Search on for those in need

The unemployed are likely to be among those to receive government coupons for food and basic necessities, according to an official at the Finance Ministry, which is finalising a list of target recipients.

The official, who asked not to be named, said other front runners would be those whose income is below the poverty line, now set at Bt1,386 per month. Some 6.06 million people are living below this level. Other beneficiaries could be those with incomes below the minimum wage.

The official said Finance Minister Surapong Suebwonglee also planned an income-subsidy programme for low-income earners. For example, schools could open special classes and give teachers extra allowances, while villagers could be hired for reforestation projects.

"Other ministries would need to shoulder the cost of some of the projects as the Finance Ministry is running out of budget," he said.

The government's plan for coupons for food and basic necessities for the poor has been generally welcomed, amid concerns about the fairness and accessibility of the coupons for the target recipients.

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva supports the scheme, but said it should be temporary and implemented systematically. He said a state agency must be nominated to carry out the programme, probably the National Statistical Office, which has data on the poor.

Abhisit suggested those who intentionally lie about their employment status should be penalised. "The allocation system must be efficient, or we will not be able to single out the most needy. It's not easy but we have to resort to the best practices," he said.

However, Thanavath Phonvichai, director of the Economic and Business Forecasting Centre at the University of Thai Chamber of Commerce, slammed the idea. "This promises only a psychological boost. It creates a short-term burden on the government without solving the problem in the long term. The government would be wasting time and resources on searching databases to find the poor, and then printing coupons," he said.

National Economic and Social Development Board secretary-general Ampon Kittiampon supported the programme, saying it would not put pressure on inflation.

The Bank of Thailand's Monetary Policy Group senior director Amara Sriphayak also said it was the right policy. "While other sectors such as government officials or employees of certain companies have received extra allowances, the poor have had no access to special assistance"