Rich Woman Probed Over Gov Financial Aid Fraud Claim

Story ByLee Bullen,Sub EditorJoseph Golder,AgencyCentral European News

CEN/@21no37

This Thai woman is under investigation for slamming the government’s 123 GBP aid for non-essential workers as “small change”.

The unnamed woman, who comes from Phuket, a mountainous island in the Andaman Sea, is being investigated after her social media comments on her now-deleted account sparked outrage online.

Under the online named ‘Nana Kochaporn’, the woman wrote: “5,000 THB (123 GBP) has been wired to my bank account already. It’s just small change on my refrigerator.”

But the criticism of the financial aid for independent and non-essential workers during the crisis resulted in a storm of criticism.

According to reports, many netizens criticised the woman for accepting the stipend despite boasting a luxurious lifestyle on social media, which local media said even includes images of her flaunting top-brand products.

Regarding the payment, Thai model and singer Jah Rsiam said on social media: “Congrats to people who got 5,000 THB. Those who still have some money and aren’t really struggling but are good at filling in the [government] form, please do not do it.

“Don’t rely on the government to select the recipients, rely on our honesty. This time is the time of sacrificing, not being selfish.”

In late March, a stimulus package worth around 200 billion THB (4.9 billion GBP) was announced by the government including 5,000 THB payments for workers who qualified.

The aid was set to continue for three months, but has since been extended to September.

Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, secretary of the Finance Minister, has confirmed the suspect is currently under investigation.

She added that the money will be seized if the suspect is found guilty of not being eligible for it.

However, if she didn’t receive the money as she claimed on social media, the Digital Economy and Society Ministry consider prosecuting her under the Computer Crime Act for stating something untrue.

Wangboonkongchana added that people should remain “in harmony with one another” and “try not to stir up chaos”.

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