"Ramadan" exposes phantom personnel budget in the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), questioning the committee on whether retrospective audits have been conducted. Meanwhile, "Ice" criticizes the purchase of flashlights without official quotations.
On 7 Sep 2026 GMT+7, during the afternoon session of the House of Representatives, the discussion moved to Section 7 concerning the Prime Minister's Office budget totaling 23,968,021,600 baht. MPs from the People's Party heavily criticized the ISOC budget. Mr. Ramadan Panjor, a party list MP from the People's Party, debated that the order dated 10 Nov 2025 regarding the certification of double service time for ISOC personnel and workers was part of efforts to address phantom personnel issues and prevent corruption exploiting the double-counting of service days. Although the order banned pre-submitted commands and capped personnel quotas, and the Army Chief instructed inspections in the southern border provinces around Apr 2026—commendable efforts—when the ISOC budget came to parliament, a budget amendment to reclaim 1,052 million baht was approved by the cabinet but rejected by the committee. He questioned whether the reduced amount resulted from identifying phantom personnel and if retrospective audits would be conducted to recover funds. If not, he asked why ISOC restored the full amount through amendments. Consequently, he proposed a 1% budget cut for ISOC in this regard.
"Ice" criticizes flashlight purchase without official quotations.
Ms. Rakchanok Srinok, a party list MP from the People's Party, rose to debate a 10% reduction of the Budget Bureau's allocation, citing findings from the subcommittee about several projects lacking detailed specifications, brand names, or purchase details in quotations. For example, a climate change data enhancement project worth tens of millions lacked specifics. Another ISOC project requested flashlights at 5,600 baht each without any quotation or brand/model details. When it came to ISOC, the government-side committee appeared to let these pass with only ceremonial budget cuts despite missing details. Some projects had quotations from different companies but listed the same project manager and contact number. She questioned how these were allowed.
Royal Rainmaking Department requests quotation from dormant company.
Ms. Rakchanok added there were quotations from dormant companies—firms without budgets or financial activity in 2025 and the current year—submitted for the Royal Rainmaking Department's radar purchase project. She questioned how the Budget Bureau approved such projects. Nowadays, agencies submit documents to the subcommittee via QR codes, which link to folders rather than documents. While scanning QR codes reveals many review details, some agencies like the Ministry of Defence Permanent Secretary's Office and the Royal Thai Police affixed QR codes that, once scanned, show data but then are deleted after the session. She questioned how such procedures were allowed. She concluded that effective agencies combating corruption must start with the Budget Bureau and urged the new director to ensure the budget process is transparent.