Dr Somkiat denies rumours of joining People’s Party as economic chief or transport minister
TDRI president Dr Somkiat Tangkitvanich dismisses rumours linking him to senior roles in the People’s Party, calling the claims baseless and “entertainment news.”
Dr Somkiat Tangkitvanich, President of the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), has denied rumours claiming he is poised to become the head of the economic team or the transport minister for the People’s Party, insisting the reports are entirely unfounded.
Posting on his Facebook page “Somkiat Tangkitvanich,” Dr Somkiat addressed friends and followers, writing:
“Even though it’s not April Fools’ Day, some ‘entertainment news’ has emerged over the past couple of days—one source claims I will head the economic team, while another says I will be the transport minister for the orange party. Some friends have asked me about it, so let me say clearly: the rumours have absolutely no basis.”
He suggested the rumours may have stemmed from his participation as an external speaker this afternoon at the People’s Party’s “Recharge the People” forum, where he was invited to discuss solutions to revitalise Thailand’s economy.
Dr Somkiat added humorously that another political party had also invited him recently to speak on anti-corruption policy, but he was unable to attend due to prior commitments.
“Had I gone, perhaps I would have become another ‘minister-in-waiting’ as well,” he joked.
He emphasised that as long as he remains an executive of TDRI, he is bound to maintain the organisation’s political neutrality.
“TDRI must remain neutral to maintain public trust. Our work is to provide data-driven, unbiased policy analysis to any political party or government. That is our role as a policy research institute.”
