The Labor Permanent Secretary has firmly closed the door on including “Ice Rakchanok” and “Sahasawat” as advisors to the Social Security reform task force, affirming that there are sufficient experts.
On 20 Feb 2026 GMT+7, Pol. Lt. Col. Wannapong Kotcharak, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labor, disclosed after a meeting of the task force studying the reform structure of the Social Security Office (SSO) that he has ordered a study of social security models from leading countries such as Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, Sweden, and Canada to compare with Thailand’s context. The main issue is to consider whether the SSO should remain a government agency, semi-governmental, or be restructured as another form of independent organization. The next step will be drafting a Terms of Reference (TOR) to formally contract a research institute or team of experts to conduct the study.
Pol. Lt. Col. Wannapong also responded to inquiries about proposals to appoint Ms. Rakchanok Srinok (Ice) and Mr. Sahasawat Khumkong, two MPs from the People’s Party, as advisors to the task force by clearly stating, “They are not being used now, and no names have been proposed,” because the study process already includes specialized experts, making it unnecessary to bring in political representatives for this part.
Meanwhile, Ms. Kanjana Phoolkaew, Secretary-General of the Social Security Office, reported on progress regarding the public consultation on the draft regulation for Social Security Board elections, which closed on 14 Feb. She revealed that the number of comments reached a record-breaking 1,244,260, vastly exceeding previous consultations. She said that all reasons will be thoroughly analyzed to assess their alignment with principles, emphasizing that the review will be careful and not merely a matter of agreeing or disagreeing.