Korn Chatikavanich, Deputy Leader of the Democrat Party, urged the government to stop delaying and to use legal authority to resolve the issue of refinery profits. He criticized attempts to buy time and called for a swift verification of the true refining margins.
On 4 April 2026, Korn Chatikavanich, Deputy Leader of the Democrat Party, posted on his personal Facebook calling on the government to show sincerity and seriousness in addressing citizens’ livelihoods, especially concerning the unusually high oil refining margin differences. He emphasized that the government must use legal authority instead of "requesting donations" to ensure transparency and fairness according to good governance principles.
Korn stated that currently, people are facing a cost-of-living crisis due to refining margins sometimes surging as high as 17 baht per liter. The government has appointed a committee to study the appropriateness of fuel pricing costs (the committee) to investigate this issue. He stressed that if the committee finds that refineries are making excessive profits, the government must courageously use state power to enforce the law properly.
“The government should stop delaying and asking for donations from refineries.” He also warned that using voluntary cooperation without legal backing not only shows a lack of seriousness but also undermines the governance principles of the refineries, which are publicly listed companies, potentially leading to shareholder lawsuits.
Exposing the old 2022 strategy: promised 24 billion baht but paid only a few hundred million.
Korn recalled lessons from 2022 to warn Mr. Aekniti Nitithanprapas, then-chairman of the committee, not to repeat the time-buying strategy previously used by the energy minister and operators. Back then, refineries agreed to donate a total of 24 billion baht (8 billion baht per month for three months), but in reality, only a few hundred million baht were paid by some companies, and the issue faded away without a genuine correction of the flawed pricing structure.
The Democrat Party, through Korn Chatikavanich, affirmed that clarity and transparency are essential for fairness to all parties. Society deserves to know whether the current price structure is indeed flawed.
“The public awaits serious and transparent action. Do not use delay tactics to wait out the pressure. The government must adhere to good governance and proper laws to ensure fairness for businesses and, most importantly, to alleviate the suffering of the people.”