Polpeer affirms that the raid and arrest of the Phuket chief administrative officer is not a fabricated case to silence the scandalous "Help Namngern" chat. He points out this matter has been ongoing for over a year and urges cooperation with the investigation process to restore the Ministry of Interior's dignity. He noted that executives are in a tower and rely on local people to reflect problems.
On 27 June 2026 at 17:20 GMT+7, at the Impact Muang Thong Thani Exhibition Center, Deputy Minister of Interior Polpeer Suwannachawi spoke about the police Anti-Corruption and Misconduct Division's arrest of Mr. Rungrueang Thimabut, Phuket's chief administrative officer. He stated that, as he understands, the case involves extortion related to local official examinations by the Phuket chief officer, following due legal process. Regarding influential figures and extortion in Phuket, he said the Department of Provincial Administration is already investigating. The delay in investigation is due to Mr. Rungrueang exercising leave rights twice, each for 10 days, totaling nearly a month. Sending the official back to his original post does not imply innocence or guilt, as the investigation continues. However, since the period of secondment may have exceeded the limit, he was returned to his area while investigation proceeds, with results expected soon.
When asked if police custody of the Phuket chief officer requires coordination to bring him for the Department of Provincial Administration's investigation, Polpeer said the extortion warrant relates to corruption in local official exams. The department's director-general will summon him again to clarify the cause. Therefore, the Phuket chief officer faces two major cases he must answer to society and the public. Polpeer believes the director-general has clear investigation criteria, and the department's internal committee is legally precise.
"I would like to ask the Phuket chief officer that when summoned, please come and provide information beneficial to the department, because the department does not want such incidents to occur. Actually, the Ministry of Interior has many good officials, but once corruption enters, public service quality declines. The personnel’s skills, thoughts, knowledge, and abilities fade. Today, I ask everyone to help restore the Ministry of Interior's dignity. If you love the ministry, please cooperate with the director-general. Whatever the investigation, truth remains. Innocent means innocent."
Regarding whether this is seen as a framed case to silence the chief officer after the scandalous "Help Namngern" chat leaked, Polpeer insisted this is not a framed case. The local official exam investigation is not just this year’s issue but also from before, meaning it is a longstanding matter. This implies that the official knew about it earlier but did not act to prevent it or report to the department or supervisors. Such questions must be answered by him.
"If you see corruption, you should promptly resolve it or inform those involved. Executives sit in towers and often cannot see these issues; sometimes locals do not want to talk to us. Therefore, people in the area are extremely important to the Ministry of Interior’s administrative development mechanism."