This must cause him some heartburn.

At 64, he is supposed to sit idly at home to raise his grandchildren rather than take care of key decisions which affect the well-being of the whole Thai population, all the while suffering frustration by lack of progress from the ministry which he heads.

That may explain why he acted unusually during a recent press conference.

There he was, ready to take any questions and at one point he was asked about the progress of the environmentally friendly car project - the so-called eco-car.

In his usual soft-spoken style, he did not answer the question right away but referred it to Board of Investment secretary-general Satit Charnjavanakul, who was at his side.

"You should rather ask the BoI secretary-general this question, for he knows all the details and progress of the project. I don't know anything," he said.

"Please be reminded that everything must be completed on time," he added, turning to Satit. "Please make sure that all investment criteria be known within March as planned."

Hmm, to banking reporters, this was not quite his style during the time he was working at Bangkok Bank.

Could it be because Kosit is frustrated with the slow progress of everything at the Industry Ministry? Or is it because he has been overloaded with work, particularly when pollution-control measures for Map Ta Phut need the approval of local communities while so many companies are eagerly awaiting his approval for new investment in the area?

Huge burdens can frustrate anybody, even a cool old guy.

achara_d@nationgroup.com