Modern technology has enabled meeting participants, both in the public and private sector, to conveniently communicate through electronic devices regardless of their different locations. It has proven to be economical in terms of cost and time in arranging and travelling to the meeting venues. Nowadays teleconferences are widely conducted for business purposes. However, the current existing laws do not allow legally binding teleconference. Therefore, a law should be enacted to allow certain meetings required by various laws to be conducted through electronic devices and are legally binding. The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) hereby announces that:
1. In this announcement of the NCPO:
“Teleconference through electronic devices” means meetings as required by the law conducted through electronic devices with participants consisting of at least one third of the quorum must be in the same meeting location, and all participants must be in the Kingdom during the meeting, though in different locations, and are able to consult each other and express their opinions through electronic devices.
“Meeting participants” means members of a committee, members of a subcommittee, secretary, and assistant secretary of such committee or subcommittee.
2. This announcement of the NCPO shall not be applied to
(1) Meetings of the members of the House of Representatives, the House of Senates, and the Parliament.
(2) Meeting on the render of the courts’ judgment and verdict
(3) Meeting on the implementation of procurement process of Government Agencies, Local Authorities, State Enterprises, Public Organizations, and other Government Organizations.
(4) Other meetings prescribed by the Council of Ministers
3. In any meeting required by the law, the chairperson can either conduct the meeting as prescribed by each specific law or conduct a teleconference through electronic devices with the same legal status as the meeting prescribed by the said law.
It is prohibited to hold a teleconference on issues with classifications according to the regulation on the National Security and as determined by the Council of Ministers.
4. The conduct of a teleconference must be in accordance with security standards for teleconference meeting which the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology has set and announced in the Royal Thai Government Gazette.
5. Meeting invitation letters and meeting documents can be sent to participants by electronic mail services. However, meeting organizers must retain a copy of such letters and documents which can be kept as electronic data as well.
6. In a teleconference, meeting organizers are required to:
(1) Arrange for all participants to the teleconference to identify themselves before joining the meeting.
(2) Produce meeting minutes in document form.
(3) Make an audio record or both visual and audio record, depending on each specific case, of the whole session of the meeting in the form of electronic data, except in case of confidential meeting, which shall be considered as a part of the meeting minutes.
7. In a teleconference, should there be a case that meeting allowance is to be paid to participants, such allowance shall be paid to meeting participants whose presence in the teleconference are proven.
8. A teleconference arranged in accordance with this announcement of the NCPO shall be considered as legal; electronic data recorded accordingly must not be turned down as legal evidence in any civil or criminal case proceedings merely for the being electronic data.
9. The formulation of security standards of teleconference meeting as referred to in clause 4 above shall be concluded within 30 days from the effective date of this announcement, with due consideration about convenience in arranging teleconference.
This announcement shall take effect immediately.