"Rome" points out that there must be accountability for local exam corruption, declaring that "Anutin," who has served multiple terms as Minister of Interior, cannot avoid responsibility. He believes that high-level officials approved the massive corruption saga and considers that organized crime charges might apply as well."organized crime" charge mentioned here is "อั้งยี่" in Thai, which refers to organized crime or criminal syndicate.
On 22 Jul 2026 GMT+7, Rangsiman Rome, list MP of the People’s Party and chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Law, Justice, and Human Rights, spoke ahead of a meeting regarding local government recruitment. He said last week’s focus was on the Terms of Reference (TOR), which were claimed to be stringent but were in fact not, especially concerning data protection and factual accuracy. Data on the flash drive was unencrypted, allowing for data alteration. Today, Srinakharinwirot University (SWU) came to provide information, as it faces criticism over local exam corruption and was expected to explain what happened.
It was also found that before SWU became the contractor for the Department of Local Administration (DLA), Burapha University was likely the original contractor. However, by invoking the authority of the Central Committee on Local Government Employee Examinations (CCLGEE) and referencing Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, a letter was sent to the Comptroller General’s Department to change the contractor from Burapha University to SWU. At that time, Burapha University was accused of corruption. Since then, SWU has taken over, but it is unclear whether corruption has worsened. The long-standing irregularities in exam arrangements and the apparent lack of effective government measures to prevent exam fraud remain notable.
Rangsiman further stated that the CCLGEE meeting, responsible for announcing exam results, failed to properly verify the candidate lists before publication. This verification should not rely solely on SWU’s reports but should involve checking data, including flash drives and even answer sheets. The announcement of results is a crucial point where errors led to widespread fraud, affecting the recruitment of tens of thousands. This is unacceptable and cannot be dismissed as mere negligence or honest mistakes, as the scale of corruption involves massive sums of money and likely payments worth billions related to the misconduct.
Rangsiman added that today several relevant agencies were invited, including the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO), to help seize and freeze financial assets, since such corruption involves money. Asset freezing must be expedited without waiting for funds to be transferred elsewhere, which would prevent recovery and cause further problems.
Regarding the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), since this case involves corruption, it might also involve charges of organized crime or other criminal offenses, which will be discussed in the meeting.
Regarding the invitation of Pakorn Nilpraphan, Deputy Prime Minister for Legal Affairs, who is involved in the investigation, Rangsiman said he was unsure how much cooperation would be forthcoming.
On the controversial issue of withdrawing the names of 5,000 candidates, Rangsiman said that withdrawal is a separate issue. Currently, there are two groups: those already appointed and those not yet appointed. Initially, the focus is on determining who is responsible and how the matter will be resolved.
As for how many names are problematic, since the data is based on the flash drives, it is unknown whether the flash drives have already been altered. It may be that alterations are incomplete or complete to limit damage.
"If we cannot access the documents today, frankly, I am not confident that the data released is reliable. Therefore, we must return to the answer sheets and conduct thorough checks. However, the issue should not be limited to corruption charges; it may involve organized crime or other offenses, including asset seizure to trace financial flows. Certainly, cash payments are difficult to track entirely, but at least connected financial transactions should be subject to measures."
When asked whether the postponement of the removal of appointments on 23 Jul was significant and whether the Prime Minister was trying to distance himself from the issue, Rangsiman said there were many reports of efforts to isolate the matter from politics. He did not know who might be involved but urged that everything should be based on evidence, not irresponsible processes or actions to protect certain individuals. Previously, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior blamed the secretary’s office for proposing candidates, which Rangsiman considered irresponsible and untruthful.
"All committee members receive allowances and have the duty to thoroughly investigate this issue. If orders were given to proceed, then errors must be identified. But responsibility should not be shifted to any single group; everyone involved in this corruption scheme should be considered suspects. Without approval signals from top-level officials, we would not be witnessing this orchestrated epic corruption."
When asked about the Prime Minister’s visit to local government officials at Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, Rangsiman said everyone is under suspicion today, but the Prime Minister cannot evade responsibility. The significance of the meeting with local executives will become clearer after the event.
"But society should know that there is widespread suspicion about the local exams, and since the Prime Minister has long served as Minister of Interior, he absolutely cannot shirk responsibility for this matter."