CityNews – 20th December 2019, in the compound of Chiang Mai city hall office, over 100 senior people took to the street to request the need to increase monthly pensions to 3,000 Baht. At the moment seniors over 60 years are numbered at 10,670,000 or 16% of all Thai population. They currently get a monthly allowance of 600 Baht per month or 20 Baht per day which is too low and cannot sustain real minimum costs of living.
Sompetch Wongbuncha, one of the leaders of this protesters, said that there are more than 3 million senior people in financially impossible conditions while the government has spent the money in other fields, some are not relevant to the benefit of the people at all. The senior group used to be workers, producers and taxpayers and now need help. This has brought more inequality to the Thai society. Anyway, Khomsan Suwanapha, deputy of Chiang Mai governor, representing the governor, received the complaint from the demonstrators and said there would be a review and that authorities will forward the matter to the government eventually.
