Bhumjaithai MPs Halt Idear Probe, Accuse Rom of Power Abuse
Bhumjaithai MPs led by Supachai Jaisamut disrupted a House Committee meeting on October 7, 2026, blocking an inquiry into Idear and her husband and accusing chairman Rangsiman Rom of arbitrarily using his special authority without a consensus vote. The committee was discussing legal measures related to online gambling bribery, anti‑money‑laundering and digital asset regulations, with several agencies and MPs invited to brief. The clash resulted in the chairman muting the protesting MP’s microphone after a heated debate over procedural compliance.
At 09:30 on October 7, 2026, the House Committee on Law, Justice and Human Rights convened at Parliament, with Rangsiman Rom, a party‑list MP and deputy leader of the People’s Party, presiding. Rom announced the agenda, which included studying proactive legal policy and monitoring the implementation of laws concerning bribery allegations in the online gambling crackdown, anti‑money‑laundering measures and regulations governing digital asset businesses. The Prime Minister had delegated the Royal Thai Police to brief the committee. Also invited were Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiyachon Chidchob, the Central Investigation Bureau, the Technology Crime Suppression Division, the National Anti‑Corruption Commission, the Anti‑Money Laundering Office, the Stock Exchange of Thailand, and MP Suchada Sang Thong of Chaiyaphum Province (Bhumjaithai Party) and her husband to provide clarification, although the committee had not been notified whether they would attend.
Before the agenda proceeded, Bhumjaithai party‑list MP Supachai Jaisamut raised a protest, saying he had sent a letter to all committee members expressing support and objection to the chairman’s conduct, arguing that some matters were being considered without following the rules or obtaining a meeting resolution, despite the committee’s multi‑party composition. He claimed the chairman was exercising special powers unilaterally, acting arbitrarily, and warned that the country was being run according to the chairman’s whims rather than by consensus, citing the unresolved 40‑million‑baht bribe case as an example. He urged the chair to act with dignity and to return the matter to proper procedure, including the case of Suchada Sang Thong.
Rom asked Supachai to sum up his points so the meeting could move forward, but Supachai continued, saying the chair was not allowing him to speak about the impact of the chair’s actions. Rom then muted Supachai’s microphone, noting he had already given him several minutes to speak before permitting him to continue.
Another Bhumjaithai MP, Natthawut Prasertsawat of Suphan Buri, backed Supachai’s objections, as did other Bhumjaithai committee members. Rom tried to return to the scheduled agenda, but Supachai kept objecting that the chair could not proceed because the meeting was not in accordance with the rules and had not secured a resolution, while Rom persisted in steering the meeting back to the agenda, leading to a heated exchange.
