Past handouts, like Pheu Thai's rice pledging scheme and the digital wallet economic stimulus, were loudly touted as "creating a tsunami of wealth", etc, but failed to raise the required sustained productivity. Instead of Khon La Khrueng being open to all economic sectors, we should concentrate on the keys to our economy: agriculture, SME's, and tourism. Khon La Khrueng has no strict income test, and many low-income persons lack the smartphones/digital literacy needed. The government's recent crackdown on long-term stays indicates a lack of understanding of modern tourism. Proposals to shorten long-term stays were made following complaints by certain businessmen about tourists working illegally.

Source: Bangkok Post April 10, 2026 05:04 UTC