Thai Pakdee Party plans to cancel 1,000 and 500 baht banknotes
The Thai Pakdee Party announced today, December 26, its plan to cancel the use of 1,000 and 500 baht banknotes across Thailand in an effort to combat corruption and disrupt the flow of illicit cash in underground networks.
Warong Dechgitvigrom, leader of the Thai Pakdee Party, revealed the party’s latest anti-corruption policy on his Facebook post, stating their intention to cancel the use of 1,000 and 500 baht banknotes nationwide. He argued that these banknotes are a tool used by those involved in grey money operations to hide illegal wealth in cash.
Warong claimed that scrapping these notes would weaken the ability of corrupt networks to store, transfer, and pay bribes using physical cash, which is notoriously difficult to trace. He noted that while digital transfers and asset-based transactions leave a trail, cash payments, particularly in high values, often leave no trail at all, making them the preferred method for bribes and illicit deals.
The Thai Pakdee leader also asserted that bribes, campaign financing, and even state contract kickbacks are often paid in cash. Even when corrupt networks attempt to mask transactions through mule accounts, the funds are eventually withdrawn in cash and passed along the chain to keep illegal operations hidden.
It is not uncommon, he stated, for politicians’ homes to contain secret rooms used to store large amounts of cash, citing a past case in which hundreds of boxes of 1,000 baht banknotes were reportedly found at the home of a former highways department director-general.
As part of a broader anti-corruption framework, Warong proposed harsher penalties for financial crimes, including the death penalty for those found guilty of embezzling over 100 million baht, with mandatory execution within 15 days and no eligibility for royal pardons.
He added that giving citizens the legal power to file lawsuits directly against corrupt officials, with a right to receive monetary rewards upon successful prosecution, would be another step towards genuine reform.
Cancelling 1,000 and 500 baht notes would not harm honest citizens, as most now rely on digital banking for transactions, Warong insisted. For elderly Thais who may still use physical cash, he said smaller values such as 100, 50, and 20 baht notes would be sufficient for everyday use.
If the cancellation were announced, possibly within the next three months, those attempting to deposit large sums of cash would be required to declare the source of the funds and pay any applicable taxes.
The announcement received mixed reactions online, with some seeing it as a bold but necessary move to crack down on corruption, and others doubting its practicality and whether it might inconvenience the public.
In similar news, the opposition People’s Party (PP) has launched its early election campaign under the slogan With Us, No Grey, signalling a firm anti-corruption stance as the country inches toward a potential snap election.
