Bangkok: "Rakchanok" sends her regards to "Chaiyachanok," reminds him of the TOR (Terms of Reference) and invites him to discuss the TH-AI Passport issue. "Rakchanok" sends her regards to "Chaiyachanok," reminding him of the Terms of Reference (TOR) and inviting him to discuss the TH-AI Passport issue on August 13th, after three previous missed meetings. She is also preparing to propose that the Central Investigation Bureau and the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) investigate those involved in the corruption.
According to Thai News Agency, Ms. Rakchanok Srinok, a Member of Parliament from the People's Party (list proportional representation) and a member of the House of Representatives' Committee on Budget Preparation and Monitoring, revealed the progress in the investigation of the TH-AI Passport project. She stated that the matter was included on Thursday's agenda. Originally scheduled for registration on July 15th, a contract change caused a postponement, with the new registration date uncertain. During Thursday's meeting, the committee pressed the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DE) for clarification. The committee invited Mr. Chaiyanok Chidchob, the Minister of DE, the Permanent Secretary of DE, and the team that drafted the Terms of Reference (TOR), to provide explanations. Unfortunately, this was the third time the Minister of DE had failed to attend. While it's understood that he may have many responsibilities, the committee has made several scheduling attempts, but he has not been cooperative.
On that day, the request for documents took approximately 40 minutes, with no response regarding when they would be sent. The deliberation itself took less than an hour, with a civil servant requesting to leave early. The content of the deliberation concerned the Terms of Reference (TOR), which stipulated advertising through 400 billboards nationwide, at least 6,000 convenience stores nationwide, and at least 200 shopping malls nationwide. The private company representative stated that the total cost was only 900,000 baht, which was not a crucial aspect.
This isn't about the value, but rather that it's locked into the TOR (Terms of Reference), so the contractor must meet the specifications. The attempt to deflect the issue by stating that the advertising cost only 900,000 baht is an attempt to mislead the public. I, along with Mr. Theerachart Kaotrakul, who has been following this matter, have calculated the price according to the specifications in the TOR and found that advertising of this nature would actually cost over 9,000,000 baht, clearly reflecting a price discrimination mechanism.
Then, a representative from the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society revealed some shocking information. None of the companies that submitted bids for the project specified in their technical proposals which company's display screens they would use. This is unusual because the project, which includes AI, public relations, and training, stipulates the use of at least eight world-class AI systems and the top five best-rated public relations display screens in the country. This raises the question of whether only a few contractors can undertake this project, and that these companies must own existing nationwide public relations display screen facilities.
Furthermore, the committee requested both the old and new contract documents, technical proposals, and scoring criteria. However, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DE) responded that the documents were over 700 pages long and required thorough review, citing the need to check the Personal Data Protection Act B.E. 2562 (2019) to determine whether such documents were permitted to be submitted to the committee. The committee stated that this Act does not apply to Parliament. The Ministry of DE promised to send the documents by July 24, 2026, but none have been received to date.
"Please convey my regards to Mr. Chaiyanok. If we invite you again on August 13th, I expect registration will be complete by then. We will invite you for another discussion, including the winning bidder and the company accused, to consider the matter. I respectfully invite Mr. Chaiyanok Chidchob to attend. If the agenda item is included and you are available, I urge you to use your authority as Minister. If you are truly straightforward, fearless, and transparent, please submit all the documents back to the committee. Then we can discuss the facts of what happened in this project."
Regarding the submission of the project to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), Mr. Rangsiman Rome, a party-list MP from the People's Party, advised that what government corruption cases fear most is not submitting a complaint to the NACC, which can take 2-3 years and then fade away. Instead, Mr. Rangsiman suggested filing a complaint with the Central Investigation Bureau and the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO). If the project involves corruption, bid rigging, or government misconduct, a case file will be compiled. If there is sufficient evidence, it will automatically be sent to the NACC. During the compilation of the case file, the parliamentary committee can summon the Central Investigation Bureau and AMLO to inquire about the progress.
Ms. Rakchanok further stated that the NACC (National Anti-Corruption Commission) doesn't need to wait for her to file a complaint. Given the magnitude of the case, doesn't she intend to take a proactive approach? She added that the Budget Monitoring Committee has noted the need to prosecute six agencies: the Central Investigation Bureau, the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO), the Ombudsman, the State Audit Office (SAO), and the NACC. The committee will send its observations and three meeting reports to these agencies, hoping for their cooperation and for them to work honestly and transparently.
"Rakchanok" suggests asking "Phawut" himself why he changed his stance on the TH-AI Passport issue. "I'd like to hear how he answers."
Ms. Rakchanok Srinok, a party-list MP from the People's Party, commented on the criticism leveled against Mr. Pawut Pongwitayaphanu, also a party-list MP from the People's Party, for his drastic change in stance regarding the TH-AI Passport project. When asked if there had been any discussion about why he had backed down so drastically, she replied that she didn't know the answer and suggested asking Mr. Pawut directly. Regarding the alleged deal to exchange for the Forex case, she said no one could answer that better than Mr. Pawut. She added that it's important to separate the issues: citizens who have used the project and feel it can be improved and made more worthwhile can criticize and support it. However, as a political party like the People's Party, their initial goal was to dismantle any suspicious or potentially corrupt projects with rigged specifications. Therefore, their objective has never changed; they must stop this project and its budget. While they may not ultimately achieve their goal, they w ill see it through to the end. The public can then assess and evaluate the change in stance of a political party and determine if it's unusual. The public will ultimately criticize and judge what happened.
"What those with influence and power, who control the national budget and all administrative regulations, can do is use their authority and resources-both public and private-to distort the original intent and divert public attention from corruption and rigged specifications to a discussion of cost-effectiveness. They are capable of doing this because if they discuss corruption or rigged specifications with us, they can't answer, and they have no way of explaining why the Terms of Reference (TOR) are written that way. Therefore, what the Minister of Digital Economy and Society, the Permanent Secretary, and those involved in this project want most is to discuss cost-effectiveness. Ultimately, they can change this project to make it worthwhile, worth the 1.6 billion baht. This is something they should be doing anyway, without needing criticism. But the issue of cost-effectiveness wasn't addressed from the start. The fact that they knew about this project before the TOR was finalized, and then focused solely on c ost-effectiveness, reflects why we haven't been able to solve the corruption problem in this country," Ms. Rakchanok said.
When asked whether Mr. Pawut's constant focus on cost-effectiveness would allow them to continue working together in the party, Ms. Rakchanok said that she would like to ask Mr. Pawut himself, as she also wanted to hear his answer.