Politician Censored On Defense Budget Data In Parliament

At 11:00 AM on July 8, 2569, in parliament, Ekkarat Udomamnouy, an MP from Bangkok representing the People's Party, made a statement about information slides being censored during the fiscal year 2570 budget debate discussion. First Deputy Speaker Mallika Jiraphunvanit attended the statement.

Ekkarat explained that during the defense ministry budget debate, his team prepared dozens of slides. However, when it came time to present, parliamentary chair Mallika censored multiple pieces of information, preventing their presentation to the assembly. This raised his concerns about why such information could not be shared.

Ekkarat clarified that his statement was not intended to quarrel with anyone, but to call on parliament—a place where members should be able to present information fully—to establish clear measures and guidelines for information presentation. These included images of abandoned factories on military property, military research unit outputs published on websites, warships listed in military published reports, and terms like "minister" and "phantom soldiers," none of which should have been censored.

Ekkarat proposed establishing when members must submit slides and questioned who could guarantee information wouldn't leak to ministers before the debate. He emphasized that presenters work to prevent leaks while noting the need for standard operating procedures.

Mallika responded immediately, saying members bear personal responsibility for preventing leaks and don't need the chair's approval. She acknowledged that the incident highlighted the need for rules on slide submission timing. She noted that differing opinions existed between her office and technical staff on what could be shown, and suggested establishing clear guidelines through consultation with all relevant staff about potential issues.