This article profiles Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, a businessman from the PTG Energy family who has never lost a ministerial seat. In the Anutin Cabinet 2 reshuffle, he retains his position as Minister of Transport but loses the Deputy Prime Minister post.
On 15 March 2025 GMT+7, reporters reported that in the Anutin Cabinet 2 lineup, Mr. Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, also known as Ko Kia, a powerful southern leader and key figure of the Bhumjaithai Party, was assigned to continue as Minister of Transport. However, unlike in the first Anutin Cabinet, he was not named Deputy Prime Minister.
Mr. Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, former Deputy Prime Minister and current Minister of Transport, nicknamed "Kia," was born on 5 August 1955 and is currently 70 years old. He hails from Hat Yai District, Songkhla Province. He is the son of Mr. Sutat and Mrs. Kuihiang Ratchakitprakarn and brother to Mr. Piboon Ratchakitprakarn, a Bhumjaithai MP from Satun, and Mr. Pitak Ratchakitprakarn, CEO and Managing Director of PTG Energy Public Company Limited.
In his personal life, he married Mrs. Natee Ratchakitprakarn in 1990 and they have three children: Mr. Chonlat Ratchakitprakarn, a Bhumjaithai party list MP; Mr. Poket Ratchakitprakarn; and Ms. Pokkran Ratchakitprakarn. He is currently married to Mr. Sutthipong Wannawanich, Managing Director of Petroleum Thai Corporation Limited, part of the PTG Energy group.
Mr. Pipat graduated from Saengthong Wittaya School in Songkhla. He then earned bachelor's and master's degrees in political science from the Faculty of Political Science at Ramkhamhaeng University. Before entering politics, he managed the family fishing fleet operating in the Andaman Sea. The business was later registered on the stock exchange as PTG Energy. He declared net assets of 1.185 billion baht to the National Anti-Corruption Commission.
Mr. Pipat entered politics in 1998, invited by Mr. Watana Asawam during the founding of the Mahachon Party to build a political base in the south. He served on the party's executive committee. In 2011, he joined the Bhumjaithai Party. After the 2019 election, Bhumjaithai joined the government led by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, with the Palang Pracharath Party as the main coalition. This allowed Mr. Pipat to become a minister for the first time as Minister of Tourism and Sports.
In 2021, Bhumjaithai appointed him deputy party leader and head of the candidate selection committee for the House of Representatives. When the Pheu Thai Party formed a government with Bhumjaithai as a coalition partner, a notable incident occurred: after a joint press conference announcing the government formation, Bhumjaithai leaders, including Mr. Pipat, were blocked from leaving the building by Ms. Netiporn Sanesangkhom, known as Bung Taluwang, and her group. They protested Pheu Thai's cancellation of the MOU with the Move Forward Party, using harsh language despite Mr. Pipat's efforts to calm and negotiate. This incident made front-page news nationwide. Shortly afterward, Mr. Pipat was appointed Minister of Labour in the government of Mr. Srettha Thavisin and Ms. Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
In 2025, the Constitutional Court removed Ms. Paetongtarn Shinawatra from the prime ministership. Bhumjaithai, along with some coalition partners like the Kla Party, led the formation of a new minority government. With support from the People's Party, Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Bhumjaithai leader, became prime minister through an MOA. Mr. Pipat was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport.
Most recently, in the Anutin Cabinet 2 era, after Bhumjaithai’s landslide victory securing 192 seats, Mr. Pipat was again assigned to the Ministry of Transport. However, he no longer holds the Deputy Prime Minister position due to the party allocating quota to three external ministers.
