'Thaeng' Urges 'Anutin' to Review Issue of Privy Councilors Attending Disaster Board Meetings

At 9:30 AM on May 21, 2025, at Parliament, Nattapong Ruengpanya, a Pheu Thai party list MP and party leader, commented on the role of privy councilors and the executive branch's participation in a meeting with the National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Commission on May 19. He stated that he and the Pheu Thai party have concerns about this matter, noting that the Prime Minister's actions may be inappropriate. Multiple parties have expressed that this type of meeting format with privy councilor participation has been conducted for years.

Nattapong said they need to clarify principles first, and this question should be directed to Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul regarding whether his actions are correct. "This is an incorrect principle. I don't believe that something incorrect from the past should be continued just because it was done during the National Council for Peace and Order era. I hope to see better improvements in the Prime Minister's work," Nattapong stated.

When asked why the Pheu Thai party used the term "order" rather than "observation" or "suggestion" as reported about the privy councilors' role, Nattapong explained that they must be cautious of public perception. The Prime Minister has a duty to prevent society from criticizing the practice as having been approved.

Nattapong further noted that the appearance of privy councilors attending the meeting could create such criticism, and it is the Prime Minister's direct responsibility to prevent such imagery from being broadcast. He stated that Pheu Thai will use various platforms, including today's press conference, to communicate directly with the Prime Minister.

When asked if Pheu Thai would implement corrections if they became government, Nattapong said the Prime Minister could already make such decisions. If he or a Pheu Thai representative were Prime Minister, they would establish appropriate roles.

Regarding whether Pheu Thai only recently learned of these meetings dating back to 2017, Nattapong clarified they did not just learn about them, but during the National Council for Peace and Order era, it may not have received attention. However, since the current Prime Minister constantly claims readiness to follow the people's will and advance democracy, he should understand this principle better. "If something was wrong in the past, it shouldn't be used as an excuse to continue it. This is a principle everyone agrees on," Nattapong said.

When asked about legal concerns, Nattapong said this issue doesn't affect the legal case involving 44 MPs and article 112 amendments, but rather concerns principles of governance. He emphasized that as representatives, they have a duty to voice concerns if they see something wrong, despite potential legal risks.