The Dental Council has a resolved to revoke the dentistry licence of Dolrudee Jumlongras, a former university lecturer who reneged on a state scholarship contract and remains in the US, for breach of professional ethics.
Council chairman Paisal Kangwolkij announced the decision at a media conference on Wednesday.
He said Ms Dolrudee had resigned without fulfilling the employment conditions set down in her scholarship granted by Mahidol Univerity to pursue master's and doctoral degrees at Harvard University in 1993 and then return to work in Thailand.
Dolrudee Jumlongras (Photo taken from the internet).
She therefore owed the university and the Office of Higher Education 24 million baht, and had failed to pay it within the 30-day deadline.
The Central Administrative Court ruled on Feb 15, 2006 that Ms Dolrudee had to pay the debt, but she did not. This caused problems for all her guarantors, who have make the payment on her behalf.
Mr Paisal said a sub-committee on ethics was of the view her behaviour had brought discredit on the profession and she was no longer qualified to be a member of the council. Therefore, her licence to practice dentistry would be revoked.
He said the guarantors had trusted Ms Dolrudee to return to work in Thailand and share the benefits of her studies. She had instead remained in the United States and her guarantors had to repay her scholarship money.
When the Administrative Court passed its final ruling, the guarantors had asked her to pay the debt but she said she did not have the money to do so. Ms Dolrudee later promised to return the money after she had sold her assets overseas. After the sale, she still refused to pay the debt.
“This can be considered as cheating, luring the guarantors to trust in her. Her behaviour has caused damage to the profession, showing her lack of social responsibility and lack of respect for the law, causing damage to the country,” the statement issued by the council said.
