Nakhon Ratchasima Removes 150 Officials Over Exam Cheating

Nakhon Ratchasima has revoked the appointments of 150 local government officials suspected of cheating on civil service exams. However, under law they are not classified as corrupt until a final court judgment is issued. On September 12, Anant Thamthong, provincial governor of Nakhon Ratchasima, disclosed progress on addressing the local government civil service exam fraud case. Local administrative organizations throughout the province have issued orders canceling the recruitment and appointment of 150 local government officials found to have irregularities and exam misconduct. The provincial office has submitted the complete list of 150 removed officials to the central office, which has now received names from all provinces. The legal status of those whose appointments have been revoked does not yet classify them as corrupt officials, as the cancellation is an administrative remedial step taken after discovering score discrepancies or incomplete examination procedures to correct unlawful administrative orders. This does not mean all those removed are involved in corruption until disciplinary investigations, National Anti-Corruption Commission proceedings, and criminal court trials result in a final judgment of guilt. Officials or those directly involved in altering exam scores will face separate serious criminal and disciplinary charges. This group represents genuine corruption cases subject to criminal prosecution.