Anutin said he did his best on the Rama 2 issue - whatever he does, he’s blamed for not caring or making the wrong call

On January 19, 2026, at 11:30 a.m., at government house, Prime Minister and Ministry of Interior Anutin Charnvirakul interview to the reporters at the government house about the Rama 2 road be on fire which is same area that crane collapse last week. He stated that he already did his responsibility, at of now it’s merely operating officer to terminate the contact with the contractors

Mr. Anutin said that he was not yet aware of the matter because he had just finished a Cabinet meeting. However, if this incident did in fact occur, it should have been reported to the Minister of Transport.

Initially, the agency responsible for Rama II Road is the Department of Highways. He emphasized that the government has not imposed any penalties on this contractor, because the Office of the Prime Minister is not a party to the contract. However, in his capacity as Prime Minister, he has instructed operating officers to find a way to terminate the contract with the contractor. If they fails to comply, it would constitute an offense under the relevant procedures.

When asked by reporters, in his capacity as a former engineer, for his opinion on suspicions that the fire incident may have been an intentional destruction of evidence, Mr. Anutin said that engineers must plan and supervise work carefully because safety is predominant. He added that when he worked as a supervising engineer, he once received an award for performing his duties without any injuries that lead to fatalities. He stressed that this was not due to luck, but to careful planning and attentive supervision.

Regarding the destruction of evidence, he reiterated that there was nothing that needed to be destroyed, because the evidence was the crane that collapsed, which constitutes structural engineering damage. Burning steel or burning a crane would serve no purpose.

On the issue of tourism operators calling on the government for assistance due to declining tourist numbers, Mr. Anutin stated that this is a problem affecting the public interest, including the confidence of investors and tourists who must use Rama II Road. Therefore, the government has instructed the Department of Highways and the State Railway of Thailand to proceed with contract termination.

Mr. Anutin expressed frustration over the criticism directed at him, saying that when he stated accidents can happen, he was accused of being indifferent, but when he decided to take decisive action, he was criticized for a wrong call. He emphasized that such incidents have happened repeatedly, resulting in more than 30 deaths. Therefore, he is confident that this is not a wrong call, and he believes it will lead all parties to work more intelligently and carefully, because ultimately those who suffer are the people who use the road, not the relatives of the company owners.

He also responded to allegations that his mother is the younger sister of the contractor’s owner, calling such claims “thoughtless.” He said it would be impossible, as they have been competing against each other all along, and added that the issue was drifting into unrelated matters. He urged people to focus only on issues that fall under the government’s responsibilities.

Regarding restoring confidence, Mr. Anutin said that operating officers should first succeed in terminating the contract. He reiterated that he has fully carried out his duties, and that it is now up to the implementing agencies to proceed seriously, because at present the contractor is causing damage to the government and to the country, and undermining public confidence.

He added that if no action is taken, he will continue to question Mr. Phiphat, the Minister of Transport, at weekly meetings, and if he becomes part of the opposition in the next term, he will likewise question the next Minister of Transport.

When asked whether there should be a timeline for handling this matter before handing it over to the next government, Mr. Anutin replied that he has already done his duty, and that it is up to the operational side to proceed. Regarding suspending the remaining projects of this contractor, he stated that the priority is to suspend these two projects first.

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Source of material: official media /online news