"Madam Dear" criticized the 2027 budget, highlighting loopholes in the Digital Development Fund that effectively acts as a "parallel budget," and demanded that the National Digital Economy and Society Commission (NDEC) explain the "TH-AI Passport" project issue.
On 21 July 2026, during the parliamentary subcommittee meeting reviewing the 2027 fiscal year budget bill, Ms. Watanya Bunnag, a committee member, questioned and raised concerns to the NDEC about the management of the Digital Development Fund. She noted that investigations revealed the fund operating like a "parallel funding source" for the NDEC. Although primarily using government budget funds, it failed to clearly disclose its financial status and details to the committee—especially regarding the TH-AI Passport project, which had its budget cut during the normal parliamentary budget review but was later "revived" by receiving support from this fund.
She also requested that the NDEC promptly submit detailed documents including financial status reports, accumulated fund balances, lists of approved projects for 2025–2026, the 2027 budget framework, and measures to prevent the fund from approving projects already rejected by parliament or the Budget Bureau.
While Mr. Wethangkong Puangsap, NDEC Secretary-General, attempted to explain, the meeting chair interrupted and summarized Ms. Watanya’s question: "You asked whether this project had its budget requested from the Budget Bureau, which was denied, so you used the fund’s money instead. Please answer 'yes' or 'no' to conclude." The NDEC representative then briefly admitted in the meeting, "Yes, the Budget Bureau had already cut the budget."
Ms. Watanya concluded by cautioning the Digital Development Fund to be careful about approving projects previously rejected, as initial budget denial implies the project may be unsuitable or not urgently needed. Persisting in approving such projects could lead to long-term expenses for maintenance and system care, ultimately requiring taxpayers’ money again in the future.