The Decentralization Committee is urgently seeking ways to assist civil servants who lost rights due to local exam fraud, aiming to grant them another chance to select their preferred province for placement after 5,925 individuals were disqualified for cheating and occupying quota seats unfairly.
At 12:00 PM on 20 Aug 2026 at the Parliament, Mr. Kongkrit Chatmaleerat, MP for Ranong from the Bhumjaithai Party and Chair of the Decentralization Committee on Local Administration and Special Administrative Forms of Government, announced the committee's meeting results. They discussed ways to protect the rights of local civil servants not involved in exam fraud, allowing them priority to select their province for duty. Key considerations included those already appointed as local civil servants uninvolved in cheating and over 3,000 new appointments after disqualifications, determining who should have priority in choosing their province for placement.
Mr. Weerasak Hadda, President of the Association of Subdistrict Administrative Organizations of Thailand, said a key issue is whether civil servants appointed before the disqualification of cheaters—who are innocent—should be allowed to select their preferred province again. This is to protect the innocent and find a solution for them, as current regulations require a two-year minimum stay before transferring again. The Department of Local Administration (DLA) executives have acknowledged this concern and promised action. The chair and vice-chair of the committee gave them 15 days to review and report back. Regarding the revocation of rights for 5,925 cheaters, there is confidence that local executives must comply with the central board’s administrative order to complete the revocation by 30 Aug 2026. Failure to comply may violate Criminal Code Section 157.
Mr. Kittichai Engchuan, MP for Krabi from the Bhumjaithai Party and Vice-Chair of the committee, stated that the DLA insists those already appointed must remain in place. However, he believes lawsuits are inevitable because rightful claims have been diminished. The committee therefore proposes a special resolution by the central board to provide remedies, since after announcing revised scores, these individuals would move up to top ranks and should be granted the right to choose their workplace accordingly.