On July 19, 2021, the Ministry of Labour’s Spokesperson (on politics), Mrs. Theanrat Nawamawat, spoke about the case where Ms. Kenika Tapsanan, Deputy Spokesman for the “Thai Sang Thai” Party, made a Facebook post saying, “Quick to take money to apply for Section 40, but it’s still not clear, so how can I be sure that I will receive compensation? Because now even on the social security website itself, when insured persons went to check their status, there are system errors. There are so many changes, so those who are rushing to apply under Section 40 before the end of the month, how can they be sure that they will get the compensation after paying the application fee?”. In this regard, the Ministry of Labour’s Spokesperson clarified that the Social Security Office’s website is not down, but it closed its website for one day to improve the database system to align with the CCSA’s announcement, updating the highest and strictest control areas from six provinces to ten provinces. The updates also expanded the types of businesses being supported from four to nine business categories for one month. This is different from the information for insured persons under Sections 33,39, and 40 listed in the database, where there are no problems.
Mrs. Theanrat also spoke about how the Social Security Office encourages people who are not yet in the social security system and want to receive compensation of 5,000 Baht to apply as a Section 40 insured person. She said that applying as a Section 40 insured person is another option for self-employed people, who can have three options for long-term monthly contributions with different coverage. For option 1, insured persons pay 70 Baht, option 2 pays 100 Baht, and option 3 pays 300 Baht. The contributions allow people to get social security from the government. The Prime Minister and Defense Minister, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, is concerned about informal or self-employed workers who do not have social security. Such workers are encouraged to apply under Section 40 to enter the social security system. Long-term savings creates stability in life. Furthermore, the state will have a database to aid and subsidies from various measures, whereby the budget can be approved quickly to meet the objective without exploring new data.
“The government cares about the people impacted by the COVID-19 situation. Therefore, measures were issued to help, heal and alleviate troubles as soon as possible. If the “Thai Sang Thai” Party MPs have any questions, they can ask Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin. He is ready to provide useful information at any time so that the MPs can explain to the people and not cause confusion and misunderstanding. During situations like these, we will help those in need to access welfare assistance from the state as soon as possible,” concluded Mrs. Theanrat.
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Division of Public Relations
19 July 2021
