Teng Clarifies Party Membership Registration, Explains Use of ID Card Details

Teng affirmed party membership registration by entering the back of citizen ID cards, following Department of Internal Affairs procedures. He emphasized that the data is not stored in the party's database and has already sent representatives to communicate with Thissana. He questioned the purpose of such communication and denied having an 'orange IO' (information operations team). On February 16, 2024, at Ratchada Criminal Court, Nattapong Ruangpanyawut, leader of the People's Party, gave an interview about party membership registration. The party requests applicants to fill in the 'Laser ID' on the back of their citizen ID cards, alongside the 13-digit card number. He stressed that they are not collecting data that risks personal information leakage. The request for ID card back numbers follows Department of Internal Affairs guidelines to verify authenticity and ensure membership or transactions meet Election Commission requirements. When asked about potential future problems, Nattapong confidently stated they have no issues, having checked with their backend team to prevent data leakage. Regarding communication with Thissana Choonhavan, a former party member who has been critical, Nattapong said party representatives have already spoken with her. He emphasized that many of her claims are not factual and that the party only has social monitoring teams, not disinformation units.