On April 2, Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, gave an interview regarding news of a network smuggling oil to Cambodia. He stated that a task force has now been established to track groups hoarding oil, opportunistically raising prices, as well as smuggling oil out of the country. Although some incidents have been found, the scale is not large. Security agencies are fully cooperating, and strict legal action will be taken, as this is considered a threat to national security.
The Prime Minister specified that joint forces including the police, military, and the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) have been dispatched to conduct arrests, suppress, and prosecute these activities continuously. Preliminary findings show that some smuggling is carried out under the guise of companies. Police Lieutenant General Rutthaphon Naowarat, Minister of Justice, will report on the progress this afternoon.
Regarding the volume of smuggled oil, the PM Anutin stated that information from several agencies is still awaited. He does not want to rely on just one source and will not provide additional details at this time.
In addition, the Prime Minister reiterated that he is always aware that he holds office by the will of the people, and therefore can never protect any individual more than the public. He also acknowledged the current criticism, seeing it as the people’s right, and affirmed that no Cabinet member has a conflict of interest related to the oil situation.
