The second day of the 10,000 baht transfer was lively. A 70-year-old grandmother from Phitsanulok rode her bicycle out of her house through floodwaters to withdraw 10,000 baht. Meanwhile, people from Sakon Nakhon rushed to withdraw 10,000 baht from ATMs. Officials rushed to add enough money to meet the needs of the people. In Tambon Noen Kum, Amphoe Bang Krathum, Phitsanulok Province, there is currently flooding, but it is still possible to walk through the water. This grandmother, approximately 70 years old, rode her bicycle out of her house to withdraw money from an ATM. However, after riding for a while, she encountered 30 cm deep floodwater. She could not ride anymore, so she had to walk her bicycle through the floodwater instead. When she arrived at the nearest ATM, it turned out that the machine was malfunctioning and was temporarily out of service. However, Grandma was not discouraged and continued walking, pushing her bicycle. Luckily, she walked another 200 meters and found another ATM where she w as able to withdraw ten thousand baht to her heart’s content. Crowds of people withdrew 10,000 baht from ATMs; officers rushed to refill ATMs with banknotes; at the Sakon Nakhon branch of the BAAC, people had to line up so much that it spilled onto the street, causing the ATMs to run out of money quickly; officers had to bring enough money to meet the needs of the people; and those who had not withdrawn money today brought their bankbooks to update their balances, to feel at ease seeing that 10,000 baht had already been deposited. Aunt Nisa showed me her bankbook and said she was very happy to receive this money because now the whole house only has about 700 baht left. Villagers plead not to take advantage of the price hike. At the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives Buriram branch, all ATMs are crowded. Villagers are queuing up to withdraw money. Most people withdraw 10,000 baht at once to spend on their families, buy fertilizer for their rice fields, and pay off debts. As a result, the m oney in the ATMs runs out quickly. Officers do not hesitate to quickly refill the ATMs. After receiving the money, I had to count it to make sure that I got 10,000 baht, not more or less, and thanked the government because this money was very important to my life. Aunt Kongthong, 64 years old, said she was very happy to receive 10,000 baht. Today, she decided to withdraw it all to buy rice to stock up for household consumption. However, she is worried that once the villagers receive the 10,000 baht, the vendors will take the opportunity to raise the prices of their goods, which will make things worse for the villagers. Source: Thai News Agency
