Official Denies Corruption Claims in Local Exam Cancellation

On August 7, 2569, Nirat Pongsittitaworn, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Interior Ministry and acting director of the Department of Local Administration (DLA), issued a clarification statement regarding allegations of corruption and interference in the 2566 local government civil service examination. The statement responds to concerns raised by Rangsiman Rom, chair of the parliamentary law and human rights committee, who had publicly questioned the integrity of the exam process and the decision to cancel the contractor selection and examination itself on August 6, 2569.

The DLA explained that the 2566 exam was conducted by the Central Committee for Civil Service and Local Government Officials, with two state universities submitting proposals: Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi and Burapha University. Initially, Rajamangala University won the bid, but after Burapha University filed a legal appeal, the Appeal Committee of the Comptroller General's Office ruled the appeal valid and awarded the contract to Burapha University on December 28, 2566.

However, an anti-corruption network group filed a complaint on January 4, 2567, requesting changes to the exam methodology, review of the university hiring process, and investigation into potential misconduct. In response, the Interior Ministry appointed a fact-finding committee on January 16, 2567. A joint meeting on January 17, 2567, involving multiple agencies including the Anti-Corruption Commission and Office of Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission, resulted in an agreement to delay signing the exam contract pending the outcome of the fact-finding investigation. The DLA committed to implementing detailed anti-corruption measures at every stage of the examination process.