Rakchanok criticizes DES Permanent Secretary over document requests

Matichon•Politics•4d ago

Reader Briefing

Rakchanok Srinok, Chairperson of the Budget Monitoring Committee, announced the use of legal summons power after the DES Permanent Secretary failed to provide requested bidding documents.

•Rakchanok Srinok criticized DES Permanent Secretary Pachara Anantasilp for not providing technical proposals of 3 companies involved in the TH-AI Passport project.
•Pachara Anantasilp stated that documents could be accessed via a website and expressed confusion over the requests.
•On August 22, 2026, Rakchanok Srinok posted on Facebook that the committee resolved to use the Summoning Power Act 2025.
•The Budget Monitoring Committee seeks the documents to investigate potential collusion in the TH-AI Passport bidding process.

Overview

•Pachara Anantasilp, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, addressed the submission of the revised TH-AI Passport project contract to various committees.
•Pachara Anantasilp claimed confusion over why the committee waited for the contract when the team could access it via the website.
•Pachara Anantasilp stated that TORs and contracts would be gradually sent to the National Anti-Corruption Commission after the auditing agency accepted the case.
•On August 22, 2026, Rakchanok Srinok posted on Facebook regarding the Permanent Secretary's refusal to provide documents.
•Rakchanok Srinok stated that the technical proposals of the 3 bidding companies were requested to check for collusion.
•Rakchanok Srinok confirmed that the Budget Monitoring Committee resolved to use the Summoning Power Act 2025 to obtain the documents.
•The Budget Monitoring Committee has requested the documents three times without receiving them.

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Source: Matichon (Original)

Key Quotes

Pachara Anantasilp

"We are still confused as to why they are waiting for the contract, given that the team can click to view it on the website anytime without waiting for us to send it."

เราก็ยังงงๆว่ารอสัญญา ทั้งๆที่ให้ทีมงานกดดูจากในเว็บเมื่อไหร่ก็ได้ ไม่ต้องรอเราส่งก็ได้

Rakchanok Srinok

"The DES Permanent Secretary is pretending not to be smart, not knowing the intention of why the Budget Monitoring Committee requested the technical proposal documents of the 3 companies bidding for TH-AI Passport."

ท่านปลัดดีอีแกล้งทำเป็นไม่ฉลาด ไม่ทราบเจตนาว่า กมธ.ติดตามงบฯ ขอเอกสารข้อเสนอเชิงเทคนิค 3บริษัทที่เข้าประมูล TH-AI Passport ไปทำไม

Key Entities

Person

Pachara Anantasilp(พชร อนันตศิลป์)

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society.

Rakchanok Srinok(รักชนก ศรีนอก)

MP of the People's Party and Chairperson of the Committee to Study and Monitor Budget Administration of the House of Representatives.

Organization

Ministry of Digital Economy and Society(กระทรวงดิจิทัลเพื่อเศรษฐกิจและสังคม)ℹ️

The ministry whose Permanent Secretary is involved in the document request dispute.

Committee to Study and Monitor Budget Administration of the House of Representatives(คณะกรรมาธิการศึกษาการจัดทำและติดตามการบริหารงบประมาณ สภาผู้แทนราษฎร)

The committee requesting technical documents for the TH-AI Passport project to investigate collusion.

People's Party(พรรคประชาชน)

The political party to which Rakchanok Srinok belongs.

National Anti-Corruption Commission(ป.ป.ช.)

The agency to which Pachara Anantasilp will send TORs and contracts.

Law

Summoning Power Act 2025 (Summoning Power of the Committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate Act 2025)(พ.ร.บ.อำนาจเรียก (พระราชบัญญัติอำนาจเรียกของคณะกรรมาธิการ ของสภาผู้แทนราษฎรและวุฒิสภา พ.ศ.2568))

The law invoked by the Budget Monitoring Committee to compel the production of documents.

Policy

TH-AI Passport

A project whose bidding process and contracts are under investigation for collusion.