PM suspends selection of board members for NBTC

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, in his capacity as head of the National Council for Peace and Order, on Tuesday (April 24) issued an order under Section 44 of the interim Constitution to put on hold the selection for board members of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission.

Government spokesman Lt-Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd said that, for the time being while the new board is yet to be selected, the incumbent board members will carry on performing their duties.

And if the term in office of any incumbent board members expires, the remaining board members will continue to do their jobs until there is further order from the NCPO.

The National Legislative Assembly last week shot down all the candidates for board members proposed by the selection committee on ground that the qualifications of several of them did not meet the legal requirements.

However, criticism emerged afterward that the NLA was “instructed” to reject the proposed candidate list by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

An audio clip of a man, believed to be an NLA member, saying that the prime minister was unhappy with several of the candidates was sent to the media, prompting denial from the NLA that the clip was doctored.  A probe panel was set up at the order of NLA president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai to investigate the matter.