Police Chief Says Officials Named in Local Exam Cheating Probe
Police have identified officials involved in a 2568 local exam cheating scandal and plan arrests within days, with a three-phase investigation examining procedures from test creation through score manipulation.
National Police Chief Kittarat Panthapetch announced on July 14, 2568 at Government House that his task force has identified those involved in the 2568 local government and civil service recruitment exam fraud case and has categorized them into groups. He stated the investigation team is preparing to announce arrests tomorrow, following the detention of three suspects whose testimony and forensic evidence are being compiled for legal proceedings.
Panthapetch explained that the committee established a three-phase investigative framework: the pre-exam preparation phase examining whether exam procedures, recruitment, test creation, test security, and safeguards were conducted properly; the during-exam phase covering group assignments, venue arrangements, test distribution, examination conduct, and supervision; and the post-exam phase reviewing result processing, answer checking, and allegations of answer correction and score manipulation.
From July 10–13, the task force intensively gathered facts, sending requests to educational institutions and financial bodies for documents. The investigation is currently in the data analysis stage. The police chief noted that detailed findings regarding individuals involved will lead to conclusions to be reported to the committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Patchon Nilprapan and ultimately to the Prime Minister, with recommendations for disciplinary, ethical, systemic, and policy measures to prevent future incidents.
With less than a month remaining under the 30-day directive, police are accelerating their work. When asked if investigators have sufficient information to proceed, the police chief said they have adequate material but acknowledged multiple factual questions remain across all three phases, requiring further document requests and witness interviews before the investigation can be considered complete. Over the next week, police will intensify efforts using documents received from Thammasat University, the Interior Ministry, and the Civil Service Commission's examination standards comprising over ten criteria.
