PM Anutin: Replace Deputy PM Supichai and I Must Go
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul publicly defended Deputy Prime Minister Supichai Sutthamphandhu against reshuffle rumors, declaring she is a core pillar of his government. He stated that he personally recruited her for the cabinet and that removing her would necessitate his own removal. Anutin dismissed further questions on the matter, calling the speculation inappropriate.
At 12:25 p.m. on October 22, 2026, at Government House, Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul addressed rumors that Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Supichai Sutthamphandhu would be replaced. "If you change Supichai, change Anutin, so there's no need to ask further," Anutin stated. He said such questions are inappropriate, noting that even when he was a deputy minister, media speculation about imminent reshuffles was constant, yet everyone regarded those ministers as hard workers. Supichai, he emphasized, is a core member of his government — one of its pillars. He personally asked her to join his first administration and stayed on as Deputy PM and Commerce Minister in the second to oversee domestic trade, commerce, and the industrial economy. "She didn't ask me for a position; I asked her to be a minister. Therefore, if you change Supichai, you change the Prime Minister," Anutin said. When asked if the rumors were fake news, the premier replied he had already answered definitively. Asked whether Supichai had sought clarification, Anutin said the senior politician did not ask and remains confident in herself.
