Local Administration Department concludes dismissal of 3,868 corrupt officials

On August 31, 2025, in Songkhla province, Nirat Phongsitthithaworn, Deputy Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Interior and acting Director-General of the Department of Local Administration (DLA), disclosed updates regarding the revocation of local government officials involved in nationwide examination fraud. He stated that provincial local administration committees had nearly completed their scheduled meetings on what marked the final deadline for the revocation process.

Nirat clarified that the finalized revocation figure of 3,868 individuals, down from the initial 5,925 flagged cases, resulted from meticulous cross-checking of score modifications. Among the 5,925 cases, 3,868 people had already been officially appointed, whereas over 1,000 candidates awaiting placement were simply not called upon. To ensure a uniform national standard, provincial committees signed and enacted the revocation orders to take effect on the exact same date of August 31.

Addressing potential legal disputes, the Deputy Permanent Secretary confirmed that no lawsuits had been filed so far. The DLA provided clear evidence comparing authentic and manipulated scores, leading all affected parties to acknowledge the findings without contest. Furthermore, among those whose appointments were revoked, 146 officials had previously submitted resignations, and all of them are accounted for within the total figure of 3,868.

Discussing account management and replacement hiring, Nirat noted that the massive operation involved nearly 300,000 test-takers, roughly 50,000 listed candidates, and over 1,000 suspected wrongdoers, which made it impossible for a single working group to handle all dimensions simultaneously. Nevertheless, the DLA successfully fulfilled the mandate assigned by Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, with plans to appoint new candidates to fill the vacant positions by October 2025.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

Regarding criminal proceedings, Nirat stated that evidence regarding the illicit activities has already been forwarded to relevant authorized agencies under formal Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs), including the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), the Royal Thai Police, the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO), and the Department of Special Investigation (DSI). He intends to provide continuous updates on the legal progress to the Prime Minister.

In addition, the DLA opened channels for candidates to review their individual examination scores at both the central department headquarters and regional offices across all 76 provinces. From the initial rollout through the deadline, a total of 1,489 individuals came forward to inspect their scores, accepting the factual evidence before departing. Concluding the operation, Nirat and Deputy Director-General Bunprasong Nuansaray shared a gesture of closure to mark the completion of the mission.

Source: Matichon Politics