The leader of the Prachachon Party sees the criticism by 'Ice' of MP Phawut not as a conflict. He believes everyone wants government budget spending to be transparent and not favor vested interests. He affirms MPs have freedom to express their opinions, even though communication can sometimes be imprecise on occasion.
At 10:50 a.m. on 18 Jul 2026 GMT+7 Mr. Natthapong Ruangpanyawut, a party-list Member of Parliament (MP) and leader of the Prachachon Party, as well as the opposition leader in the House of Representatives, gave an interview in Narathiwat Province regarding the TH-AI Passport project. In this context, MP Phawut Pongwittayaphanu, a party-list MP of the Prachachon Party, posted a message that seemed to support the project, and later Ms. Rakchanok Srinok, a party-list MP of the Prachachon Party, expressed her opinion on her personal Facebook page, raising the question whether this would become an internal party conflict. He said he does not see it as a conflict and chooses not to elaborate beyond the apology Mr. Phawut has already posted.
He believes that Mr. Phawut and other Prachachon MPs following this issue aim to ensure the government’s budget spending is as transparent as possible, and that procurement is not manipulated to benefit vested interests linked to the government. Regarding communication issues so far, he declined to comment further.
When asked if repeated instances of party members not communicating internally but instead airing views on social media might affect the party’s image, Mr. Natthapong replied that this is something they have continuously sought to understand. He reaffirmed that the core identity and fundamental principle of the Prachachon Party is that all people, including MPs, have freedom of expression. It is normal that communication may sometimes lack precision, but ultimately Mr. Phawut has tried to show that his communication did not overlook the key issue: the illegitimacy and correctness concerning the TH-AI Passport project, which involves the procurement process. .