Deputy Minister of Interior revealed that the Central Committee of Local Government Officials resolved to send a letter to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) requesting a full re-examination of local exam papers and to cancel the order postponing reporting for duty due to the exam corruption issue.
On 25 Jun 2026 at the Department of Local Administration, Mr. Worasit Liangprasert, Deputy Minister of Interior, spoke after chairing the 6/2569 meeting of the Central Committee of Local Government Officials. He said it was a regular agenda but with an added topic concerning corruption in local exams involving two issues. The committee unanimously agreed to re-examine the exam papers to clarify the truth. The next step is to review regulations and identify involved parties, and coordinate with the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), which has seized the original answer sheets after inspecting the printing press. Coordination is needed to ensure accuracy and factual information by checking against the original answer sheets.
Mr. Worasit added that the committee also resolved on the issue of postponing appointments and reporting for duty of successful candidates, concluding that postponement should not happen and candidates should report as usual. The majority view was that it is not yet clear who committed corruption, despite the realistic possibility of cheating. Therefore, the rights of honest candidates who passed on their own merit must be protected. Though news mentions about 3,000 names, the official list includes tens of thousands. They do not want to affect the rights of legitimate candidates. Meanwhile, investigations must continue, and if anyone already appointed is found involved in corruption, legal action will follow.
When asked if a new order allowing candidates to report as usual would be issued, Mr. Worasit said the decision is up to the department to forward to the Department of Local Administration for further action. The Deputy Director-General of the Department of Local Administration will provide details about the cancellation of the postponement order.
Regarding the re-examination of exam papers, if papers have been swapped, what measures will be taken? Mr. Worasit said he believes swapping did not occur. The re-examination will cover all exams in this batch.
On whether new regulations are needed for re-examining the papers or if it can proceed immediately, Mr. Worasit said existing regulations generally cover this but details need to be discussed. He wants to proceed as quickly as possible, but the issue is that the original answer sheets are held by the NACC. So initially, coordination with the NACC is necessary to allow a committee to carry out this process. The final review will clarify who is involved or not; those not involved will retain their rights. Those who studied diligently differ fundamentally from those who cheated to succeed.
Asked if today's meeting results would be presented at a meeting chaired by Mr. Santithorn Yimlamai, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Mr. Worasit said it might be necessary to forward the results as part of the process.
Regarding whether the re-examination of answer sheets requested from the NACC will assure the public of truthful and transparent results, Mr. Worasit said they will not conduct the check themselves. A trusted committee will carry out the review, and agencies such as the NACC, the Office of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), other organizations, and civil society will be invited to observe the process to demonstrate sincerity and reveal the facts.
Asked if re-examining the answer sheets means a full retest, Mr. Worasit said based on the situation, he believes the re-examination alone will reveal many issues.
Regarding confidence in the answer sheets' authenticity and that they have not been tampered with, Mr. Worasit said according to the terms of reference, he prefers not to discuss details, but the answer sheets are created for specific individuals and are not interchangeable for anyone else.