It has been nearly two months since Chiang Rai experienced its worst flooding in 50 years, and some merchants in Mae Sai, the hardest-hit area, say the district has not received any economic stimulus.
Many traders in Mae Sai say the “Aew Nuea, Half Each” tourism stimulus project did little to help the community, and shop owners and market vendors are struggling.
Vendors in the Doi Wao Market and the Sailom Joy Market area say that they have not received any economic assistance since the floods on October 9-13, 2024. They have only received financial assistance from the Ministry of Interior and the Provincial Administrative Organization.
Ms. Anew Thesopat, a jewelry shop owner, said that it took more than two months to recover before things returned to normal, and she could sell her products.
She said her sales have dropped by more than 70% compared to the same time last year.
She said the government’s assistance and compensation have been slow, and the tourism stimulus measures through the “Aew Nuea, Half Each” project did very little to help the community.
Ms. Sangduan Wongwan, a grocery store owner, said that her shop suffered hundreds of thousands of baht in damages from the floods. To date, the government has provided little assistance through tourism stimulus measures.
My income was several thousand baht daily, but now it is less than 1,000 baht. Therefore, I would like to ask for sympathy from the government. Do not delay solving the problem, she said.
Financial Assistance
Their comment comes after Minister of Finance, Mr. Pichai Chunhavachira, visited Mae Sai to check on the economic recovery and announced that his ministry is working with state financial institutions to organize financial measures to help people recover after the flood disaster.
He said the flooding damaged property and has significantly impacted people’s lives, occupations, and business operations.
The Ministry of Finance is working with state financial institutions to organize financial assistance measures, suspend principal and interest payments, and offer interest rate reductions for groups affected by floods.
He said the Comptroller General’s Department has also adjusted the emergency budget to provide additional assistance to provincial governors. The budget can be used to help both the people and the work of government officials.
In addition, the Ministry of Finance has allocated 50 billion baht from the Government Savings Bank’s GSB Boost Up soft loans to help flood victims access sources of funds for business rehabilitation.
He said the Cabinet approved, in its meeting in Chiang Rai on October 1, 2024, sufficient support for flood victims to receive loans under the said project and other loan projects from financial institutions.
In addition, to build confidence in financial institution lending, the SME Bank has created the No One Left Behind SME Loan Guarantee Project, guaranteeing 1 billion baht for affected business owners.
He said the next phase of financial measures will focus on helping to restore and enhance the quality of life and creating new opportunities for people to participate sustainably in Chiang Rai’s economic development.
The Ministry of Finance has emphasized the importance of taking care of all groups of people to the fullest, and will closely monitor the situation and is ready to issue appropriate measures to take care of the people on time and appropriate to the situation.
