Thawi Urges Thai Interior Ministry to Release Local Exam Scoring Files Without Delay
Former Justice Minister Pol. Col. Thawi Sodsong calls on the Ministry of Interior and local exam boards to hand over disputed scoring files, warning that revoking thousands of applicants without targeting masterminds risks creating scapegoats in a scandal worth 5 billion baht.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Pol. Col. Thawi Sodsong urges the Interior Ministry and local exam authorities to release scoring files.
- Warns that revoking 5,924 applicants might shield true masterminds and create scapegoats.
- Recommends cross-examining data from SWU, Janwanich Printing, and local administrative bodies.
- Highlights estimated corruption values totaling around 5 billion baht in the local civil service exam scandal.
The controversy surrounding the alleged corruption in local government civil service examinations intensified as Pol. Col. Thawi Sodsong, leader of the Prachachat Party and a party-list MP, voiced sharp criticisms via social media on August 11, 2026. He demanded that the Ministry of Interior stop dragging its feet and immediately instruct the Central Committee for Local Government Personnel Examination (DLA exam committee) and the Department of Local Administration (DLA) to hand over all scoring files and candidate rosters for forensic comparison with data secured by Srinakharinwirot University (SWU).
Thawi underscored that the DLA committee's August 10, 2026 announcement revoking 5,924 applicants from lists published earlier on February 19 and April 8 could amount to a strategy of committing crimes to protect criminals. Focusing solely on these applicants risks turning them into scapegoats while allowing those legally responsible to act as investigators. Candidates cannot unilaterally pass exams, secure positions, or draw government salaries without official processing by the DLA committee, the DLA, and the Ministry of Interior.
According to terms of reference and official data submitted by SWU to the House Committee on Legal Affairs, Justice, and Human Rights, the examination and data transfer timeline proceeded as follows:
- December 7, 2025: SWU conducted exams for the first 8 testing centers, transferring data between December 11-12, 2025.
- February 15, 2026: Exams were held for 2 southern testing centers, with data transferred between February 18-19, 2026.
- February 19, 2026: The DLA committee announced 47,208 candidates passing Parts A and B during meeting No. 16/2025.
- April 8, 2026: The committee announced 8,545 candidates for southern centers following meeting No. 4/2026.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
On June 22, 2026, the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and police raided and seized equipment and candidate data involving 5,960 applicants while local government officials were handling answer sheets and digital scoring files. This raised serious suspicions regarding retroactive score tampering. While SWU and Janwanich Printing promptly handed over their source data to the NACC on June 24, 2026, critical evidence remaining under the control of the DLA committee and DLA has still not been fully delivered over a month later.
Comparing data across three distinct sources—SWU's original records, Janwanich Printing's logs, and the DLA committee's files—serves as a crucial digital forensic step that could be completed within a single day. Cross-referencing these logs can precisely identify when files were altered, which devices were used, and who accessed the records, helping separate innocent applicants from active participants in the wrongdoing.
Beyond score manipulation, investigators are probing kickbacks linked to the exam scandal, with estimated bribes ranging between 450,000 and 1,000,000 baht per person, pushing total illicit benefits to roughly 5 billion baht. Thawi stressed that revoking candidate lists is merely an administrative correction that fails to erase potential criminal liability, urging the Ministry of Interior to surrender all evidence to restore public faith in the justice system.
Source: Khaosod Politics
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