BURI RAM/PHETCHABUN - A father hopes the banquet for his daughter, who passed an exam for local government positions, will not be overshadowed as he calls for fairness for innocent candidates.
Pol Capt Sathien, whose last name was not disclosed and who is now retired, has organised 20 Chinese-food tables for guests on Sunday evening to celebrate his 34-year-old daughter. She successfully passed the tests for a lawyer position and was due to take up her post at a local administration organisation in Lam Plai Mat district next Wednesday.
The mood changed after her reporting day was postponed indefinitely when the Department of Local Administration suspended the results pending a review of about 480,000 recruitment examination papers amid allegations of fraud.
His 34-year-old daughter, whose name was not revealed, was one of the exam takers for 6,669 positions opened for local administration offices nationwide. She had already resigned as a temporary lawyer at the Office of Justice Affairs after passing the tests.
“My daughter passed the tests on her own,” insisted Pol Capt Sathien.
He said his daughter did not cheat and urged the department to vindicate innocent exam takers and separate them from cheaters.
“I feel distraught,” he said, referring to the department’s blanket decision that affected his daughter's career.
The exams turned controversial after an investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the police Anti-Corruption Division uncovered a scandal revealing sitters paid from 350,000 baht to 800,000 baht to a ring to pass tests for applied positions.
A raid on Monday at Sammueang Jarernrungrueangkit Co in Bang Yai district, Nonthaburi province, found people, including officials, tampering with answer sheets for their clients.
Authorities suspect Pichit Thangphrom, an official at Wichien Buri municipal office in Phetchabun province, may be linked to the cheating operation because he is a co-owner of the company.
The Wichien Buri municipal office confirmed Mr Pichit tendered his resignation on Thursday, a day after the province suspended him from duty while he is probed over the allegation. He was chief of the strategy and budget office before the suspension.
The office did not say when the resignation will take effect.
As investigators check exam papers to expose officials and others behind the scandal, Pol Capt Sathien said his dinner on Sunday will proceed to show his daughter that family and friends still rally behind her.
Civil service jobs are highly sought after for their security and generous pension and healthcare benefits. Studies have shown that the average annual health coverage expenditure for Thai civil servants is 11,000 to 14,000 baht per head. That compares with 2,100 baht per head for employees covered under Social Security, and 1,600 to 2,400 baht for those under the Universal Coverage or 30-baht scheme.
