The Supreme Court held the first hearing in the case of Senator Ketsakorn, who used the title "Professor" in her Senate application. Witnesses testified that the "degree" was fake, being only a credential equivalency issued by a foreign agency.
On 25 Nov 2025 GMT+7, the Supreme Court's Election Division held the first hearing in the case filed by the Election Commission (EC) against Ms. Ketsakorn Piansamai, a Senate member, for using the title "Professor" in her Senate candidacy introduction. The EC requested the court revoke her candidacy rights, arguing this constituted deception under the Senate Election Act, section 77(4).
In today's hearing, four witnesses from the plaintiff side testified, including a former Senate candidate, EC officials, and an official from the Ministry of Higher Education. The first witness testified that a review of three Senate application documents showed the use of the title "Professor." However, Thai authorities found no royal appointment or record of her being a professor in Thailand, suggesting the title could mislead voters.
The second witness testified that Ms. Ketsakorn was not entitled to use the title "Professor" because "California University FCE" is not a U.S. degree-granting institution but merely a credential evaluation agency for foreigners and offers only kindergarten and elementary education. Furthermore, suspicious discrepancies were found in the submitted certification documents to the EC, and the signatures appeared computer-generated rather than genuine.
The second witness also pointed out the academic promotion timeline was unrealistically fast, as it took less than two years for her to advance from a doctorate to professor after her master's degree was evaluated.
Ms. Ketsakorn's lawyer cross-examined, questioning whether a foreign professor title can be used locally, and noted that there is no EC regulation prohibiting the use of accurate information in candidate introductions.
After the hearing, Ms. Ketsakorn remained smiling and confident as she left the court.