The NBTC board held a special meeting, appointing Supach Supachalasai as the chair to replace Dr. Sorn. Meanwhile, Phringrong revealed that when facing obstacles, holding a banana is considered a charm to make things easier.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Supach Supachalasai, NBTC board member, revealed after the special board meeting today (2 Oct 2026) at 10:30 a.m. in the 12th-floor conference room of the NBTC office that the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) convened a special board meeting inviting only six members: Mr. Torpong Selanont, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sompop Purivikrayapong, Emeritus Prof. Dr. Phringrong Ramasut, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Supach Supachalasai, Police General Dr. Nattthorn Phraesunthorn, and Air Marshal Dr. Thanaphan Raiyacharoen. Dr. Sorn Boonbaichaiyapruck, the NBTC board chair, was absent due to ongoing disputes regarding restrictions on his tenure.
At this special six-member meeting, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Supach Supachalasai was elected as the chair to replace Dr. Sorn because of his seniority. Moreover, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Supach's term will conclude by the end of 2026 due to the age limit of over 70.
This meeting did not yet address pending agenda items but focused on administrative management to determine the approach for upcoming meetings, including prioritizing agenda, procedures for raising issues, and scheduling. Subsequent NBTC board meetings are planned for 6 and 8 October 2026.
For the agendas to be considered, the meeting categorized them into three groups: issues with deadlines, longstanding pending matters, and urgent necessities, aiming to prioritize pending work before the next full board meeting.
Emeritus Prof. Dr. Phringrong raised concerns that the NBTC office and acting secretary-general did not participate to facilitate or provide administrative support during this special meeting, which may constitute neglect of duty under Section 157.
He also questioned the transparency of the independent organization, asking why the NBTC office denied reporters access to cover and record the meeting despite all board members having authorized the media to film and record.
Emeritus Prof. Dr. Phringrong stated the meeting faced obstacles from the start, as no staff attended to serve as secretary. Board members had to assign an assistant secretary-general to act instead. Additionally, Air Marshal Dr. Thanaphan, joining online, did not receive the link for the 12th-floor meeting, forcing members to create a link themselves. They faced intermittent connection problems before all six could attend. The office provided a link for a meeting on the 2nd floor, but no link was sent for the 12th-floor meeting.
Reporters noted that before the press briefing, Emeritus Prof. Dr. Phringrong brought a bunch of bananas. When asked about it, he replied, “It’s to make things easier.”
