Tawee points out technical loopholes that open the way for profit-taking in the TH-AI Passport project, noting it does not specify Token amounts and sets conditions that exclude EdTech groups and Thai entrepreneurs rather than foreign firms.
On 7 Jun 2026 GMT+7, Police Colonel Tawee Sodsong posted on Facebook about the TH-AI Passport project valued at 1.65 billion baht, overseen by the National Digital Economy and Society Commission Office (ONDE), funded by the Digital Economy and Society Development Fund. The project has drawn scrutiny, especially from several House of Representatives committees, over transparency and value for public money. A close examination comparing project details with the 2023 revolving fund report from the Comptroller General's Department reveals a serious concern: the project aims to provide 5 million Thais with free access to generative AI for one year but fails to specify or cap Token usage (the AI's processing units), which is the actual cost in computing terms. This raises risks from payments of 330 million baht per installment without Token control, potentially allowing the winning contractor to deliver only paperwork fulfilling contract terms while citizens gain no real benefit, enabling the private firm to pocket excessive profits.
Additionally, the Terms of Reference (TOR) force the contractor to bear costs for government staff care, which will ultimately be added back into the standard price the state must pay, such as:
• Foreign study trips: Compulsory organization of trips to the US or Europe for at least 10 ONDE officials (valued at 3–5 million baht) with no requirement to deliver knowledge back to the government.
• Domestic privileges: Mandatory payment for dozens of domestic flights, hotel stays, and luxury meals for officials—five per trip—throughout the project duration, effectively converting investment budgets into entertainment expenses.
Importantly, there are special conditions that appear to constitute trade barriers, such as requiring an extremely high volume of digital advertising screens—no fewer than 1,500 convenience store branches (totaling 6,000 points) and in major department stores. This excludes skilled Thai private companies and EdTech groups lacking substantial reserves from eligibility, allowing only large IT contractors to monopolize and profit from subcontracting.
Police Colonel Tawee also stated that nearly all these models belong to foreign multinational tech companies. Although these companies establish data centers in Thailand using local electricity, the main power and control remain under the jurisdiction and conditions of multinational capital groups. Spending 1.65 billion baht from the revolving fund on renting foreign AI for just one year effectively lets funds flow out of the country to certain interest groups, producing intangible structural returns in the digital economy. The future outlook from this project is that Thailand will remain controlled by others regarding AI systems at any time, with the chance of having its own AI as domestic processing infrastructure becoming merely a dream—even though this concerns national sovereignty, not just technology.