Prayut's party keeps focus on ‘extremely risky’ Pheu Thai pledge
The United Thai Nation Party (UTNP) is following the lead of its candidate for prime minister, incumbent PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, by taking on one of the opposition Pheu Thai Party’s most controversial campaign pledges – a promise to transfer 10,000 baht to every Thai 16 years of age or older if it forms the next government.
In a video released on Wednesday, the UTNP describes its policies as "better than 10,000 baht".
Last Friday, Prayut said Pheu Thai’s pledge to transfer 10,000 baht into digital wallets of every Thai 16 years of age or older is "extremely risky”.
In its new video, the UTNP promotes its pledge to raise the monthly allowance for holders of state welfare cards to 1,000 baht.
The allowance can only be spent at stores that are a part of the Thong Fah (Blue Flag) Pracharat project, or used for transportation expenses and utility bills.
The party said that the government uses big data to guarantee that only low-income people will receive the payments, and that the eligibility of recipients is checked yearly.
It has also pledged to provide a monthly allowance of 1,000 baht for the elderly and continue its domestic-tourism and co-payment subsidies.
It said it will release more election-campaign videos, including one on how developing Thailand's digital infrastructure will create more jobs for low-income people.
