Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has pledged to investigate leaked Line chat messages allegedly showing the chief of the Department of Provincial Administration (DoPA) instructing a senior Phuket official to "help the blue party" during the recent election campaign.
Mr Anutin, who also serves as interior minister and leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, which is widely associated with the colour blue, said he had seen reports concerning the alleged exchanges between Narucha Kosacivilize, director-general of the DoPA, and Roongruang Thimabut, deputy governor of Phuket.
Mr Roongruang has claimed he was unfairly transferred after refusing to serve political interests. The leaked messages allegedly included instructions from a senior official telling subordinates to "help the blue party" during the election period.
Mr Anutin said he had seen a statement issued by Mr Narucha and would review it in detail. If wrongdoing is found, he said, an inquiry committee will be established to investigate the matter.
Asked whether the controversy reflected internal conflict within the Interior Ministry, Mr Anutin dismissed the suggestion.
Mr Narucha on Friday denied sending the alleged messages or having any knowledge of them.
He said his Line account had been configured for public access and linked to multiple devices, making it possible for someone else to have used the account. However, he firmly denied authoring the messages.
The senior official also rejected allegations that he had acted to benefit any political faction, claiming the accusations were an attempt to discredit him after the department launched anti-corruption and money-laundering investigations involving several officials in Phuket.
Mr Narucha further denied claims that five local administrative officials had been transferred for refusing political instructions.
He said four district chiefs had been temporarily reassigned pending fact-finding inquiries and were fully aware of the arrangements. Only the Phuket deputy governor had publicly objected.
In a statement, the DoPA reiterated that all officials had strictly adhered to political neutrality and election laws during the campaign period.
The department argued that several elements of the leaked chats remained unverified or may have been distorted, including the identities of individuals mentioned and the timing of the conversations.
It also suggested the allegations were politically motivated, noting they surfaced long after the election while investigations into alleged corruption and misconduct involving certain officials were under way.
Meanwhile, lawyer Pattarapong Supaksorn submitted the leaked chats to the Constitutional Court, seeking to have the election annulled.
He said the messages formed part of broader evidence suggesting systematic political interference in the electoral process.
Mr Pattarapong also linked the controversy to concerns over barcode-marked ballots, alleging they could compromise voting secrecy and potentially allow political operatives to trace votes. He claimed the combination of ballot administration, provincial oversight and the alleged Line instructions pointed to coordinated manipulation benefiting the "blue party".
Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, deputy leader of the People's Party, called for a forensic examination of the chat records.
