Sithipol led a team to storm Parliament, signaling that only 14 days remain before the trade competition bill collapses. He urged the Cabinet to pass a resolution affirming the original draft from the 26th Parliament, hoping to eradicate monopolistic large corporations and dominant capital.
On 30 April 2026, Sithipol Wiboonthanakul, a party-list MP of the People's Party and former chairman of the special committee reviewing the trade competition bill, called on the government to show sincerity in addressing economic monopolies by swiftly passing a resolution to confirm the trade competition law draft that has undergone scrutiny by all political parties, so Parliament can promptly continue its consideration.
Sithipol pointed out that the current law has huge loopholes that allow big capitalists to prosper while the public suffers. He highlighted three main reform points: protecting small players from unfair practices by market-dominant powers crushing SMEs; closing ambiguities in the existing law that have made enforcement nearly impossible over the past decade; and addressing Thailand's flawed competition standards in the eyes of the world. Without amending this law, Thailand risks failing to meet the criteria for OECD membership in 2028.
Veerayut Kanchuchat, deputy leader of the People's Party, elaborated that this draft is the most modern "weapon" against monopolistic capital. It redefines coverage to include holding companies and venture capital to prevent their use as nominees dominating the market. It ends special privileges for state enterprises competing with private companies, placing them under a unified set of rules with no exceptions. It strengthens merger controls by enhancing the powers of the Trade Competition Commission (TCC) to oversee cross-industry mergers so consumers retain choices. It also reforms TCC board appointments to require genuine experts, not just bureaucratic representatives.
Meanwhile, MPs Ratchanok Srinok and Phawut Pongwitthayaphanu from the People's Party echoed real public grievances. They cited the mobile carrier mergers that eliminated good promotions and raised service fees, as well as the national issue of foreign online platforms sharply increasing their GP fees from 1-2% to nearly 30%, leaving Thai sellers with hardly any chance to survive.
"If the government does not pass a resolution confirming this bill by 12 May, the Prime Minister’s goal to lead Thailand into the OECD will never come true. This is a test of whether this government will side with the people or with big capital," Sithipol concluded.