Bangkok: The secretary to the Minister of Agriculture explained that the transfer of civil servants was done according to suitability. Mr. Sarawut Nueangchamnong, secretary to Mr. Suriya Jungrungruangkit, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, commented on the transfer of Mr. Rachen Silapraya, Director-General of the Department of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation, to the position of Inspector-General of the Ministry. He stated that any changes to civil servant positions within any agency under the ministry must have clear reasons and justifications, including suitability for the job and consideration of various complaints, such as anonymous letters or allegations of corruption.

According to Thai News Agency, the details of Mr. Rachen's case, and which aspect it falls under, were unknown, but it was believed that the ministry had valid reasons for its actions. Some matters are still under investigation, therefore details cannot be disclosed. Regarding the issue of individuals close to the minister not answering phone calls, Mr. Sarawut viewed it as a minor matter and not a reason for the transfer. He emphasized that responding to political work means responding to the needs of the people, especially in the current challenging situation facing the agricultural sector. It is necessary to accelerate policy implementation, resulting in personnel adjustments to suit the tasks.

Regarding the claim that an individual close to the minister contacted him requesting the 2027 budget document, Mr. Sarawut stated that the request was genuine. This occurred after the Royal Decree appointing Mr. Suriya as Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives was issued. In his capacity as the minister's secretary, he was assigned to coordinate and request the budget document to verify whether the draft aligned with the current situation and if any aspects could be reduced or reviewed. He gave an example: if the original budget was allocated for flood relief, but the situation indicated an El Ni±o-like influence, it would be necessary to adjust the focus to increase and conserve water appropriately.

Mr. Sarawut further stated that, as the Minister's secretary, his duty is to coordinate between the executive branch and civil servants to ensure that operations are aligned. He admitted that he had only spoken with the former Director-General of the Royal Rainmaking Department once and had assigned him to follow up on budget information related to the rainmaking mission, which is crucial for addressing drought problems caused by the El Ni±o phenomenon.

Mr. Sarawut also addressed the case where Mr. Rachan presented records of communications from an individual claiming to be close to the minister on several occasions, stating that it is necessary to verify the chronological order of these communications to determine when they occurred. Preliminary information suggests they may have taken place sometime between 2024 and 2025, and the facts must be proven to determine whether the alleged actions took place.

Finally, Mr. Sarawut stated that he wanted the former Director-General of the Royal Rainmaking Department to review the facts, especially the issues currently being questioned. He also observed that if the claims were true, why wasn't the matter clarified earlier, but instead after the Cabinet resolution was passed? He emphasized that he did not want Mr. Rachan to resign, but that such a decision was his personal right.

Previously, Mr. Rachen presented contact records from an individual claiming to be close to the minister, indicating several requests for meetings. These included a phone call on July 16, 2025, followed by a meeting with a representative on July 22, 2025, from 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM. Further meetings were scheduled for March 30, 2026, at 4:57 PM for one minute, and again for March 31, 2026, at 10:35 AM for 54 seconds.

Then, on April 16, 2026, at 2:10 PM, there was a missed call, and on April 19, 2026, there were multiple calls: at 12:28 PM (lasting 1 minute), at 12:31 PM (lasting 16 seconds), and at 1:11 PM (lasting 55 seconds), as well as on April 24, 2026, at 10:12 AM (lasting 5 seconds). Mr. Rachen confirmed that he has recorded all the information as evidence and considers this frequent and continuous contact to be unusual behavior.