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Attention is turning to Monday’s Constitutional Court ruling on barcodes and QR codes on election ballots, with a former election commissioner outlining four possible outcomes, ranging from no change to a fresh general election.

The court is scheduled to read its ruling at 2pm on Monday. It accepted the case by a 6-3 majority on March 18 and has since heard evidence and examined ballot stubs, unused ballots, voter lists and other materials used in the Feb 8 election.

The case arose from complaints to the Ombudsman alleging that the codes could be used to identify voters and how they voted, potentially violating the constitutional principle of secret balloting.

Former Election Commission (EC) member Somchai Srisutthiyakorn outlined four possible outcomes in a Facebook post ahead of the ruling.

First, the court could find that the barcodes cannot be used to trace ballots to individual voters and that the ballots therefore do not violate the constitution. The election result would stand.

Second, it could find that party-list ballots can be traced to voters because each ballot number corresponds to a stub. Mr Somchai argued that voters’ identities could potentially be inferred by comparing the order in which they entered polling stations with ballots photographed during vote counting.

In that scenario, the court could find the ballot design unconstitutional but, if no actual harm can be established, instruct the EC to stop using the format without ordering a new vote.

Third, the court could rule the party-list ballots unconstitutional and order a fresh party-list vote. Fourth, it could find that the ballot design affected the election as a whole and order a new general election.

Meanwhile, former People’s Alliance for Democracy leader Sondhi Limthongkul said yesterday that even if the barcode case had a major political impact, or led to parliament’s dissolution and a new election, it might not resolve the problems he was concerned about.

Speaking during a protest outside EC headquarters, Sondhi said the broader issue was the political power structure and its links to oversight bodies and independent agencies. He argued that changing governments or holding another election would not address those concerns if existing power networks remained intact.

Sondhi made the remarks while leading supporters who submitted a petition urging the EC to investigate further alleged collusion in the 2024 Senate selection. Uniformed and plainclothes police were deployed around the EC office.

The group, calling itself “United Power of the Land: Take Thailand Back”, accused the EC of disregarding Supreme Court Election Cases Division precedents concerning structural, forensic and telephone-record evidence. It urged commissioners to review their decisions and pursue cases against all 229 people initially implicated in the investigation.

The group warned that it would take legal action against EC members if the agency failed to act. The EC has referred 77 of the 229 accused to the Supreme Court’s Election Cases Division.

As we offer much-deserved congratulations to 16-year-old Nene Royal for winning America’s Got Talent 2026, it feels like a plea also must be made. Not to the young rocker living her best life, but to those who feel compelled to appoint any Thai who has achieved international fame an ambassador of ‘Thai culture’.

It could be argued that globally recognisable Thais become representatives of this relatively low-profile nation by default, but the role cast upon them involuntarily is frequently made impossible and thankless by the Thai people themselves.

There is a reflexive urge by many here to foist all of the nation’s hopes for prominence onto anyone currently in the global spotlight, but in doing so they also set a standard for that celebrity that is usually both insurmountable and unfair.

Thai celebrities on the world stage have to be all things to all people, even if that is in competition with their particular brand of fame or their own agency. They have to absolutely love all aspects of Thai culture, actively be promoting their homeland at all times and adhere to the highest conservative standards of the country, even when none of these qualities should be realistically expected.

Tattoo tiff

The clearest proof of this may be the many times confounding criticism has befallen Lalisa ‘Lisa’ Manobal, the Buri Ram native who has become one of the most recognisable people in the world, as part of the K-pop mega-group Blackpink.

In 2023, a cover shoot for Bazaar magazine led to Lisa being scolded by Thai netizens when an almost imperceptible sliver of her new tattoo was detected.

‘Why did she get a tattoo on her beautiful skin? Thai people consider getting a tattoo as making you a bad woman,’ one Twitter poster lamented. ‘I’m warning you with good intentions, you can’t get a job with a tattoo and any elders who see it won’t like it, especially if they’re government officials.’

Another young Thai woman famed for her beauty, Davika ‘Mai’ Hoorne, was called out in 2016 after forgetting the name of the fashion house behind her dress while at the Cannes film festival.

It would be fair for the providers of that outfit to be disappointed over not receiving due credit, but the saga that unfolded would soon devolve into accusations that she was somehow ashamed to be wearing a creation from Thailand.

The young rapper Milli, aka Danupha Khanatheerakul, has been noted for actively embracing opportunities to represent Thailand on major world stages. Yet she still could not escape the judgemental eyes of her compatriots.

The artist who famously incorporated snacking on mango and sticky rice into her set at Coachella 2022 would be hit by controversy at home for using ‘Luu language’, a system of slang originating from within Thailand’s transgender community.

The criticism lobbed at her would be about the inappropriateness of the terms and how she was undermining proper Thai conduct.

Then there is the man who put Thai action on the global map. Tatchakorn ‘Tony Jaa’ Yeerum was subjected to cultural pressures during his rise to fame in Hollywood.

Despite being free of any contracts at home, Tony Jaa appeared to have rubbed Sahamongkol Film International president Somsak ‘Sia Jiang’ Techaratanaprasert the wrong way, just before he was set to play a significant role in Fast and Furious 7.

Sia Jiang said that while he was ‘happy that Tony Jaa would appear in a foreign film’ he should have made sure to get ‘the foreign agency to contact me and get my consent first’.

His only reasoning was that it was the ‘correct’ way to go about transcending the local film industry that had served as Jaa’s stepping stone.

Even while playing down any anger over the perceived snub, the Thai production house still secured a court injunction that delayed screening of the seventh instalment of the Fast and Furious franchise in Thailand.

Sporting gestures

This phenomenon also happens in the world of sport, where arguably more of Thailand’s most notable names are generated.

Earlier this year, Thai boxing phenom Tinnakorn Srisawat, better known as Rodtang Jitmuangnon, found himself at odds with the sport’s top house, ONE Championship, accusing the promoter of forging signatures and essentially duping him into contracts that kept him under its control despite his ties having expired.

While mediation has mostly quelled the back and forth between Rodtang and the camp, comments were made during its height painting the athlete as turning his back on those who helped him get his start.

They included Jitmuangnon Gym head Soonthree Lohaphak reminding the fighter to ‘never be ungrateful to anyone’.

Followers of Muay Thai likely would have seen the resemblance the tiff bore to what happened with Sombat Banchamek, the generational talent known as Buakaw, in 2012, when his decision to move on from Por. Pramuk Gym resulted in the management basically painting him as disloyal.

Eerily similar to what would happen in 2026, Por. Pramuk Gym owner Pramuk Rojanatan would publicly state ‘We took him in when he was just a kid with nothing … We built him into a global star. For him to walk away and fight on another promoter’s show without talking to us is something we cannot accept’.

From the outside looking in, both cases may only appear to centre around loyalty to the gyms and managers, but many here likely understand the cultural subtext.

The boxers were being chastised for being ‘buffaloes who forgot their feet’, the Thai equivalent of getting ‘forgetting one’s roots’.

How else could it be explained as to why Buakaw felt the need to later write ‘Let me say this again: Buakaw is 100% Thai. I am not someone from another country who got rich and famous in Thailand only to forget my roots and betray the motherland.’

Tiger tale

This vague sense that Thai-affiliated athletes owe some sort of debt not only to their handlers but to the nation as a whole is so reflexive it might even be why international golf superstar Tiger Woods has only set foot back in the country once in the past 30 years.

During the height of his popularity in the early 2000s, the half-Thai (but completely US-raised) Woods took a trip to the homeland of his mother, making a paid appearance at Alpine Golf and Sports Club.

The tumultuous trip included a meeting with protesting ex-employees of Nike, and devoting 15 minutes to receiving an honorary doctorate.

Without dwelling too much on the circumstances, the ace’s approach to a country he had barely spent any time in somehow led to his doctor Prasong Pathom being quoted at the time as saying: ‘He basically has forgotten the Thai people. … He is a great golfer and has done some good with his foundation … but a number of Thais see it as nothing more than a token gesture.’

All of these examples are being presented to point out that it is unfair for any noted citizens of Thailand to suddenly have to serve as envoys for the country’s values and practices, and that it becomes a disservice to Thailand itself to weigh its celebrities down with such a burden.

If the belief is that there was some intangible quality of being Thai that led to the success of Nene Royal, then the nation should simply take pride in that thought and have faith that it will continue to drive her towards greater achievements.

The true spirit of Thai affection would dictate that saying congratulations to Rattikarn ‘Praew’ Amloy should be just that, an expression of happiness over the triumph of a young woman who applied herself and persevered through incredible odds.

The Central Administrative Court upheld a ruling disqualifying National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) chairman Dr Sarana Boonbaichaiyapruck from office, finding that his work at a state-run hospital breached eligibility rules.

In dismissing Dr Sarana’s petition, the court on Friday upheld the selection committee’s July ruling but said his actions and orders as NBTC chairman were not automatically invalidated by the dispute over his qualifications.

Dr Sarana could file a petition with the Supreme Administrative Court within 30 days.

Dr Sarana asked the court on Aug 3 to revoke the NBTC selection committee’s July 21 ruling, which found that he had a prohibited characteristic and was ineligible to serve as an NBTC commissioner.

The dispute centred on whether the committee could examine his case after his royal appointment, and whether his hourly medical work at state-run Ramathibodi Hospital violated Section 8(2) of the Frequency Allocation Act, which bars commissioners from being employees of state agencies or state enterprises.

The court ruled that the committee had statutory authority under Section 15/1 of the Act to examine prohibited characteristics. His subsequent royal appointment did not remove that authority because the circumstances concerning his professional status had arisen before the appointment.

The court found that the committee had acted within its lawful authority in issuing the July ruling. The key substantive issue was whether his work at Ramathibodi Hospital constituted independent professional practice or employment by a state agency.

The NBTC selection panel was presented with evidence that Dr Sarana retained temporary employee status as a physician at Ramathibodi Hospital’s Faculty of Medicine and received hourly payments from Jan 8 to April 12, 2022.

Dr Sarana argued that he had resigned from his university position and that his patient treatment at the hospital constituted independent medical practice.

The court, however, ruled that it could not determine the issue solely by the contract or tax classification of his income. It said the court had to assess the actual relationship with the state agency based on the nature of his work and the circumstances in which he performed it. The court noted that Dr Sarana continued using the hospital’s premises, equipment, medical facilities and operating systems while receiving remuneration and medical benefits through the state agency.

It found these circumstances fell within the purpose of the legal prohibition, which seeks to prevent conflicts of interest and protect the independence of NBTC commissioners. The court therefore classified him as working for a state agency.

The nationwide election for a new Social Security Board has been rescheduled from Sunday to Oct 11 due to heavy rain and flooding in several parts of the country, organisers said on Saturday.

The decision was made at a special meeting of Election Management Centre committee members at the Social Security Office (SSO) headquarters in Nonthaburi.

Members convened at 11am and at 4pm they announced that the election would be postponed because flooding could hamper voters travelling to polling stations and also affect the work of polling-station committees.

The postponement is intended to ensure the election can be conducted properly and in line with the prevailing situation, the committee said.

Earlier on Saturday, the People’s Party and veteran labour leader Panus Thailuan had called for the election to be postponed because of prevailing conditions.

They said the vote should be delayed until the flood situation improves, in order to protect equality and the voting rights of all insured workers.

They noted that severe flooding has affected many areas, including Bangkok, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Phetchabun, Nakhon Sawan, Uthai Thani, Sing Buri, Suphan Buri, Saraburi, Ayutthaya, Prachin Buri, Chachoengsao, Sa Kaeo, Trat, Surin and Chon Buri provinces.

The main opposition party said it strongly opposed holding elections only in unaffected areas or postponing the vote at selected polling stations, arguing that many insured workers travelling from flood-hit areas would be unable to vote safely.

Proceeding with the election without advance voting or an alternative polling date could effectively deprive workers whose travel routes had been cut off or who had to care for their families during the emergency of their voting rights. (Story continues below)

Mr Panus, a former Social Security Board member and chairman of the National Congress of Thai Labour, called for a postponement of at least seven days.

In a Facebook post, he said flooding was already affecting access to polling stations in some areas, adding that even his home, which had never previously flooded, was affected and small vehicles could no longer leave.

The People’s Party has long campaigned for improvements to the Social Security system. Encouraging people to take part in board elections and seek board seats is a key part of the party’s grassroots political organising strategy.

In 2023, the Progressive Social Security group backed by the party was a runaway winner in the country’s first Social Security Board election.