Bangkok: Nirat insists he never pressured anyone to rush into signing off on the exam cheating case and isn't passing the buck to local authorities. Nirat explained the issue of the dismissal order for civil servants involved in exam fraud, affirming that the National Statistical Office (NSO) and the central government followed all procedures and did not pass the buck to local authorities. He also provided exam score sheets as evidence and clearly stated that there was no coercion on local authorities to sign the dismissal order for the civil servants.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Nirat Pongsitthithavorn, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior and Acting Director-General of the Department of Local Administration (DLA), addressed the criticism from Mr. Veeradet Phuphisit, Mayor of Lamphun Provincial Administrative Organization, regarding a central government order instructing local administrators to dismiss civil servants suspected of corruption in the civil service examination. Mr. Phuphisit felt the order lacked clarity and was like passing a hot potato to local authorities without the central government taking responsibility. Mr. Pongsitthithavorn stated that there was no need to worry. He explained that before reaching the provincial level, where the Provincial Administrative Organization (PAO) would notify municipalities, sub-district administrative organizations, and provincial administrative organizations within their respective provinces, the DLA and the central government had completed their procedures. This included obtaining accurate scores to compare with the allegedly correct results. These scores have now been sent separately to each province. The process may not have reached that point yet, and each local authority will receive the information. Each province will hold its Provincial Administrative Organization meeting on Friday, August 21st. Regarding the concerns raised by the Lamphun PAO Mayor, Mr. Pongsitthithavorn said he understood the Provincial Administrative Organization meeting in Lamphun had not yet been convened, but they would send the information along with the score sheets.
Regarding the allegations by the Lamphun Provincial Administrative Organization Chairman that senior officials in the Local Administration Department pressured him to stay quiet and quickly sign the document to end the matter, Mr. Nirat reacted with disbelief, stating, "It's definitely not me. There must be someone higher up than me if that were the case." He further added that he is certain this is not the case, as signing such documents is crucial for maintaining the integrity of the civil service recruitment process. It's impossible to force anyone to sign beforehand, and it would be wrong.