Bangkok: The deputy secretary-general of the parliament has confirmed that the joint committee meeting did not violate any regulations. Mr. Nattakrit Wongcharoen, Deputy Secretary-General of the House of Representatives and spokesperson for the Office of the House of Representatives, addressed concerns regarding the joint meeting of the House of Representatives' Committee on Budget Preparation and Monitoring and the House of Representatives' Committee on Law, Justice, and Human Rights.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Nattakrit clarified that the meeting was not a result of any deliberation, fact-finding, or study of any matters by the standing committees as per the rules of procedure. This was in response to a request from Ms. Mallika Chiraphanwanich, First Deputy Speaker, who acted on behalf of the Speaker. The Office of the Secretary-General reported that meetings of all 35 standing committees between June 15th and June 19th were irrelevant to matters requiring Ms. Mallika's information. The joint meeting was a matter for each committee to consider according to their duties and powers, as stipulated in the House of Representatives Regulations of 2019, and was not due to the First Deputy Speaker's permission.
Mr. Nattakrit affirmed that there was no wrongdoing, emphasizing that the meeting was a joint discussion between the two committees. He noted that similar joint meetings have been conducted in the past, such as the Land Committee meeting with the State Security Committee. The aim is to facilitate those providing clarification and to maximize the committees' work benefits. The office plans to establish clear guidelines for future joint committee meetings to ensure they are conducted smoothly and consistently, avoiding any ambiguity.