A Democrat Party youth member sharply criticized the Prime Minister, challenging him to prove the southern oil quotas have drastically disappeared. He accused the government of being out of touch with ordinary people waiting in long fuel lines, topping up by the kilo, yet insisting there is no crisis.
On 25 Mar 2024, during a parliamentary session, Juree Numkaew, MP for Songkhla from the Democrat Party, fiercely debated the government’s communication on the energy crisis, saying it contrasts sharply with reality. He said it seems the government lives in a different world from people enduring the sun while queuing for fuel. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister insisted there is no oil shortage and challenged critics to visit Hat Yai, where they would see expensive plane tickets and three types of gas station conditions: kilometer-long queues, abandoned stations out of fuel, and stations temporarily closed.
Juree shared findings from his field visits revealing that oil quotas, once 10,000 liters, have dropped to only 3,000–5,000 liters, a loss the government has yet to explain. He demanded the government fulfill promises of compensation for Hat Yai residents, which remain unaddressed, worsening the oil crisis that could extend through Songkran. He concluded by mocking the Prime Minister’s previous statement that people are “getting too rich,” suggesting instead that real wealth benefits investors, not the suffering local population.