Paetongtarn says Anutin never mentioned quitting coalition or going into opposition
PM Paetongtarn says Deputy PM Anutin never raised a threat to quit the coalition if the Interior Ministry is reassigned, and confirms no long-term Cabinet deals are in place.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Tuesday responded to questions about Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul following his meeting at Thai Khu Fah building on 16 June. She confirmed that the conversation focused solely on policy work and implementation issues, with no discussion of a potential Cabinet reshuffle.
“There are still some sticking points in the policies we’re driving forward, and I told him where we’d like to see more progress,” she said.
Asked whether this kind of long-term policy planning indicated that Anutin would remain in charge of the Interior Ministry for the foreseeable future, Paetongtarn responded: “It depends how you look at it. Every ministry needs to keep working regardless of whether the government or ministers change.”
When asked whether there were any preconditions regarding the duration of any minister’s tenure as part of the coalition agreement, the prime minister said: “There were no such conditions. We only discussed which party would oversee which ministry.”
On reports that Anutin had said Bhumjaithai would move to the opposition if the Interior Ministry portfolio was taken away, Paetongtarn responded: “No, not at all. He didn’t say anything like that yesterday—I didn’t hear it.”
When asked why the Pheu Thai Party wanted to reclaim the Interior Ministry, Paetongtarn declined to answer and walked away from the press podium.
Reporters noted that during the post-Cabinet press briefing today, Anutin was conspicuously absent. He usually stands alongside the prime minister for such events. His absence has fuelled speculation of growing tensions between the coalition’s main parties, particularly over the future of the Interior Ministry—a post currently held by Bhumjaithai.
