The Democrat Party criticizes the handling of the Bangkok oil spill, citing confusing and contradictory information that lets perpetrators escape accountability. They advocate using oil fingerprinting, similar to human fingerprints, to identify the culprits.
On 12 Sep 2026 GMT+7 at the Democrat Party headquarters, party spokesperson Pongsakorn Kwanmuang, along with deputy spokespersons Aphimuk Chantawanich and Siripha Intawichian, jointly held a press conference addressing the contaminated oil issue in the drainage system and detailed monitoring of the oil leak incidents in Bangkok.
Pongsakorn stated that the oil leaks in Yannawa, Khlong Toei, and Phra Khanong—areas under his and Aphimuk's responsibility—showed inconsistent and uncoordinated information from various high-level officials, including Governor Chadchart Sittipunt, Industry Minister Aeknath Pompanyu, and Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, based on his on-site visits and official briefings.
"Some days they say there is no leak, only seepage; other days they claim to have found the leak, then say they haven't yet. This causes great public confusion. Having Bangkok send district officials to smell for oil is insufficient and difficult. The most urgent action is oil fingerprinting—testing the unique chemical signature of each refinery's product. Oil is like a fingerprint; lab analysis of the contaminated oil will immediately reveal which refinery it came from. Then investigators can track that company's pipeline routes. It is wrong to let oil be siphoned off without identifying the culprit, effectively allowing criminals to go unpunished," Pongsakorn explained.
The Democrat Party spokesperson urged the government to promptly establish an integrated war room, emphasizing that their proposals are not political attacks but urgent measures to seriously punish offenders civilly and criminally.
Deputy spokesperson Aphimuk Chantawanich spoke about the incident location along Chuea Phloeng Road in the Yannawa-Khlong Toei area, praising officials for quickly controlling the initial situation. However, after speaking with residents, he revealed alarming information that the community had smelled the foul odor for weeks or months until heavy rain made it unbearable, prompting them to notify community leaders to coordinate with authorities. Aphimuk presented three demands to relevant agencies:
1. Expedite identification of the exact source and leak points, specifying the volume of leaked oil, responsible agencies, and clear remedial measures for affected residents.
2. Inspect underground infrastructure and update Bangkok’s maps. Check all oil, gas, and chemical pipelines citywide, not just at the incident site, to prevent recurrence.
3. Assess and transparently warn about risks. The government must honestly inform residents in risk areas about fire hazards, vapor exposure, and contamination of drinking water. Simply stating the situation is normal is insufficient as long as leak points remain unidentified.
Deputy spokesperson Siripha Intawichian added technical and long-term prevention perspectives, noting that scientifically tracing oil sources is straightforward. Like the Navy Science Department’s investigations of smuggled oil, lab analysis can quickly determine oil formulas, which can then be matched to each company’s product in Bangkok.
Siripha further noted that pressure testing of pipelines, as Energy Ministry suggested, may be inadequate for underground pipelines over 30 years old, especially in Bangkok’s soft soil areas. Increased frequency of tests for aging pipelines is necessary.
"If the government still cannot locate the leak and assure Bangkok residents' safety, an urgent measure to consider is suspending all pipeline oil transportation in Bangkok temporarily. This should continue until pipeline owners properly provide underground pipeline blueprints to the city. Governor Chadchart has been searching blindly without blueprints, but oil companies surely know where their pipelines lie. Ministers and the governor must be sincere and clearly identify the responsible companies instead of using taxpayers’ money to pay for oil and cleanup costs in the end," Siripha stated.