Senator Premsak criticized the resolution to remove the NTC chairman as potentially unlawful, questioned why a secret meeting from four years ago was only now reversed, asked sharply whether this was child's play or not, and warned the government not to submit the matter to the King if legal disputes still exist.
On 23 July 2026 at the Parliament, Dr. Premsak Piyura, Senator and Deputy Chairman of the Senate's Information Technology, Communications, and Telecommunications Committee, issued a statement regarding the selection committee’s 4-0 resolution that Dr. Saran Boonbaichayapruk, chairman of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), is disqualified and must be removed. He observed that the process might be unlawful and could seriously impact the administration system and national confidence.
Dr. Premsak said that last week, lawyer Supawit Ayut submitted a request to the IT Committee to investigate the NTC selection committee’s actions. However, the committee has not yet reviewed the matter, awaiting the selection committee’s meeting results. Mr. Niwet Phanjaroenworakul, chairman of the ICT committee, scheduled a meeting on 23 July, where a 4-0 resolution declared Dr. Saran disqualified and removed, but it was later postponed.
Dr. Premsak said he decided to hold a press conference to present another perspective because the process appeared suspicious. Notably, Dr. Saran has served over four years and has about two years remaining, yet the selection committee hurriedly reconvened to reverse the original approval given four years ago. The same committee members who previously endorsed Dr. Saran’s nomination to the Senate changed their stance in the latest meeting, raising questions about the reasons for this reversal.
Additionally, there is the issue of quorum validity. The former Bank of Thailand governor who participated four years ago has left office, but the current governor, Wichai Ratanakorn, who did not partake in the original vote, joined the recent meeting and voted against Dr. Saran continuing in office.
Dr. Premsak believes that allowing a new individual to vote in place of the former governor may invalidate the resolution. Excluding the current governor, only three members voted, which is less than half of the seven-member committee. He questioned how the meeting could be considered legally valid under these conditions.
“We must frankly ask why the new Bank of Thailand governor was allowed to participate when he was not involved four years ago. If the quorum is incomplete, how can the resolution be legally valid?”
The deputy chairman of the IT committee also said that although he has previously criticized the NTC for ongoing internal conflicts, he did not expect the issue to escalate to the point where the original selection committee was reconvened to vote to remove the chairman. He questioned whether such actions were appropriate or akin to child's play.
Senator Premsak expressed concern that if the resolution is enforced, it could have widespread effects by establishing a precedent allowing independent bodies to recall selection committees and remove officeholders at any time amid internal disputes. This would undermine administrative stability and legal certainty, and could affect the NTC’s decisions over the past four years, including signing announcements, budget approvals, appointments, and the True-DTAC merger, potentially triggering legal challenges if the removal is interpreted as retroactive.
Dr. Premsak also addressed rumors that the matter might be submitted to Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul for royal endorsement. He urged the government to proceed with great caution, as ongoing legal controversies and questions of legitimacy could cause widespread harm if the process continues.
Finally, Dr. Premsak viewed the situation as an attempt to use extralegal processes to resolve internal conflicts within the NTC, which may contravene legal principles and Constitutional Court rulings. He called on all parties to promptly resolve the issue by adhering to the rule of law and legal correctness.