"Suriya" says he wants to end the "Rachen" controversy and move On with work at the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives

Today (5 May 2026), 9:47 AM at Government House, Mr. Suriya Jungrungruangkit, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, gave an interview regarding the transfer of Mr. Rachen Silparaya, former Director-General of the Department of Royal Rainmaking and Aviation, to the position of Inspector-General of the Ministry, and whether the matter is now closed. He reiterated that he has given interviews on this matter many times before and that the transfer of Mr. Rachen was made after consultation with the Permanent Secretary and followed the correct procedures. From now on, he wants to end this matter and will move forward with the main tasks of the Ministry. He wants to push the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to respond to the economic crisis, and this requires finding people who can drive the Ministry's work forward.

When asked if he had seen Mr. Rachen's resignation letter, Mr. Suriya said he had not seen it, but he did not know if it had been sent to the Permanent Secretary. When asked if he wanted the matter to end, but society might not want it to end yet regarding the allegations of budget allocation for personal projects, Mr. Suriya stated that he had already clarified the matter but wanted to reiterate it. He explained that the issue concerning Mr. Rachen involves his nephew, Mr. Wuttiphum Chulangkul, an executive at Nok Air. Mr. Wuttiphum had been in contact with Mr. Rachen since July 2025, when Mr. Suriya was not yet at the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. Later, upon assuming the position of Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Rachen stated that Mr. Wuttiphum had attempted to contact him by phone several times. Mr. Suriya said he was unaware of this until the transfer occurred. He affirmed that his nephew's direct contact with Mr. Rachen indicates that he did not abuse his power; it followed proper procedures. Therefore, the proposed transfer of Mr. Rachen was not related to his nephew.