Justice Official Named to Election Dispute Panel Amid Controversy
Thailand's cabinet appointed Police Colonel Piya Ruksukul as director-general of the Special Cases Investigation Department on September 22, 2025, despite controversy over his role chairing an Election Commission subcommittee that dismissed
The cabinet approved six senior Justice Ministry appointments on September 22, 2025, including Police Colonel Piya Ruksukul as director-general of the Special Cases Investigation Department. Other appointees include Brigadier General Pongthorn Thanyasiri as director of the Department of Juvenile Observation and Protection, and four additional officials to inspector and deputy secretary posts. Ruksukul began his career in 2009 as a special cases investigator, advancing through roles including assistant to the Consumer and Environmental Crime Bureau in 2015, deputy director-general of the Special Cases Investigation Department in 2022, Southern Border Administrative Centre deputy secretary in 2023, and corrections director in 2024 before his current appointment. During his time as a special cases expert, he led investigation teams in cases related to violent incidents and political assembly cases, including the 2010 red-shirt gathering. Ruksukul also chairs one of seven subcommittees of the Election Commission's 36th panel, which examined allegations of vote-buying by senators and voted that the case had no merit. Images of him greeting Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul at Buriram Airport on March 1, 2025, while serving as corrections director for the opening of the 2025 MotoGP motorcycle racing championship, have drawn widespread political criticism due to alleged connections with the Bhumjaithai Party.
