Bangkok: Older and oversized vehicles will have to wait as the matter will be thoroughly considered at the next Cabinet meeting before any adjustments to the welfare card criteria are made. The Prime Minister has instructed the Ministry of Transport to waive fees for verifying vehicle ownership rights for older and oversized vehicles. This will be postponed until the next Cabinet meeting for complete consideration before adjusting the criteria for the welfare card program.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Siripong Angkasakulkiat, Deputy Minister of Transport, addressed the adjustments to the criteria for receiving the state welfare card, which will be on the Cabinet's agenda today. He stated that Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has instructed the Department of Land Transport to facilitate the process for citizens, such as waiving fees for eligibility verification. Regarding cases of long-overdue vehicle registration renewals, where normally back taxes must be paid upon cancellation, the government will consider how to waive these fees. This is because, under the Motor Vehicle Act of 1979, a new registration system may be necessary. The Ministry of Finance has requested a delay in today's Cabinet meeting to allow for a thorough consideration of the Prime Minister's instructions.
Regarding the adjustments to the criteria, the Prime Minister has been informed and requests that the public be informed to follow up on the news after the Cabinet resolution next week concerning the timeframe to avoid confusion. The Prime Minister also requested that consideration be given to extending the appeal period for the public.
Regarding the Ministry of Interior's one-stop service, Mr. Siripong stated that it will be sufficient to serve the public. Normally, there are both government and bank applications for appeals. Now, additional services are being added, including provincial and district transport offices. Furthermore, district offices will organize outreach to villages, but this depends on guidelines from the Ministry of Finance on how to proceed. Today's discussion was only preliminary, as the matter will be considered next week. This includes leniency for vehicles over 20 years old, motorcycles over 15 years old, and vehicles under 15 but deemed unusable. The transport department is willing to investigate. Even owning two motorcycles while still making payments will not disqualify you. For cases of transferred ownership, a confirmation letter will be issued. However, for cases where the owner has never owned the property but their name has been fraudulently used, a verification process will be required, which may take time d ue to the complexity of the verification process. He emphasized that this is not about shifting the burden to the public, but about proving each individual's rights.
Today, the government is making every effort to facilitate the process, ensure the accuracy of the information, and take this opportunity to organize the system properly.
When asked if the Prime Minister was upset by the widespread public criticism of the issue, Mr. Siripong said that problems are normal. He viewed the state welfare program as a courageous act by the government. He acknowledged that those who meet the criteria would be happy, while those who are disappointed would criticize; this is typical of every registration process. However, he noted that there had been no new registrations for the past 3-4 years. This time, the names of over 2 million more people who should have been eligible were added to the list. Previously, some genuinely poor individuals may have been excluded due to the old criteria, while some seemingly wealthy individuals received benefits. He affirmed that the new registration process creates fairness and that the Prime Minister is not upset; the government is doing the right thing, and the criteria are straightforward.