Democrat Party MP candidate Chanchai Issarasenarak has asked the EC to clarify the status of 129 MP candidates who hold shares in media companies.

The Thai News Agency yesterday reported that Chanchai has filed a complaint with the Election Commission (EC) asking for clarification on the issue of media share ownership. Chanchai was one of 130 candidates whose names appeared on a list of those who allegedly hold media shares. He was the only candidate disqualified by the EC but the court has since ordered the EC to reinstate Chanchai's candidacy.

The complaint came after a court ruling that restored Chanchai’s candidacy in Nakhon Nayok’s Constituency 2. The court found that since he held only a small percentage of the shares in AIS company, he did not have the power to order the company to publish news beneficial to his campaign or detrimental to other candidates or parties.

Chanchai asked the EC to clarify the status of the remaining 129 candidates. He wanted to know what kind of media shares they held and whether they owned shares in telecom companies like he did, as well as why they were not disqualified.

“I’m one person among the 130 individuals whose candidacy was revoked by the Election Commission; therefore, I request clarification from the EC about the status of the other 129. The EC must give a response by May 14^th. Failing to do so means the EC took action against only me. [If that’s the case] the EC can expect a subpoena,” he said.

The candidate also pointed out the details of the court's verdict, which were supported by the opinion of Asst. Prof. Kanyapat Utapao, Dean of the College of Communication Arts, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, where "the media" was defined as "any medium that disseminates news, information, and all types of content to the general public or a large group of people, regardless of the format. Traditional media include newspapers, radio, television, and films.

Modern media include Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and various applications. If a person, juristic person or organization is a medium for disseminating news or content to many people or owns a medium that is a channel of communication or produces content for many people…it is considered mass media.”