Deputy Minister of Interior chaired the central committee meeting to find urgent measures to recover public funds retroactively from over 3,000 local government exam fraudsters. He ordered an extension of the reporting period for the fifth recruitment round, to be completed by no later than 20 November.
At 13:45 on 29 Oct 2026 GMT+7, at Meeting Room 5501, Department of Local Administration, Mr. Worasit Liangprasit, Deputy Minister of Interior, chaired the 9/2569 session of the Central Committee on Local Officials or Employees (Central Committee). Present were Mr. Jamroen Wanpetch, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior and Head of the Community Development and Local Administration Promotion Group; Mr. Piya Pichnam, Director-General of the Department of Local Administration; Mr. Boonprasong Nuansai, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Local Administration; and representatives from partner agencies including the Comptroller General's Department, Office of the Civil Service Commission, Office of the Council of State, and the Budget Bureau.
Mr. Worasit revealed that during the meeting, the process of dismissing and revoking appointments of over 3,000 individuals found guilty of local exam fraud across all positions has been completed by the Department of Local Administration and related agencies. However, the critical issue now is to urgently track and recover all salaries, compensations, and benefits these individuals received, as their initial appointments were legally invalid.
"To ensure that the lawsuits and recovery of public funds proceed correctly and tightly within legal frameworks—avoiding future legal disputes—the Central Committee plans to request the Office of the Council of State to help establish operational guidelines and clear timeframes before aggressively reclaiming the public funds," Mr. Worasit said.
Mr. Worasit further explained the relatively low number of appointees in the fourth recruitment round—only about 4,200 compared to the originally projected 8,000 to 9,000 positions. He clarified that the prior estimates included positions requiring thorough qualification checks for both requested and qualified candidates, which necessitated systematic verification before official appointments.
"Besides the qualification checks, a major limitation was the reporting system, originally set for only two days and able to accommodate a maximum of 2,000 candidates per day. This constraint led to the observed appointment numbers in the fourth round. Nonetheless, the Department of Local Administration allowed candidates who had previously forfeited their rights in the third round to regain eligibility to report and select new placement areas to ensure fairness and protect all qualified candidates' rights," Mr. Worasit added.
In conclusion, Mr. Worasit said he has directed relevant agencies to immediately adopt a proactive work plan by gathering nationwide data on all vacant positions to prepare for the fifth recruitment round. Should there be many qualified candidates and available positions, the reporting days will be extended accordingly to accommodate them properly and expedite effective use of the qualified candidates list for government benefit. The official call for the fifth recruitment round is expected to begin no later than 20 November 2026.