NBTC chairman Dr. Sarana disqualified by selection committee

The selection committee of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has voted unanimously to disqualify Dr. Sarana Boonbaichaiyapruck as chairman of the NBTC, Thailand’s broadcasting and telecom regulator.

Wisanu Warungu, secretary of the selection committee, told the media today that the committee found Dr. Sarana does not meet the qualifications specified in Section 8 (2) of the Telecommunications Act and has acquiesced to having no right to hold his post at the NBTC.

Prior to the selection committee’s ruling today, Dr. Supat Hasuwannakit, an advisor to the House Committee on Political Development, Mass Media and Public Participation, delivered a file of documents to a member of the selection committee.

Dr. Supat told the media that the file contains evidence of Dr. Sarana’s tax returns for payments he received from Mahidol University while serving as a temporary employee in 2018.

He said that the purported evidence is proof that Dr. Sarana was still a doctor at Ramathibodi Hospital of Mahidol University while serving as the NBTC chairman, adding that there is also evidence that Dr. Sarana provided treatment to his regular patients at Samitivej Hospital every Monday and Thursday and at Rama 9 Hospital every Saturday.

Moreover, he claimed that Dr. Sarana was selected as an independent member of the board of Bangkok Bank, before his appointment as NBTC chairman, and did not resign voluntarily, but instead, sought a ruling from the Council of State about whether he could hold the two posts concurrently.

He eventually withdrew his petition from the Council of State, said Dr. Supat.