A senior public health official faces serious disciplinary action after he was found to have sexually harassed female subordinates and abused his authority.
Health permanent secretary Sophon Mekthon said on Wednesday the disciplinary action followed a Public Health Ministry fact-finding investigation. It concluded there were grounds to a complaint of sexual harassment made against an official of the general affairs division at the health permanent secretary's office.
According to the complaint, the official had also harassed and threatend other female subordinates, and a supervisor had asked them to withdraw their complaints.
Dr Sophon quoted the official as admitting to the actions described in the complaint, but denying they were sexual in manner. He admitted only to "improper teasing".
The ministry's fact-finding committee found that the harassment was sexual, and had occurred in a government office while he was wearing a government uniform. The committee also concluded that the accused official had threatened subordinates in various ways and expressed his frustration when they resisted his desires.
The fact-finding committee resolved that the official should face investigation for a serious disciplinary offence, Dr Sophon said.
The panel also found that a supervisor had failed to solve the problem even though being aware of the harassment for a long time. It decided the supervisor should face investigation for a minor disciplinary offence.
Dr Sophon did not name the officials.
However, 40-year-old official Asadet Ratanaworaprasert was named in stories earlier this month after a video clip was posted on social media showing a man in an official's uniform headlocking a woman employee and appearing to have his hands on her chest.
A 30-year-old temporary worker at the health permanent secretary's office said the senior official had repeatedly molested her at work, groping her breasts, since 2014 and had threatened to terminate her yearly contract if she resisted him.
Eventually, she and her friends managed to hide a camera in his office and caught him molesting her.
The official was recently transferred to the Nonthaburi provincial health office pending the investigation.
Last week, police charged him with sexual harassment and he was released on bail of 200,000 baht.
