The opposition People’s Party (PP) has submitted a motion calling for improvements to parliamentary meeting procedures and food services for MPs during late-night sessions, saying lawmakers are often left without food when debates run into the night.
Pongsoranat Thonglee, a PP MP for Bangkok, said on Tuesday the party filed the motion after receiving numerous complaints about House proceedings since the current 27th parliament opened.
He said MPs had previously been allowed greater freedom to debate, but discretionary controls imposed by the House speaker and deputy speakers had increasingly restricted their right to speak. The motion seeks clearer guidelines for House leaders to ensure fairer and more consistent management of proceedings.
Bangkok MP Phanthil Nuamcherm said House Speaker Sophon Zaram had failed to demonstrate neutrality on several issues. He also criticised restrictions on presentation slides used during debates, saying the parliamentary audiovisual team had sometimes censored or blurred material submitted an hour in advance.
Mr Phanthil questioned whether the restrictions had been ordered by the deputy speaker responsible for reviewing the material, arguing that MPs should be able to use visual aids to raise issues of public concern.
He also highlighted the lack of food during late-night sessions, saying MPs had sometimes debated until midnight with no food available after nearby convenience stores closed.
“We debated until midnight yesterday and had nothing to eat. The convenience stores close at 8pm. Many MPs have stomach problems,” Mr Phanthil said, adding that he was willing to pay 300 to 500 baht himself for food to be available at night.
All 499 fellow MPs would welcome such a service and were willing to pay for it, he said.