Young lawyer seeks court ruling to end NBTC crisis

A 26-year-old lawyer, Ms Sarunporn Meesil, has sought court intervention to remove Dr Sarana Boonbaichaiyapruck as chairman of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC). Ms Sarunporn argued that Dr Sarana's continued tenure has hindered the regulator and damaged consumers and public interests. She claimed that Dr Sarana's continued presence has prevented the NBTC from conducting its statutory duties.

The lawyer identified herself as an ordinary Thai citizen and telecom service user. Dr Sarana was challenged by a Senate selection committee, which unanimously ruled that he lacked the qualifications to serve as a commissioner of the NBTC on July 17. Dr Sarana, who is a cardiologist and a temporary employee of Mahidol University, was also receiving remuneration from a premium clinic operated by a state hospital.

This led to a legal dispute, with Dr Sarana rejecting the selection committee's ruling and petitioning the Central Administrative Court to revoke the decision. Despite the court declining to hear his complaint, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul submitted a request for a royal command to dismiss Dr Sarana. The issue has caused five consecutive NBTC board meetings to fail due to a lack of quorum, with some commissioners boycotting proceedings, stating that decisions made with Dr Sarana in the chair could be overturned later, exposing the NBTC to legal action.

Ms Sarunporn argued that she is qualified to file the petition as an injured party since she is a Thai taxpayer whose taxes fund the NBTC commissioners and employees' salaries.