Wiroj urges the government to bravely confront criticism, viewing the crisis as caused not by mismanagement but by wartime conditions. He warns that continued bailouts by the oil fund risk repeating the Tom Yum Kung crisis and points out that the more prices are capped, the more hoarding and speculation occur.
18 Mar 2026 GMT+7 Mr. Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, Deputy Leader of the People’s Party (PChon). He commented on the oil crisis, saying we should not blame the government yet, as it is not due to mismanagement but results from the war situation involving Iran, the United States, and Israel. What must be urgently done is for the government to courageously face criticism and tell the truth to the public. This is very concerning if the government does nothing, hides the truth, and does not disclose the status of the oil fund.
When asked about Energy Minister Attaphol Rerkpiboon’s remarks on controlling expenditures on 17 March, whether the government fears criticism and therefore continues to carry this burden, Wiroj said the problem stems from war, but Thailand will inevitably be affected. Of the one million barrels of oil used daily, 57% come through the Strait of Hormuz and 42% from the United Arab Emirates, all targets in the wartime context.
“Using the oil fund money to continually bail out without telling the truth is similar to the Tom Yum Kung crisis, when reserves were used to support the baht at 25 baht per US dollar. Eventually, when support failed, the currency was allowed to float freely. Similarly, if the bailout fails, diesel prices will surge sharply, causing sudden inflation, which will persist and bring hardship to the people.”
. Wiroj emphasized his disagreement with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Pipat Ratchakitprakarn’s announcement to cap diesel prices at no more than 33 baht per liter, noting that everyone knows the true price is about 50 baht. If the oil fund supports about 20 baht of that and openly caps prices, people will hoard fuel to speculate on the price difference, knowing oil prices are likely to rise further.
Therefore, the government should not announce a fixed price cap but should state it will use the oil fund to gently support gradual price increases. When prices rise to reflect reality, people will adjust their fuel usage accordingly. The government could complement this with measures like tax incentives for companies implementing Work From Home policies to encourage reducing national fuel consumption. The government must learn from past lessons during COVID-19 to overcome this crisis together.
“Frankly, this is not the time for the government to say it can handle the situation. I am not blaming Anutin Charnvirakul, the current Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, but he must learn from past lessons, such as when he once called COVID trivial or said vaccines were fully administered, yet problems still arose.”