Phiphat has not yet appointed a new secretary for the Minister of Transport. He is waiting for Ratchapong to prove himself; if innocent, he is ready to reinstate him to the same position. He insists he does not protect wrongdoers.
On 6 July 2026 at the Government House, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, addressed the case of Ratchapong Chukaew, former secretary to the Minister of Transport, who resigned on 27 June. He was asked whether a replacement has been appointed.
Phiphat said he has not considered appointing a replacement yet because he wants to verify that Ratchapong, who submitted his resignation—which Phiphat initially tried to block but Ratchapong insisted on to proceed with the investigation—can prove his innocence. If he is ultimately innocent, how could they assign blame to him? If proven innocent, Phiphat will bring Ratchapong back to his former position. Currently, this situation has not affected the ministry’s work, as there are many capable civil servants.
When asked if the resignation was related to rumors that Ratchapong’s relative passed a local government exam, Phiphat said all aspects are involved and that it concerns facts. If corruption occurred, it is unrelated to the Ministry of Transport and is a personal matter. He does not interfere and, based on facts, he does not protect wrongdoers.