Thailand’s poorest hail US$14 billion cash handout scheme - ‘we can breathe’

Sopak next paid down debts and helped neighbours in her close-knit community in Isaan region who did not qualify for the cash handout this time around.

“After that, I helped pay for my grandchildren’s school fees and that’s pretty much all of it gone,” she told This Week in Asia.

Others who received the cash across the country spent it to have a good time, sharing videos on social media of boozy parties, which ran through the weekend, raising the eyebrows of cabinet members.