At 9:30 a.m. on May 30, the Thai Senate convened a special session presided over by Senate President Mongkol Surasajja. The session included deliberation on a motion submitted by Senator Thewarit Maneechai to postpone the formation of a standing committee tasked with vetting the background and ethical conduct of nominees for the Election Commission (EC), Constitutional Court judges, and members of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).
Thewarit argued that many senators are currently subjects of pending investigations by the EC and NACC, and even if still presumed innocent, it would create a conflict of interest for them to approve appointments to the very bodies investigating them.
He pointed out that some senators had already raised objections with the Constitutional Court and NACC, questioning whether the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) had improperly interfered in the senator selection process.
On April 8, thirteen senators resigned from the vetting committee reviewing NACC nominees to avoid a conflict of interest, as some of them had filed or were subjects of complaints being reviewed by the NACC. Thewarit praised their decision as setting a moral example and argued that others should not let them carry that burden alone.
He emphasized the need for integrity, stating that senators should not be in a position to approve appointments to independent bodies when many of them are currently involved in complaints or investigations related to those same agencies.
Addressing concerns over a potential "vacuum" in the functioning of oversight institutions, Thewarit clarified that this delay would be temporary—around six months, while investigations are ongoing—and current acting members could continue to serve in the meantime.
He called on fellow senators to prioritize ethical governance and consider the long-term consequences of moving forward without addressing the inherent conflict of interest.