Anutin Buys 60% Off Casio Amid Cost-of-Living Crisis

Anutin Buys 60% Off Casio Amid Cost-of-Living Crisis

BANGKOK, April 5, 2026 — Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul was seen purchasing a discounted wristwatch during a visit to monitor consumer prices, as the country grapples with rising fuel costs and mounting cost-of-living pressures.

Anutin visited a Lotus’s shopping centre in Bangkok’s Bang Kapi district as part of the government’s “Thai Help Thai” campaign aimed at easing the burden on consumers.

During the visit, the prime minister stopped at a watch shop and bought a Casio wristwatch, pointing to a store promotion offering a 60% discount. He said he chose the brand out of familiarity, noting he had worn Casio watches since childhood.

The purchase comes at a time when Thai households are facing increasing financial strain, with fuel prices rising sharply amid global energy market disruptions linked to tensions in the Middle East.

The government has come under growing pressure to address the cost-of-living crisis, as higher fuel costs feed through into transport and consumer goods prices.

While the visit was intended to demonstrate efforts to monitor prices and support consumers, the optics of the prime minister’s discounted purchase drew attention on social media, reflecting broader public sensitivity to economic conditions.

Thailand, like many countries in the region, has been affected by volatility in global oil markets, with policymakers balancing relief measures against fiscal constraints.