Former Commerce Ministry Aide Questions Senior Staff Transfers
A former Commerce Ministry aide criticized the transfers of two accomplished administrators, Director-General Armon Thawethum and Ambassador Pimchanok Pittfield, to inspector positions, arguing their expertise in trade negotiations and inte
Voravong Rarmangkul, former assistant to the Commerce Minister, commented on the cabinet resolution of September 8, 2025, which approved nine senior staff appointments at the Commerce Ministry on the recommendation of Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthammapun. While offering genuine congratulations to those promoted, Rarmangkul expressed disappointment at the transfer of Director-General Armon Thawethum and Ambassador Pimchanok Pittfield to inspector positions, calling them accomplished administrators whose talents should have been better utilized.
Rarmangkul outlined Armon's career in trade negotiations, including roles as director-general of the International Trade Negotiation Department, the Trade Business Development Department, and the Intellectual Property Department. He praised her work leading the Illegal Foreign Trade and Business Problem Management Committee and her development of the Intelligence Business Analytics System (IBAS), which uses Big Data to identify nominee companies. Under Commerce Minister Pichay Naripthaphan, this work resulted in 57,739 quality-defect product cases and 873 nominee company cases worth over 15.5 billion baht in damages.
Rarmangkul also commended Ambassador Pimchanok as an exceptionally capable female executive and role model in the Commerce Ministry. He cited her contributions to the Thailand-European Free Trade Association (EFTA) trade agreement signing in Davos and her work facilitating Princess Sirindhorn's official opening of Thailand's permanent mission offices at the World Trade Organization and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva. He noted that Pimchanok's professional drive and positive demeanor made every project she worked on successful and memorable.
Rarmangkul further highlighted that Pimchanok's commitment to international diplomatic work led former Commerce Minister Pichay to coordinate with WIPO Director-General Daren Tang to propose Thai representation for senior positions on the global stage. The current cabinet subsequently nominated her as a candidate for the positions of Deputy Director-General (DDG) and Assistant Director-General (ADG) of WIPO, confirming her exceptional capability.
