Bt325 bn facility approved for individuals, business operators

 "The cabinet acknowledged the huge damage to individuals and business operators. This package is approved to assure all that they will be assisted. This excludes investment in infrastructure which could cost billions of baht," said Deputy Prime Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong after the meeting.
 The package includes the government's financial assistance to individuals, worth Bt40,000 maximum for each family. 
 The rest would be loans to individuals and business operators - large or small.
 Of total, loans worth Bt80 billion will be extended to individuals via Government Housing Bank and Government Savings Bank.
 Social Security Office prepares a Bt10 billion facility for lending to individual members and another Bt10 billion to corporate members, so as to keep them afloat and maintain employment.
 Government Savings Bank and commercial banks will also put up a fund to loan small and medium-sized enterprises. SMEs can tap loans from any bank and 30 per cent of the loans would be guaranteed by the Small Business Credit Guarantee Corp. They will be charged the fixed 3 per cent rate for seven years. The maximum credit guarantee amount is set at Bt120 billion.
 The government has also approached the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for a Bt50 billion facility to help large-sized corporations.
 Meanwhile, the government will arrange a Bt50 billion fund, which would be extended to industrial estate operators through the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand.