Anutin Charnvirakul Irritated by Questions on Newin-Pipat Relationship

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul today (July 28) lost his cool and irritably retorted to any government critics who might probably take liberty to pry into the “family-like” relationship between de facto Bhumjaithai boss Newin Chidchob and Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Transport Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, reportedly due to mutual conflict of interest. The prime minister, who concurrently acts as interior minister and leader of the Bhumjaithai, a core of the current coalition government, told reporters in a grumpy mood at the Ministry of Interior headquarters that the “family-like” relationship between Newin and Pipat should be entirely considered nobody else’s business in the first place. “Are you living in my house? You shouldn’t have asked any question about my family affairs. How did you know we may have had any trouble to clear up between ourselves at all? Anyway, that should have been the business within my family, within my party. It’s absolutely no other people’s business to pry into,” Anutin frustratedly said to the bewildered reporters. The prime minister was responding to criticism that conflict of interest had apparently brewed between the de facto Bhumjaithai boss and the Bhumjaithai-attached deputy prime minister-cum-transport minister, with the latter having earlier downplayed the purported tension, saying Newin and he himself were already scheduled to meet each other in the provinces on the upcoming weekend. For instance, Newin allegedly manipulated to send persons whom he had personally entrusted taking charge of major agencies under the Ministry of Transport, considerably upsetting Pipat, who had run a partisan campaign in southern constituencies for the general election earlier this year. Karuna Chidchob, spouse of the de facto Bhumjaithai boss, has recently posted a message online to suggest without elaborating that “crafty, double-crossing” persons should be avoided, but Anutin apparently circumvented her rare advice to conclude that it be merely meant for government critics and not anyone among the rank and file of the largest ruling party.