a contraction of 6.7 percent this year, its lowest GDP figures since 1998.
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