Attention is focused on 9 a.m. today when the NTBC Selection Committee will meet to decide on the qualifications of Dr. Sornon, Chairman of the NTBC. Former Senate ICT Committee member Praphan emphasized that the Selection Committee has legal authority to make a final determination.
On 10 July 2026, Mr. Praphan Koonmee, former Senator and former Senate ICT Committee member, revealed that today at 9:00 a.m., the NTBC Selection Committee will convene to consider whether Dr. Sornon Boonbaichaiyapruk, Chairman of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NTBC), lacks the necessary qualifications. The Selection Committee may reach a decisive resolution tomorrow. Regarding Dr. Sornon's petition to the Ombudsman claiming the Selection Committee lacks authority to assess qualifications, citing the 2012 Constitutional Court ruling, Mr. Praphan clarified these are separate matters. The Constitutional Court ruling did not address final authority on qualifications. Both the Prime Minister's Secretariat and the Ombudsman referred the question to the Council of State to determine whether the NTBC Selection Committee has the power to decide on the Chairman's qualifications. The first panel of the Council of State, chaired by Mr. Meechai Ruchuphan (former Senate President), including several former senior officials and judges, concluded that the Selection Committee does have authority to adjudicate the Chairman's qualifications.
Mr. Praphan further stated that according to the Council of State's memorandum on the tenure of the NTBC chairman and members, it was reported by the Ombudsman that Dr. Sornon continued to examine and treat outpatients and inpatients, receiving hourly remuneration up to 12 April 2022. This was referenced in a confidential urgent letter from Mahidol University to the Office of the Prime Minister's Secretary, dated May 2024 (exact date unspecified). Although this was before his appointment as NTBC Chairman, it may constitute prohibited conduct under Section 8(2) and indicates he had not resigned or ceased practicing his profession within the timeframe set by the Senate President. This could imply forfeiture of appointment rights as per the strict legal presumption under Section 18, necessitating a new selection process. Therefore, it is the responsibility and authority of the existing NTBC Selection Committee to proceed under Section 16, paragraph five, together with Section 18. Since these events occurred prior to the Royal Decree appointing the Chairman, the matter remains under the jurisdiction and authority of the current Selection Committee to examine and rule on the qualifications, disqualifications, or any violations.
"The NTBC Selection Committee clearly has the authority to determine the qualifications of the NTBC Chairman, as interpreted by the Council of State. The Selection Committee members include Supreme Court judges and Constitutional Court justices, not uninformed individuals; they understand fully that they possess this authority. They have convened multiple times and certainly have the power to make such judgments."