BANGKOK, Thailand Members of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) who sleep on the job would be blacklisted, the Bangkok Post reported, quoting Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
On Friday, Prayut had a chat with NLA president Pornpetch Witchitcholchai and told him to warn all the legislators not to sleep during proceedings.
"Members who sleep while at work will not be selected for election in the future," he told reporters at Government House, clearly upset that the topic was raised.
Images of some NLA members seen sleeping in the chamber during Prayut's budget speech on Wednesday were widely shared on the social media. The members were ridiculed by netizens.
'Did you report the 3-trillion-baht budget? You only reported the sleeping NLA members. The issue is nonsense," he said.
The NLA on Thursday approved the government's 3-trillion-baht (about US$93.59 billion) budget for the next fiscal year in the first reading.
After berating the media, Prayut found time to give the sleepy NLA members some advice.
"If they want to sleep, they should sleep at home. For now, let them continue until their tenure of the NLA ends," he said.
Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK
