By Thai Newsroom Reporters
PRIME MINISTER Anutin Charnvirakul was today (April 10) encouraged to find out whether Transport Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn may have been allegedly involved in the illegal hoarding of oil by a politically-associated trader recently.
During the second day of policy debate at parliament, People’s MP Rangsiman Rome called on the prime minister who concurrently acts as leader of the Bhumjaithai, core of the coalition government under de facto party boss Newin Chidchob, to look into allegations that the Bhumjaithai-attached transport minister may have been allegedly involved in the illegal event in which the oil trader in question, only identified as Sia Tue, had hoarded up some 330,000 litres of oil at an oil depot in Ang Thong with intent to sell it for an increased price to gas stations.
Rangsiman charged that the transport minister could possibly have been aware of the opportunistic business of the rogue trader whose oil company had reportedly owed over 100 million baht in debt to the transport minister and handed out one million baht in cash donation to the Bhumjaithai last year and that Pipat could possibly have failed to take action against the oil trader who had been evidently politically associated with the ruling party.
The transport minister had categorically dismissed allegations that he had been involved in the illicit hoarding of oil anywhere whilst he had earlier headed a government committee in charge of handling the oil price crisis.
Thai Pakdee MP Warong Dechgitvigrom alleged that certain oil depot and refinery operators had been involved in a concerted hoarding of more than 700 million litres of oil for profit-making reasons.
However, Pipat whose family is largely known to run oil trading business and have a large number of PT gas stations in the provinces had categorically denied that he had been somehow involved in decisions earlier made by oil refinery operators to charge higher prices of oil which had been put in store before armed conflict in the Middle East occurred.
CAPTIONS:
Top and Front Page – People’s MP Rangsiman Rome speaking at parliament this morning, April 10, 2026. Photos – Naewna
Insert – Transport Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn. File photo – PPTVHD36
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