Akkharadej refuted claims that Thailand is harmed by the lack of Prachachon Party representatives at the AIPA meeting, pointing out that the Secretariat staff have fully prepared necessary information. He emphasized that the achievements belong to "Team Thailand," not any particular party, and not to individual political groups or parties themselves. The tags are [AIPA, Thai Parliament, Political Parties, Parliamentary Delegation, Thailand, Southeast Asia].
On 13 Nov 2026 GMT+7, Akkharadej Wongpitakroj, MP for Ratchaburi from Bhumjaithai Party, addressed the issue raised by the Prachachon Party questioning whether the absence of their representatives at the 47th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) General Assembly, scheduled 16-22 Nov 2026 GMT+7 in the Philippines, would harm Thailand. He stated that attending the ASEAN parliamentary meetings is a duty of appointed members of the Thai Parliament, regardless of political party affiliation, and the work is conducted on behalf of the Thai Parliament, not any political party.
Akkharadej explained that preparing information and agenda items for the meeting does not rely solely on the individual members of parliament or senators who attend, but is an important responsibility of the Secretariat. Career officials from the International Parliamentary Organization Department of the Secretariat of the House of Representatives handle preparing data, draft resolutions, and discussion topics, ensuring the Thai delegation can continuously engage effectively in the meetings.
Because the Thai delegation involves rotating members, including both experienced and new representatives, the Secretariat’s role is vital in maintaining continuity of information and tasks, especially following up on existing draft resolutions and proposing new issues beneficial to Thailand.
Akkharadej added that for this meeting, the Secretariat has already prepared key topics including the situation in Cambodia, issues with scammer gangs, and transboundary pollution, as well as economic, social, security, and parliamentary affairs matters. Prior preparatory meetings with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have taken place to discuss and plan approaches for these topics at AIPA. Therefore, claims by the opposition that Thailand would be harmed if Prachachon Party representatives, especially Rangsiman Rome, do not attend are untrue and exaggerated beyond the facts.
He further emphasized that expressing opinions or proposing topics on the international parliamentary stage must be done on behalf of the Thai Parliament, not any political party or individual. Thus, successes from the meeting should be regarded as collective achievements of the Thai delegation, or "Team Thailand," representing the Parliament, rather than accomplishments claimed by individuals or parties.
"For example, issues like the scammers or the situation in Cambodia are already designated topics by the Secretariat for discussion. Assigning which member speaks or expresses views is an internal matter of the Thai delegation. The absence of any single member does not impede the meeting's progress or cause harm to the country," Akkharadej said. Akkharadej said.
He also noted that working in international parliamentary forums is a mission of the entire Thai Parliament. All parties must collaborate, and successes should not be claimed by any individual or political party. These successes belong to "Team Thailand" under the Parliament, aligned with the Speaker of the House’s vision for unified parliamentary duties.