Thai PBS Verify found this piece of misinformation from: Facebook
An image of Phumtham Wechayachai with a caption that reads “Phumtham says he means business this time. If entrusted by the Prime Minister to oversee Defense, there will be no backing down and no negotiations. Ready to take full-scale action. Phumtham Wechayachai, former Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister.”
Thai PBS Verify found the post in a Facebook group called “Mam Po Dum (แหม่ม โพธิ์ดำ)” featuring an image of Mr. Phumtham Wechayachai, former Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister. The caption reads: “Phumtham says he means business this time. If entrusted by the Prime Minister to oversee Defense, there will be no backing down and no negotiations. Ready to take full-scale action.” Additionally, the image includes an overlay stating: “If he takes control of Defense, Cambodia should be worried. They’ll face the real deal. Big actions for Thai people.”
This post gained 548 reactions and 588 comments.
What are Phumtham’s recent activities?
– February 13, 2026: Pheu Thai Party accepted an invitation to join a government coalition with Bhumjaithai Party. Mr. Yodchanan Wongsawat, the party’s prime ministerial candidate, alongside Mr. Phumtham, Mr. Suriya Jungrungreangkit, and Mr. Prasert Jantararuangtong, held a joint press conference following the coalition negotiations. During the briefing, two key representatives provided clarifications.
Mr. Yoschanan expressed his gratitude to Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul for the invitation to negotiate and emphasized that, as party leader, he had pledged to participate in every round of talks and was attending in person that day. Meanwhile, Mr. Prasert, in his capacity as Party Secretary-General, confirmed that Pheu Thai was ready to support Bhumjaithai in forming the government and arrived to congratulate them on their electoral success. When asked by reporters whether cabinet portfolios had been discussed, Mr. Anutin stated that there was still plenty of time for further discussions.
– February 15, 2026: Mr. Phumtham posted on his personal Facebook page to reaffirm Pheu Thai’s stance on joining the Bhumjaithai-led coalition. He stated that the decision was made to use executive power to address public grievances and improve citizens’ quality of life, rather than as a matter of political pride. He pointed out that being part of the executive branch allows the party to translate policies into tangible results across the economy, livelihoods, and social issues.
He concluded by reiterating the party’s slogan that “Power” exists to make people’s lives better, and the voice of the people will serve as the compass for all decisions. Furthermore, a thorough investigation found no evidence of any statements or social media posts suggesting that he “means business this time,” or that there would be “no backing down and no negotiations” with a readiness to “take full-scale action” should he be entrusted by the Prime Minister to oversee the Ministry of Defense.
Where did the alleged image of Phumtham originate?
After conducting an image search with Google Lens, Thai PBS Verify found that the image in the post matches a broadcast from Voice TV. The original footage covered a “Special Thailand-Cambodia Bilateral Summit.”
In the actual clip, Mr. Phumtham Wechayachai, in his capacity as the then-Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, was briefing the press on the summit’s outcomes. According to the report dated July 28, 2025, Mr. Phumtham stated:
“The ceasefire negotiations between Thailand and Cambodia were conducted by ‘Team Thailand’ under international coordination. Malaysia served as the host, with Anwar Ibrahim acting as the mediator alongside observers from the United States, China, and ASEAN. The meeting reached a consensus for a joint ceasefire effective by midnight to prevent further casualties among over 160,000 civilians. It was affirmed that this agreement does not affect national sovereignty or territorial boundaries, and there were no discussions regarding mapping or the reopening of border checkpoints. Subsequently, the military wings of both nations will negotiate operational details through the General Border Committee (GBC) mechanism. All parties regard the outcome as satisfactory in de-escalating tensions.”
A comparison between the image used in the viral post (left) and the original footage from the Special Thailand-Cambodia Bilateral Summit (right)
Phumtham clarifies “take drastic action against Cambodia” post is fake news
Subsequently, on February 18, 2026, the official Facebook page of former Deputy Prime Minister “Phumtham Wechayachai ” issued a statement that the circulating claims regarding his intent to “take drastic action against Cambodia” upon overseeing the Ministry of Defense were entirely fake news.
The statement clarified that while Pheu Thai Party had been approached by Bhumjaithai Party, as leading party in forming a government, to seek coalition support, there have been no discussions concerning ministerial portfolios or the allocation of ministries. This is because election results have not yet been officially certified, and the final government structure remains unconfirmed. Furthermore, he emphasized that the dissemination of such claims constitutes false information intended to mislead the public. He urged citizens to refrain from sharing the post and warned that the source of the misinformation would face legal action.
Phumtham Wechayachai’s Facebook page clarified that the claims regarding his intent to “take drastic action against Cambodia” if appointed Defense Minister were fake news.
What are the facts?
Thai PBS Verify’s investigation reveals that the post in question surfaced around February 17, 2026. This timeframe coincided with Pheu Thai Party’s coalition discussion with Bhumjaithai Party to form a government. The circulation of such claims was likely exacerbated by Mr. Phumtham Wechayachai’s previous tenure as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense during the administration of former Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
Regarding the 2026 General Election, Mr. Phumtham’s official Facebook page issued a formal statement that the reports alleging he would “take drastic action against Cambodia,” if appointed to the Defense portfolio, were entirely false. He emphasized that no discussions regarding ministerial seat allocations had taken place, as the election results have yet to be officially certified. He also urged the public to refrain from disseminating this misinformation and confirmed that legal action was being prepared against the original distributors of the post.
