Thawee Defends Whistleblower Status in Senate Selection Case
Democrat MP Thawee Sodsong defended whistleblower protections in the Senate selection case, claiming irregularities including the use of candidate numbers during secret voting compromised the process and should be reviewed by the Supreme Co
Police Lieutenant Colonel Thawee Sodsong, a list MP and Democrat Party leader, stated on August 1 that the state must protect Yingchip Itlaw as a whistleblower in the Senate selection case, while reaffirming his stance on defending the legislature without acting secretly and refusing to compromise on honesty. Speaking on the "Democracy Two Colors" YouTube program hosted by Athukkit Saengsuk, Thawee explained that he became a target because 138 senators jointly petitioned the Constitutional Court, accusing him of interfering in the case and raising questions about his integrity. He argued that the petition itself was dishonest because those 138 senators were under investigation but filed to block scrutiny of themselves. However, the court ruled this was not a personal matter but rather a question of whether the Election Commission had interfered, ultimately issuing a ruling that interpreted "honesty" as a matter of expectation.
Thawee highlighted irregularities in the Senate selection from the beginning, noting that while the law stipulated secret voting, the election commission used the original candidate numbers throughout the day, allowing systematic bias to affect voting outcomes. With over 200 million images from CCTV footage, he argued there was sufficient reason to believe the selection process lacked integrity and should be referred to the Supreme Court. He noted the case has two components—one with the Election Commission pending review and another with the DSI (Department of Special Investigation) that could proceed immediately, expressing confusion about the DSI's inaction despite the investigation being straightforward, requiring only courage from officials to resist informal power.
When asked about legal action against Yingchip Itlaw, the iLaw director, Thawee distinguished between two issues: the personal aspect where victims have the right to defend themselves legally without abusing state power, and the state matter where the government must protect whistleblowers to alleged corruption. Regarding accusations that he opposes the government coalition, Thawee stated he understands coalition parties but maintains his integrity as a defendant in the Constitutional Court case, asserting he has never acted secretly and maintains consistent principles on legislative authority. He stressed that the legislature must scrutinize laws before royal approval, requiring capable and knowledgeable appointees, and emphasized that the weakness lies in the legislative body itself—the Senate—calling for it to fulfill its constitutional anti-corruption mandate without being influenced by extraconstitutional power.
