Welfare card holders flock to ATMs for their 500-baht cash handouts

13 Sept 14:28 Key points summarised by AI

Thai welfare card holders are withdrawing a 500-baht government cash handout, leading to some ATMs running out of 500-baht and 100-baht banknotes.
This handout is part of a larger 300-billion-baht economic stimulus package aimed at boosting the purchasing power of 14.6 million low-income earners and stimulating the weakening economy to achieve a 3% growth target.

Suchada: Meet the reluctant star of Thailand’s cryptic crypto drama

Today 15:38 Key points summarised by AI

Thai MP Suchada Zhang Thaensap faces intense scrutiny over her husband’s substantial 1.84 billion baht wealth, with opposition lawmakers alleging connections to international scam networks.
A significant portion of her husband, Taiyang Zhang's, declared assets includes a 1.44 billion baht loan to the now-bankrupt cryptocurrency hedge fund Three Arrows Capital, which still owes him 1.34 billion baht.
Opposition MP Rangsiman Rome accused Suchada's husband of links to online scam networks and gambling sites, prompting Suchada to vehemently deny the claims, demand evidence, and file a defamation complaint.
Taiyang Zhang's background includes co-founding Ren Protocol, later sold to Alameda Research (linked to the FTX collapse), and some of his former associates have been convicted in crypto company failures.
Suchada, a former actress and first-time MP, maintains her husband's innocence, while her party leaders have distanced themselves from the allegations, deeming it a private matter.