Leaders of the opposition parties met last week to call for an ad hoc parliamentary meeting on May 22. They will discuss the end of the State of Emergency (SOE), which is due to expire on June 30, and the socioeconomic effects of Covid-19.
Two letters will be issued. The first will go to Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha to open parliament. The second will go to Parliament Speaker Chuan Leekpai to mediate the meeting.
The end of SOE
The opposition said that the government should ease its SOE measures as the spread of the virus has largely been curtailed by public health measures.
Nikom Boonwiset, leader of the Thai People Power Party, said the government should balance between containing the spread of the virus and managing the country’s economy by ending the SOE.
Seeripisuth Temeeyaves, leader of the Thai Liberal party, added that people should be able to return to their normal lives as they have enough experience protecting themselves from the virus.
Problematic government aid
Approximately 14.5 million people in the informal sector have been abandoned due to the government’s low estimation of those who need aid, according to official statistics.
“We can no longer wait because there is news of people killing themselves every day. People won’t kill themselves if they are not really suffering,” said Songkram Kitlertphairoj, leader of the Phue Chat Party.
Pita Limjaroenrut also added that “for some people, they cannot wait seven days – let alone seven hours because of hunger – when they don’t know where they will get their next meal… This is where Parliament can come in to speed up the aid to reach the people.”
Emergency loans
The 1.9 trillion baht loan the government allocated to combat the spread of Covid-19 has also raised questions from both the opposition parties and the government’s coalition parties over its expenditures.
Prayut has said the money will be divided into two parts. First, the value of 6 hundred billion baht will be used for public health care. Second, the 4 hundred billion baht will be used to recover the economy and society.
