PM seeks Royal Command to remove NBTC chairman

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said today that he had signed an official letter seeking a Royal Command to remove National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) chairman Dr Sarana Boonbaichaiyapruck from office due to his disqualification.

He said he had acted in accordance with the law, adding that as the NBTC is an independent organisation, the government could not directly interfere with or supervise its operations.

Meanwhile, the NBTC board meeting scheduled for today failed to start for the fourth consecutive time after board members Prof Dr Pirongrong Ramasoota, Air Marshal Dr Thanapant Raicharoen and Assoc Prof Dr Supat Suphachalasai walked out immediately after Sarana entered the meeting room.

After the walkout, Pirongrong told the media that the three board members had attended the meeting to convey that they were ready to perform their duties as normal but could not sit in the same room with someone who had no legal status to attend the meeting.

She insisted that the three had no intention of playing games, saying they simply could not attend a meeting with someone who had been disqualified.

Earlier, the selection committee had disqualified Sarana as NBTC chairman, but he refused to accept the ruling and filed a challenge with the Administrative Court, which refused to accept the case.

Nonetheless, the embattled NBTC chairman has repeatedly refused to step down, maintaining that he remains chairman unless and until a Royal Command is issued ordering his removal.