Bangkok: 'Pakamon' follows up on 'Lawyer Aun's' call to urge the Committee on Political Development to dismantle the local government exam cheating ring. Ms. Pakamon Nunanan, Chair of the Committee on Political Development, Mass Media, and Public Participation, received a letter from Mr. Patarapong Supakorn, also known as Lawyer Aun Buriram, requesting an investigation into alleged corruption in the competitive examination for recruitment into local government organizations.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Phatarapong revealed that although the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) had previously arrested suspects and found clear evidence of exam manipulation, the Ministry of Interior, as the supervising agency, has yet to clearly punish the main perpetrators. Only those who disseminated negative information have been prosecuted, despite the fact that over 1,000 victims who took the exam honestly have already come together.
Ms. Phakamon stated that the committee has received information and evidence on this matter from various sectors, including information dating back to 2023-2024, which may be the same scheme. The estimated damage in this case has reached 4.5 billion baht, making it a large-scale corruption case that requires serious accountability. Currently, information and evidence are scattered between the Ministry of Interior and the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). The committee will act as a central mechanism to investigate the facts with the utmost integrity, in order to compile and present the findings for public scrutiny.
Regarding the timeframe, it is expected that this matter will be included on the agenda of the parliamentary committee within this week and will be considered immediately, even during the parliamentary recess. The 7-day timeframe set by the government, or the 3-6 month timeframe set by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), are considered too long, as damage to the civil service system has already occurred. As for a long-term solution, the People's Party has a clear stance in proposing the revocation of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) order that centralized the power to conduct examinations from local authorities.