Bangkok: The Prime Minister took Thammanat to pay respects to the Narasingh statue on the balcony of the Thai Khu Fah building after previously refusing to give media interviews regarding the Ben Smith issue. At 4:15 p.m., after the 1/2025 meeting of the Natural Disaster Management Committee (NDMC), Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, Anutin Charnvirakul, accompanied Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Captain Thammanat Prompao to pay respects to the replica of the Narasingha statue on the balcony in front of the Thai Khu Fa building.

According to Thai News Agency, previously, Colonel Thammanat declined to give media interviews after the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) meeting regarding the assignment of Thanadol Wannarit, advisor to the Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, to file a defamation lawsuit against Rangsiman Rome, a party-list MP for the Prachachon Party, at the Ratchada Criminal Court. He is also seeking 100 million baht in civil damages for his alleged involvement in a call center operation by foreign businessman Benjamin Mauerberger. He briefly stated that he requested an interview with the Prime Minister.