Anutin toured Bangkok's Bang Sue Grand Station and Mo Chit Bus Terminal to assist citizens returning home for Songkran. He encountered a child who asked why fuel prices were high; he replied they had already decreased today. He plans to patrol using a car during the Songkran holidays and stressed that fuel will be available as usual during the holiday period. Tags: [Prime Minister, Songkran, fuel prices, transportation, Bang Sue Station, Mo Chit Terminal]
At 15:20 at Bang Sue Grand Station, Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, inspected preparations for citizens returning home during the Songkran festival. Accompanying him were Mrs. Thanon Charnvirakul, wife of Minister to the Prime Minister's Office Pradorn Prisana-nantakul, Deputy Minister of Transport Siripong Angkasuklek, Deputy Minister of Transport Sanphet Boonyamanee, and Prime Minister's Secretary-General Traisulee Traisoranakul. Upon arrival, he performed a water blessing ceremony at a Buddha statue set up for Songkran and then greeted citizens waiting to board trains home. At one point, a citizen asked for a photo; Anutin asked where they were going, and the reply was "returning to Hat Yai; my child brought me to cheer me up because of severe flooding." Anutin inquired if they had received flood compensation; the citizen said yes and thanked the Prime Minister, to which Anutin responded that no amount of money could fully compensate for the damage.Tags: [Prime Minister, Songkran, flood compensation, citizen interaction, Bang Sue Station]
Afterward, Anutin proceeded to platform number 8 to greet passengers traveling by second-class air-conditioned seats and sleepers on the Bangkok Grand Station to Padang Besar route. He entered the third carriage and remarked that he encountered real issues but the air conditioning was not working. He urged the State Railway of Thailand to address the problem.Tags: [Prime Minister, railway inspection, passenger service, air conditioning issue]
The Prime Minister then opened the train logbook, signing his name on its cover. He entered the train driver's cabin to talk and tried sitting in the driver's seat. While exiting the carriage, a child asked why fuel prices were so high. Anutin patted the child's head and replied that prices had dropped by 4 baht already. He then inspected the SRT locomotive to check its readiness before departure.Tags: [Prime Minister, train inspection, fuel prices, SRT locomotive]
Anutin commented on his visit, saying the overall situation was orderly, with sufficient ticketing and train services. One train had air conditioning problems being repaired; if not fixed, it could not operate due to the long journey to Padang Besar. He noted that many travelers seemed happy to return home to relax with family and travel across northern, northeastern, and southern regions. When asked about his conversation with Hat Yai residents, Anutin said his first question was whether they had received flood compensation. He emphasized the need to prevent flooding rather than just compensating after the fact and stressed proper preparation. During the holidays, he plans to travel by car to observe and inspect. Last year, he visited Ayutthaya Province, stopping along the way. Since today is April 11, he intends to spend time ensuring smooth operations and encouraging staff at public service centers until April 16. When asked if he would conduct random inspections of gas stations, he said this was a goal but saw no major concerns and confirmed fuel supplies should be sufficient.Tags: [Prime Minister, Songkran travel, flood compensation, transportation readiness, fuel supply]
When asked again if fuel prices would remain stable during Songkran, Anutin said monitoring occurs daily because holidays are only observed in Thailand; other countries continue working normally. The Ministry of Energy continues to monitor the situation, with the main factor being Middle East conflicts. Thailand is not directly involved but must monitor carefully. He reminded the public that the situation is not normal, but efforts are made to ensure citizens' happiness is unaffected. After Songkran, measures will be needed to maintain normal operations so production industries can continue without disruption. Transportation and goods movement systems will also be kept as normal as possible. Regarding the recent 6-baht price drop, he said this aligns with global market mechanisms: prices rise and fall accordingly. Control focuses on oil fund subsidies. He thanked the public for cooperation in reducing usage, which lowered daily subsidies from nearly 2.5 billion baht to 300–400 million baht—a significant reduction. Any controllable factors will be used to immediately benefit the public.Tags: [Prime Minister, fuel price monitoring, energy ministry, market mechanisms, oil subsidies, Songkran]
The reporter noted that the Prime Minister then drove an electric car to Mo Chit Bus Terminal to greet and assist citizens traveling home. He was accompanied by his wife and entourage.Tags: [Prime Minister, electric vehicle, Mo Chit Bus Terminal, citizen assistance, Songkran]
