Thai Foreign Minister Resigns After Being Removed From Deputy Prime Minister Position

Mr. Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara

Reuters reported on April 28 that Mr. Parnpree submitted his resignation after Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin reshuffled the cabinet and removed him from his previous position as deputy prime minister.

According to the reshuffled cabinet list, Mr. Parnpree will only hold the position of foreign minister.

Regarding his decision to resign as Thailand's Foreign Minister, Mr. Parnpree told the Bangkok Post that he will proactively leave his seat on April 28.

While Mr. Parnpree was removed as deputy prime minister, new Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira was appointed to replace him. Previously, the Finance Minister position was held concurrently by Prime Minister Srettha.

Before taking office as Thailand's new Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Pichai was Chairman of Bangchak Petroleum and Energy Group from 2012 and a member of the Bank of Thailand from 2014 to 2017.

For nearly the first three months of this year, he headed the Board of Directors of the Stock Exchange of Thailand.

The Bangkok government's cabinet reshuffle comes at a time when the Thai economy faces household debt and high borrowing costs, while investment from China has slowed.

Mr Pichai is tasked with implementing Prime Minister Srettha’s agenda, including a 500 billion baht ($14 billion) distribution program for the Thai people, with each of the country’s 50 million people receiving an estimated 10,000 baht in cash to spend.

The cash handout initiative has been postponed until the end of 2024 due to a lack of funding and concerns that it could negatively impact the country's public debt situation.

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