A high-ranking public health official is being sacked from his position and from the civil service for sexual harassment of several of his female subordinates.
Jessada Chokdamrongsuk, permanent secretary for public health, on Thursday said a civil service sub-committee agreed to fire the senior official after a disciplinary panel submitted its report and recommended punitive measures to the sub-committee.
The sub-committee ruled that the official, who has not been named so far, committed a severe disciplinary violation of the Civil Service Act BE 2551 (CE 2008).
Dr Jessada was speaking after a meeting with the sub-committee on punitive action against the official at the Office of the Permanent Secretary on Thursday.
The official will not be entitled to receive a pension, which he would be if he was simply dismissed.
However, he can appeal or take the issue to the Administrative Court, Dr Jessada said.
The original investigation was launched after one of the official's female subordinates lodged a police complaint in Nonthaburi, together with a video clip showing her being sexually harassed, dragged across a room, and having her breasts fondled.
The official was later found guilty of having molested his female subordinates since 2014 by the disciplinary panel, which agreed that he committed a severe disciplinary violation carrying penalties of being fired or of being dismissed from his post.
The panel then forwarded the decision to the sub-committee to finalise the punitive measures.
Earlier, the Women's and Men's Progressive Movement Foundation, had demanded the ministry reveal what action was being taken after the official was judged guilty but no disciplinary action was taken against him.
