"Finance Minister" orders the Commerce Ministry to crack down on opportunists hoarding goods, assuring there is enough oil reserve available, and looks to Malaysia and Laos for energy reserves.
On 4 March 2026, Aekniti Nitithanprapas, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, stated after a meeting to assess the Middle East conflict situation that although the closure of the Strait of Hormuz caused global oil prices to surge by 5%, Thailand has over 60 days of oil reserves and is negotiating additional imports from other sources. Regarding LNG, despite two ships being delayed, most gas is produced domestically in the Gulf of Thailand and imported from Myanmar. Plans will be proposed to the Cabinet to sign contracts with Malaysia as a new resource source to mitigate impact.
The Finance Minister also said the government is concerned about consumer goods prices and has ordered the Ministry of Commerce to strictly monitor and punish those hoarding goods or exploiting price increases. Meanwhile, the private sector and the Thai Bankers’ Association have prepared liquidity support.
Regarding the stock market’s sharp 8% drop triggering a circuit breaker, Aekniti viewed it as a temporary shock, noting that foreign investors remain confident and trading continues normally. The Prime Minister has instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to gather information from all agencies and provide daily updates to the public at 6:00 p.m. to prevent panic.