Bangkok: Suriya reiterated that the transfer of the Director-General of the Royal Rainmaking Department is not related to his nephew, stating he wants to end the matter in order to move forward with his work at the Ministry of Agriculture.

According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Suriya Jungrungruangkit, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, commented on the transfer order of Mr. Rachen Silapraya, former Director-General of the Department of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation, to the position of Inspector-General of the Ministry. He stated that he had given his opinion on this matter several times and that the transfer was made after consultation with the Permanent Secretary and following the correct procedures. He requested that this matter be resolved so that the ministry can move forward with its core mission.

When asked if he had seen Mr. Rachan's resignation letter, Mr. Suriya said he hadn't, but he didn't know if it had been sent to the Permanent Secretary.

Regarding the public's continued questions about Mr. Wuttipoom Chulangkul, the Nok Air executive, and his contact with Mr. Rachen, Mr. Suriya stated that he had already clarified the matter, but wished to reiterate it. He explained that Mr. Wuttipoom contacted Mr. Rachen back in July 2015, when Mr. Suriya was not yet in charge of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. He only learned of the attempts at contact after assuming his position. He affirmed that his nephew's direct contact with Mr. Rachen shows he did not abuse his power; it followed proper procedures. Therefore, the proposed transfer of Mr. Rachen had nothing to do with his nephew.

Regarding whether this incident will affect the progress of work at the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Mr. Suriya stated that it is clear the transfer is not related to his nephew, but rather stems from his desire to push the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to respond to the economic challenges arising from the conflict in the Middle East. Therefore, he needed to find someone who could effectively drive the ministry's work forward.

When asked whether a fact-finding committee would be formed in Mr. Rachan's case, Mr. Suriya said that if it were to be formed, it could be done without any problem. If society still has doubts, he is willing to cooperate.