MDES Permanent Secretary Clarifies TH-AI Passport Data Request
MDES official addresses committee's request for historical TH-AI Passport documents, citing irrelevant files and ongoing contract reviews.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- MDES addresses parliament committee's request for historical TH-AI Passport records
- Official notes that some requested documents are irrelevant to contract damage assessment
- Ministry confirms willingness to share relevant files while protecting state interests
- Revised contract draft has successfully passed review by the Office of the Attorney General
Mr. Patchara, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES), addressed a parliamentary committee regarding their request for historical documentation concerning the TH-AI Passport project. He stated that the requested files require substantial time to retrieve, and several portions are unrelated to the evaluation of project damages or the actual contract terms.
The Office of the National Digital Economy and Society Commission (ONDE) is currently reviewing the documents to identify and release those relevant to the inquiry. However, the ministry raised questions regarding the necessity of requesting files that fall outside the scope of the project agreement.
Legislative oversight of state projects is a fundamental part of democratic accountability. Nevertheless, broad requests for historical data spanning back to a fund's inception often impose heavy administrative burdens on government agencies, highlighting the challenge of balancing transparency with operational efficiency.
According to Mr. Patchara, the committee's requests are exceptionally voluminous, often encompassing around 30 distinct items per request, where a single item can equate to an entire major folder or file. Furthermore, the committee requested all project data from the Digital Economy Development Fund dating back to its establishment, following up on the matter three to four times.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
"If any documents are relevant, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society is more than willing to hand them over. However, if any documents are irrelevant and could impact government benefits, the ministry reserves the right to review them further. We are uncertain of the objective behind requesting various unrelated documents, which is considered unusual," Mr. Patchara stated.
Addressing the revision of the TH-AI Passport project contract, Mr. Patchara affirmed that project operations have not been halted. Instead, the ministry awaited the Office of the Attorney General to review and amend the standard contract draft, specifically negotiating unclear details and updating general agreements (GGA) from their previous format.
The contract draft has now cleared the Attorney General's review and is being examined by the ONDE inspection committee. If the committee deems it appropriate with no disadvantage to the government or the public, the project will proceed as planned.
Source: Matichon Politics
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