The Council of University Presidents of Thailand (CUPT) held an emergency meeting on Nov 11 to discuss the new NACC order to file property and liabilitity reports, and how to counter it. (Photo via cupt.net)

The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has issued a fresh Section 44 order to lift a controversial requirement for members on university councils to declare their assets and liabilities.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, as the NCPO chief, issued Order No.21/2018 by virtue of Section 44, lifting the requirement under a new regulation issued by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), following an outcry from university councils over their inclusion under the rule.

The regulation requires senior officials holding executive positions, such as department deputy directors-general, university council chairpersons and members, and other equivalent positions to declare their assets and liabilities.

It also obliges their spouses and children to submit declarations of their assets and debts to the NACC.

Gen Prayut said in his written order that the NACC's requirement caused problems in the internal administration of some organisations. He ordered the NACC to review the list of position holders who would be subject to submitting asset declarations in line with the latest order. The requirement earlier upset university councillors, who announced their intention to resign en masse to avoid the regulation.

The new assets declaration regulation was published in the Royal Gazette on Nov 1. Among early critics of the move were people holding positions on university councils. They called for the removal of the rules, saying they could trigger a mass exodus of members loath to see the details of their assets and liabilities going public.

There were fears the mass resignations would affect quorums of meetings at the universities, which would affect the councils' decision-making processes.

The NACC did not revise the rule, but extended the deadline to mollify critics. The deadline was earlier scheduled to come into force on Dec 2 but the NACC decided to defer it to Jan 31, following fierce resistance by a large number of those holding positions on university councils.

The postponement, however, applied only to certain organisations and some positions at universities; the president of a university council, members of a university council, and both president and vice-president of the council of King Prajadhipok's Institute.

Following complaints that only certain positions were selected for the postponed deadline, the NACC decided to apply the same deadline for declaring assets and debts to all types of senior officials and committees in state organisations.