Phumtham expressed anger over fake news claiming he would control the defense ministry, vowing to take full legal action against the original poster. He pointed out that since Pheu Thai was contacted by senior figures of the Bhumjaithai Party to request support for government formation, there have been no discussions about ministerial quotas.
At 06:35 on 18 Feb 2026 GMT+7. Mr. Phumtham Vejjajai, a Pheu Thai Party leader. posted a message viaFacebook.He clarified regarding a Facebook user spreading a message stating, “Phumtham said if he gets to control the defense ministry this time, Thai people should watch out; the neighboring Cambodians will face serious consequences, more severe than before without question.” He said this is fake news because since Pheu Thai was contacted by senior Bhumjaithai leaders, as the party with the highest vote count, to seek support for government formation—which was already jointly announced—there have been no talks about ministerial positions or ministry allocations whatsoever.
Currently, as official election results have not yet been certified and the government formation process—Pheu Thai’s responsibility as the top party—has no conclusion on how many parties will form the coalition or how many MPs will support it, only after clarity on these matters will there be steps to allocate ministries and ministerial numbers per party.
Therefore, spreading false information suggesting “Phumtham declared that if he controls the defense ministry this time, Thai people should watch out, as he will go all out” is a false statement and dissemination of misinformation that misleads the public. He kindly asks the public not to share such false messages. As for the original poster, he will pursue full legal action. .