The People's Party is gearing up to challenge the Department of Provincial Administration's order that requires the party to cease using the digital identity verification system, questioning whether there is a political "order" behind it intended to discredit them.
At 18:00 on 15 Mar 2026 GMT+7, Ms. Phakamon Noon-anun, deputy spokesperson for the People's Party, addressed the Department of Provincial Administration's announcement to revoke the party's use of the DOPA Digital ID system and the ID card data reading program. She said the party has yet to see the full official order from the department. However, if the order reported by the media is accurate, the department must clearly explain how the party's connection to the DOPA Digital ID system is related to an external attempt to breach the party's membership database to the extent that it justifies canceling their access to the system. Should the official order be confirmed, the People's Party will consider exercising its right to appeal to the department's director-general. If the appeal upholds the original order, the party will consider taking further legal action through the administrative court, as they view the order as unreasonable, inconsistent with facts, and as linking two unrelated issues.
Ms. Phakamon added that although the official order has not yet been seen, the department's public statement seems unfounded and may be perceived as discriminatory against a particular political party or organization. This raises the question of whether a political "order" might be behind the move, using a government agency as a tool to discredit the People's Party. She emphasized that the department's role should be to promote the use of the DOPA Digital ID system to reduce the need for parties to request excessive member information, which helps verify that applicants are genuine and prevents membership fraud, while ensuring that requested information complies with legal requirements.