Anutin Defends Birthday Visit to Newin Amid Opposition Criticism

At 1:15 p.m. on October 5, 2026, at Government House, Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister and Interior Minister, explained that he goes every year to Newin Chidchob's 68th birthday celebration, which includes religious and local rituals known as pakak chang, and that the two treat each other like brothers. He said Newin wished him to serve two more terms as prime minister, to which Anutin replied he is bored, laughing and calling it brotherly banter, adding that Newin gave no advice. When pressed whether he truly feels bored, Anutin laughed and did not answer. Responding to accusations that the opposition is using his Newin birthday visit to attack him, Anutin said there is no issue, that people with too much time just invent nonsense, and noted he has attended the birthday since he can remember because it is a family matter. Regarding criticism of his attire—a football shirt bearing a beverage logo—while visiting flood‑hit Prachin Buri, Anutin retorted, "Are they looking for trouble?" before laughing and questioning why reporters do not ask about politicians who enter parliament without suits and ties. On the flood‑relief debate about helping oneself before pets, Anutin cut off the question, refusing to comment. When asked about local disputes over water drainage, Anutin said he was unaware; his only directive is that there be no conflict and no reports of conflict in the area, adding that water management falls to the provincial governor as incident commander, who reports to the Permanent Secretary of the Interior Ministry. He stressed that, by law, if an area is declared a disaster zone, overall authority rests with the Interior Minister (himself), and the governor can direct all provincial agencies, making the incident commander responsible for any conflict. Concerning the 4.7‑billion‑baht flood relief budget that some say may be insufficient, Anutin insisted it must be enough because it is leftover from the mid‑year 2026 budget, which he understands will be returned to the treasury to repay over 2,000 million baht of debt. He added that, given the flood, debt repayment must be re‑examined in the 2027 budget, and if needed funds will be drawn from that year’s allocation; preliminary checks show the amount should still suffice. Today he urged relevant agencies to speed up verification of eligible recipients for relief payments, without waiting for water to recede or for full provincial or regional assessments, because the budget has already been approved and people are suffering.