National Legislative Assembly (NLA) whips are calling on members who have appointed relatives as aides to retroactively end their employment effective from March 1.
The move comes amid growing public criticism.
(For full list of names of legislators and their families, see the graphic below)
Surachai Liangboonlertchai, NLA deputy president, hopes members would agree to heed the call in order to set the standard for future politicians.
He said several NLA members have already terminated the employment of their relatives.
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Mr Surachai said the NLA accepts the criticism, despite the fact that members employing relatives does not breach any rules or regulations.
At least 70 NLA members had appointed family members, including wives and children, as personal specialists, personal experts, and personal assistants with monthly salaries of 24,000 baht, 20,000 baht, and 15,000 baht respectively.
Poldej Pinpratheep, chair of a National Reform Committee (NRC) panel on the reform of ethics, morality and good governance, said that generally it is improper for NLA members to appoint family members at public expense.
However, he said appointing relatives who are capable and qualified for the job should be acceptable and appointments should be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Mr Poldej also said the proposed national ethics assembly, which would be set up to scrutinise the moral standards and behaviour of politicians, would also address a similar problem involving the employment of politicians' family members, with their salaries drawn from public funds in the future.
The NRC on Monday approved in principle a bill to set up a national ethics assembly to issue a code of ethics for political-office holders and companies doing business with the state.
NLA member Tuang Untachai, who appointed his son as a personal assistant, yesterday hit back at those who criticised the members.
He said MPs and senators in previous governments had also hired relatives at public expense, but nobody had spoken out against it.
"Those who are now criticising the NLA may have a hidden agenda to discredit it," Mr Tuang said.
"My son represents me when he meets people in the provinces, attending their weddings, ordinations, and funerals.
"Other [former] MPs also did the same. If critics say it is not good to use state money to hire my son, I will use my own money to hire him, instead,'' Mr Tuang said.
NLA member Jetn Sirathranont, who appointed his daughter as a personal assistant, said she quit on Feb 15 to become an assistant judge, adding that he hired her to help him with legal matters while she was looking for work.
However, Mr Jetn also reiterated the point that no existing regulations prohibit the employment of relatives and that former MPs and senators did the same.
He said he did not oppose hiring family members who are capable and qualified for the job, but there must be clear criteria governing the matter.
Earlier in the day, Srisuwan Janya, a social activist led a group called Thai Constitution Protection to lodge a petition with the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) asking the anti-graft agency to investigate the appointment of relatives as aides.
Mr Srisuwan asked the NACC to investigate members as well as House chairman Pornpetch Wichitcholchai, the secretary-general and the deputy for the Secretariat of the Senate involved with the appointments.
The actions of NLA members has created the possibility for conflict of interests by appointing family members as advisers and aides, he said.
The NLA members have breached Section 4 of the 1999 organic law on counter-corruption and the Senate code of conduct, he said.
"I'm surprised to hear Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha say they weren't wrong," Mr Srisuwan said, arguing that Gen Prayut should have a better understanding that legal matters are a sensitive issue for people and should be dealt with properly.
Meanwhile, NACC secretary-general Sansern Poljiak said the complaint will be examined in detail to see if the NACC has sufficient authority to take up the case.
In regards to the conflict of interest accusation, the NACC law will only cover the prime minister and local administration organisation leaders, not senators, MPs or NLA members.
