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3 arrested for offering to buy entitlements under co-payment scheme

12 Sept 22:33 Key points summarised by AI

Three individuals were arrested across three provinces for illegally offering to buy entitlements from participants of a government co-payment scheme, providing cash at 10-20% of the entitlement's face value.
The arrests followed social media posts made by the suspects about a week before the scheme's first day of spending, which saw 501 million baht spent within hours.
Both participants attempting to cash out their entitlements and those offering to buy them face severe legal consequences, including fraud charges, up to three years in prison, and a maximum fine of 60,000 baht, along with being barred from future schemes.
The co-payment scheme allows eligible Thai nationals aged 16 and above to receive benefits, with the government matching daily spending up to 200 baht for goods and services, aiming to support about 20 million Thais and 640,000 entrepreneurs.

Today 14:58 Key points summarised by AI

Thailand's government will launch the "Chainat-Pasak-Gulf" water diversion canal project in fiscal year 2027, a seven-year mega-infrastructure initiative.
This permanent structural solution aims to mitigate recurrent central plains flooding by diverting water from the Chao Phraya River directly into the Gulf of Thailand, significantly reducing flow to major cities like Ayutthaya and Bangkok.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul justifies the long-term investment as a means to reduce future damages and fiscal burdens, contrasting it with the 40-50 billion baht spent annually on short-term flood relief.
Concurrently, the Prime Minister instructed officials to expand drainage capacity into the Tha Chin River and swiftly remove water hyacinths to improve immediate flood management.