Nirat assured confidence that the corruption probe into local government recruitment has been certified by multiple committees. Local administrators need not worry. He emphasized that score sheets will be shown at meetings and revealed that the issue with Lamphun Provincial Administrative Organization has been resolved—the situation has cooled significantly.
At 09:40 on 19 Aug 2026 at the Government House, Nirat Pongthitthaworn, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior and acting Director-General of the Department of Local Administration Promotion (DLA), spoke about concerns from local administrative organizations (LAOs) regarding the removal of corrupt officials from local recruitment. He expressed confidence in the completeness and thoroughness of the process, starting with the Central Committee on Local Government Staff Examinations (CCLGSE) validating the correct scores, which were then endorsed by the Central Committee on Local Civil Servants. Regarding the origin of the scores, they were verified by a contracted company affiliated with Srinakharinwirot University (SWU), which is their responsibility. However, the correct scores had never been used until the recent incident. The Central Investigation Bureau and the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) found the same single set of scores, which is the accurate official record.
Nirat stated that on 18 Aug 2026, Worasit Liangprasit, Deputy Minister of Interior, expressed concern and asked him to reassure municipalities, provincial administrative organizations (PAOs), and subdistrict administrative organizations (SAOs) in the area regarding the source of the score list. The scores come from verification by the contracted company of SWU. Although SWU and DLA encountered some difficulties, the initial verification had to be correct from the start. When the issue arose, NACC used the score list to expand their investigation; thus, it is the same list used by the Central Investigation Bureau, who verified and endorsed it. Moreover, DLA manually cross-checked the same list, comparing automated and manual results over more than ten days. In total, the same score list has undergone four rounds of verification.
Nirat explained that the current accuracy of the score list has been certified by the responsible authorities. Subsequently, certification is conducted by various committees: the CCLGSE and the Central Committee on Local Civil Servants have completed their tasks. The confidential documents will be sent from the Central Committee to all provincial committees. Each province has three committees—SAO, municipality, and PAO committees—which will convene meetings between 18 and 28 August 2026. The committee members will review the official score documents. He acknowledged that concerns are normal since nothing has yet been seen, but attendees will see the confidential documents at the meetings. The information will not be posted on social media or publicly disclosed due to personal data protection. However, the certification documents will include verified score sheets, assuring everyone of their accuracy.
When asked if provinces have reported back on the progress of removals, Nirat said the removals will take effect officially on 31 August. Reports will cover the committee meetings. For example, in Lamphun Province, Veeradej Phupisit, the PAO chief, had expressed concern about whether score sheets existed, but Nirat assured him they do, and he would see them at the meeting. Lamphun’s meeting was held on 18 August, after which the chief expressed confidence. Nirat added that his initial urgent communications to local executives have now cooled down significantly due to the careful screening and detailed verification by the CCLGSE, the Central Committee, and the DLA.
When pressed whether regional concerns stem from not having seen the actual score sheets, Nirat said that the official score sheets for tens of thousands of candidates cannot be publicly posted on social media because some individuals might sue. This risk of legal action is more frightening than the issue itself. He will not release the scores publicly, but at the meetings, the score sheets can be reviewed, with confidential stamps applied.