Is it mandatory to keep 500,000 THB in your bank account for the entire duration of the 5-year Thai visa?

Hello everyone!

Question about the 500K. I see several comments claiming that you should always keep 500K in your account throughout 5 years. And I also see a lot of comments saying that it is not a requirement. I have a question to those claiming it is a requirement.

Can you please direct me to any official page that clearly says it is an ongoing requirement throughout the 5 years? And do not quote visa application requirements, as these are not the same things.

And secondly, if you believe it is a requirement but cannot point to a source then what in your mind is the point of that 500 000. If we cannot use even a single baht of it then what is the point of having it sleep in the account? Some claim it is for emergencies... But how can it be for an emergency, if we cannot use it?