THE government’s cash-handout scheme does not help low-income people but weakens them instead, social activists claimed yesterday, suggesting the authorities should use the money strengthen the national welfare system.

“Rather than just a one-off giving of money, the government should allocate the budget to shore up the national welfare system,” said Tuanjai Samanmit, a key member of the People’s Health Systems Movement.

Three state banks have started distributing the one-time subsidy to the unemployed and other low-income people after the government delayed the payment until December 9, Government Spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd has said.

Of the 8.27 million people registered as low income before August, 6.98 million were qualified to receive the subsidy via Krungthai Bank, the Government Savings Bank and the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives, with Bt12.75 billion allocated for the purpose by the Cabinet in late November.

People who earn Bt30,000 per year or less will get a one-time cash handout of Bt3,000 per person, while those who earn between Bt30,000 to Bt100,000 annually will get Bt1,500 per person.

Sansern said the subsidy distribution would be finished by the end of the year as a “New Year gift” from the government to the people.

The banks were transferring the subsidy via people’s bank accounts, while people without bank accounts could collect the funds at the banks’ offices, the spokesman said, adding that the latter group was encouraged to open bank accounts that do not require deposits to expedite the transfers.

“The government is concerned about all groups of people, especially those who have low incomes,” he said.

The subsidy had to be carried out systematically, he added, saying that the government supported people registering in order to establish a database to be used when planning public-welfare outlays.

‘Short-term measure’

“The one-time subsidy for low-income people is a short-term measure that [the government] runs in parallel with long-term economic stimulus that will stimulate domestic consumption and prevent further debts for people,” Sansern said.

The scheme was welcomed by some people, as they received free money from the government, but social workers said they saw the issue differently since the cash handout would not help to solve problems for low-income people.

“In the meantime, the government asks the poor to register. Why did [the government] not ask the rich to do so as well to declare how much their inheritance and their land is worth?” Tuanjai said.

“They could pay tax reasonably based on their assets. But the state fails to manage [the wealthy paying reasonable taxes]. The state instead focuses only on handing out subsidies to the poor. Give away cash today, and they will be weak forever,” she said.

People should be involved in controlling the state’s budget by suggesting how much should be spent on welfare to ensure equality and efficiency, said Nimit Tienudom, director of the Aids Access foundation.

People should also take part in determining tax-collecting guidelines to decrease the economic gap between people, he said. “The people should have the right to determine the direction of the country. If the state has a limited budget, it should be effectively used. If the state has quality welfare, people are ready to pay tax,” he said.

The cash-handout scheme failed to provide health guarantees equally to all people in the country, said Sureerat Treemanka, a coordinator of People’s Network for State Welfare.

“The registration of the poor, which the government supported, discriminates against people. The poor might get a subsidy, but how about those considered by the government as ‘almost poor’? Will they be treated fairly?” she asked.

The government should focus on its national strategic plan, which should be inclusive, in order to come up with policies that help to narrow the wealth gap, Sureerat said.

“The government should push all people to register rather than focusing on the poor to ensure fair treatment and the equal rights of people,” she said

DNA results are expected early this week.

“I will try to ensure that we get clear facts about this case before the victim’s scheduled departure from Thailand,” Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lt-General Sanit Mahathavorn said yesterday.

The 21-year-old woman has booked a flight to fly back to her homeland on December 19.

According to her complaint, she flagged a tuk-tuk for a ride back to her lodging after drinking heavily. But she ended up being brought to a secluded spot and attacked by two men.

“We have identified several suspects including tuk-tuk drivers in the area … But all of them have an alibi to back claims that they were by no means near the scene at the time of the reported crime. So, we have not detained any suspect to date,” Sanit said.

“We will try to get clear-cut evidence,” he added.

He said police would also try to boost safety at secluded spots, as crimes often took place in such zones.

Taling Chan District Office director Porntip Watcharindilok said the operator of the parking zone where the Australian was raped would be asked to install a CCTV system, a gate, and lighting there.

“Security guards must be hired to check the area round-the-clock to prevent crimes from recurring,” she said.

The parking zone’s operator Nattaporn Sornkruea, 24, said he had leased the space in front of a deserted building to provide parking since 2010. He said he took turns watching the area with Achara Soparat, 55.

 IN a quest to protect their livelihoods and the environment, traditional fishermen of Ban Laem Hin village in Krabi have been engaged in a long-running battle to stop construction of the Krabi coal-fired power plant and coal-transporting pier.

The battle between opponents and supporters of the power plant has been fought for more than three years.

Next month Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is slated to announce if the project will get the green light or be scrapped.

In light of that, The Nation visited Ban Laem Hin, a prominent opposition hotbed in Nua Khlong district, to observe the natural treasure the locals are trying to preserve and speak to them about the proposed power plant project.

The district was named the fishery capital of the Andaman Sea by Chainarong Sretthachau, a leading folk-wisdom researcher from Maha Sarakham University, due to its abundance of aquatic life. Locals revealed that the products they gathered from the surrounding sea at the delta of the Pakasai Canal and other tributary canals provide them up to Bt30,000 worth of seafood on better days.

Local fisherman Suphat Cheautalae said that all 150 residents of the village depended heavily on the resources from the sea, which provided them with their food and was their major source of income.

“We live on the mercy of the sea, as she provides us all necessary needs for sustaining a daily life … These unlimited resources come from the healthy ecosystem of this area,” he said.

“The Pakasai Canal delta and the surrounding inner sea behind Sriborya Island are rich with a mangrove forest, a sea-grass field, and a coral reef, which provide habitat and a spawning area for aquatic animals, so we can get the food from the sea all year round.”

The delta of the Pakasai Canal and the surrounding tributaries have been part of the Krabi River Estuary Ramsar Site under the Ramsar Convention since 2001.

Suphat stated that not only did residents of Ban Laem Hin benefit from the richness of resources from the sea, but traditional fishermen from all over Krabi and nearby provinces such as Phang Nga and Trang also regularly worked in the area.

“After we catch the fish in the morning, seafood sellers come here and buy the fresh products from us in the afternoon. We also frequently sell our fresh-caught seafood directly to the restaurants in famous tourist destinations in Phi Phi Island and Lanta Island,” he said.

The people of Ban Laem Hin only have small fishing boats and all of their fishing equipment is traditional such as nets, traps as well as fish, crab, and shrimp trawls. They normally use this equipment according to the season to catch specific types of aquatic animals.

According to the research by Chainarong, who gathered information from people in Ban Laem Hin for more than two years, which was published in August, there are 11 main fishing activities for the fishermen here. They catch crab, shellfish, squid, mullet, sand whiting, and sea bass all year round, while shrimp, jellyfish, king mackerel, and butterfish are caught seasonally.

Abundant aquatic life in area

Chainarong disclosed that he recorded 191 types of fish, 86 types of shellfish, 28 types of crab, 22 types of shrimp, and seven types of squid in the area. The plentifulness of these aquatic animals is closely associated with the presence of the pristine mangrove forest, the seagrass field, and the coral reef ecosystems in the area, the research concluded.

“Fishing is the main economic activity for people in this area, since only six families own the land and can farm. If the sea cannot sustain them anymore, these people will have to move to the city to be cheap labour and their traditional livelihood will be lost, just like what happened to the fishermen on Mun River after the construction of Pak Mun dam,” he said.

“This information was poorly or never mentioned in the [Krabi] power plant and coal-transporting pier Environmental and Health Impact Assessment (EHIA) reports.”

Jittra Nompai-ree, a prominent member of Ban Laem Hin community, said local people realised the importance of maintaining a healthy ecosystem and did their best to preserve it, such as fishing with non-destructive equipment and growing the mangrove forest every year.

However, villagers said that would change if the power plant and its coal-transporting pier went ahead.

A few kilometres to the east of Ban Laem Hin, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand’s fuel-oil transporting pier can be seen even on a rainy day. This is the site for the proposed coal-transporting pier.

“If the coal-fired power plant operates, there will be coal-transporting barges passing by several times a day and it will cause severe impacts on the marine ecology because of the turbidity generated from large ship,” Jittra said.

“Even the oil-transporting barges, which cruise through this area around twice a month, have had impacts on the ecosystem, as the fishermen noticed that there is significantly less fish for around four days after the barges pass.”

She also revealed that recently the mangrove trees near the oil-transporting pier mysteriously died. All the dead trees had small cuts on their trunks. She said the local people suspected that someone had plotted to degenerate the mangrove forest.

“We are all worried about the environment and ecosystem of our area, as we depend heavily on it,” she said.

Meanwhile, Egat Project Environmental Division director Anuchart Palakawong Na Ayudhaya stressed that plans had been made to reduce the impact on the ecosystem and the people’s livelihoods. And it also had career development plans for those who may suffer from the project.

“We are trying to help in what way we can, but they [the villagers] still do not open their minds. We are planning to study all the resources in the area and people’s livelihoods, as if there are adverse impacts from the project, we can compensate them profoundly,” Anuchart said.

The 800-megawatt Krabi coal-fired power plant is one of new coal-fired power plant projects proposed by Egat. It was due to operate by 2019 but its construction is two years behind schedule.