PM: Local Administration Recruitment Exam Voided Only Where Fraud Detected

BANGKOK, June 26 (TNA) - Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul clarified on Wednesday that the local administration recruitment exam will only be voided in specific areas where irregularities occurred. 

He debunked media headlines suggesting a nationwide cancellation, which had caused widespread panic among applicants. 

Following the cheating scandal—which caused over 4.5 billion baht in damages—the Director-General of the Department of Local Administration has been transferred to an inactive post, and a committee has been ordered to investigate the matter within seven days.

Addressing rumors regarding a leaked audio clip implicating a former deputy minister, Anutin stated it was an old recording predating the current administration. He emphasized that the investigation will rely on hard evidence, promising full legal action against anyone involved, regardless of their status.

Meanwhile, the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and police intensified the probe by raiding a printing house in Samut Prakan, seizing over 800,000 original answer sheets to compare them with previously confiscated digital data.

Manas Suwanarin, former Inspector of the Department of Local Administration, posted on Facebook regarding the anti-graft agency's crackdown on the exam fraud network. He noted that evidence showed the fraud network demanded between 350,000 and 800,000 baht per position depending on competitiveness.

Manas stated that altering scores on answer sheets would require the university's answer keys. He questioned how the 87 sets of keys were leaked, emphasizing that under the terms of reference, they were to be kept strictly confidential by the university alone and were inaccessible to the Department of Local Administration. -819 (TNA)