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Corrupt officials blamed for businesses illegally run by foreigners
Corrupt officials blamed for businesses illegally run by foreigners
Tuesday 21 July 2026 09:58 AM
BANGKOK: Corrupt government officials were viewed as the main factor allowing foreigners to illegally operate businesses in Thailand, a Nida poll showed on Sunday (July 19).
Silence: Governor dodges questions about investigations into corruption
Silence: Governor dodges questions about investigations into corruption
Sunday 19 July 2026 09:00 AM
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chotinrin Kerdsum has declined to answer key questions about the widening corruption investigations that have engulfed Phuket’s provincial administration, refusing to say whether investigators have identified additional officials linked to the alleged network that prompted the biggest shake-up of the province’s leadership in years.
Rungruang denies corruption allegations, files criminal complaints against accusers
Rungruang denies corruption allegations, files criminal complaints against accusers
Friday 17 July 2026 12:24 PM
PHUKET: Former Phuket Provincial Palad (Chief Administrative Officer) Rungruang Thimabut has publicly denied all allegations linking him to corruption investigations, insisting he had “absolutely no involvement whatsoever” in either a local government recruitment exam bribery scandal or allegations that he demanded a B1 million bribe in a Phuket land case. 
DLA confirms 5,814 caught in exam scandal
DLA confirms 5,814 caught in exam scandal
Thursday 16 July 2026 09:35 AM
BANGKOK: The Department of Local Administration (DLA) has submitted a list of 5,814 candidates whose examination scores were found to be irregular to the Central Examination Committee for consideration of revoking their appointments.
Exam fraud suspects arrested
Exam fraud suspects arrested
Tuesday 14 July 2026 09:11 AM
NONG KHAI: Police have arrested three suspects wanted in connection with alleged fraud in a local recruitment examination, while a key government committee is set to review evidence tomorrow (July 15) that could pave the way for the revocation of appointments made through the disputed examination.
Polapee raids follow day after hotel licensing deadline expires
Polapee raids follow day after hotel licensing deadline expires
Monday 13 July 2026 10:31 AM
PHUKET: Deputy Interior Minister Polapee Suwunchwee personally led raids on three Phuket hotels on Saturday (July 11), less than 24 hours after the deadline he had extended for operators to seek legalisation under a special government consultation programme expired.
Polapee repeats crackdown orders in Phuket
Polapee repeats crackdown orders in Phuket
Saturday 11 July 2026 01:37 PM
PHUKET: Deputy Interior Minister Polapee Suwunchwee has again called for tougher action against illegal land titles, nominee businesses, unlicensed hotels, cannabis shops and other illegal activities in Phuket, repeating many of the directives issued during previous visits and meetings.
Phuket MP blasts ‘sham’ anti-corruption efforts
Phuket MP blasts ‘sham’ anti-corruption efforts
Friday 10 July 2026 04:42 PM
PHUKET: Phuket MP Chalermpong Saengdee has used a speech in Parliament to accuse authorities of merely pretending to tackle corruption in Phuket, arguing that repeated transfers of senior officials and high-profile investigations have failed to address entrenched problems on the island.
NACC seeks prosecution over B6mn bribe to free British drug gang boss
NACC seeks prosecution over B6mn bribe to free British drug gang boss
Wednesday 8 July 2026 12:01 PM
PHUKET: Thailand's National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has resolved to seek criminal prosecution against seven people, including a senior police officer, over an alleged B6 million bribery scheme that promised to secure the release of a British organised crime boss later extradited to the United Kingdom and jailed for 20 years.
Phuket hotel licensing deadline extended
Phuket hotel licensing deadline extended
Tuesday 7 July 2026 10:00 AM
PHUKET: The Ministry of Interior has extended its special hotel licensing consultation programme in Phuket until Friday (July 10), giving unlicensed hotel and entertainment venue operators an extra week to enter the legal system while reaffirming a crackdown on illegal foreign nominee businesses.
‘Big Joke’ bribe case begins
‘Big Joke’ bribe case begins
Tuesday 7 July 2026 08:48 AM
BANGKOK: Former deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, known as “Big Joke”, appeared at the Supreme Court alongside his lawyer to face corruption allegations related to the gold-bribe scandal yesterday (July 6).
Governor promises AI will sort public concerns
Governor promises AI will sort public concerns
Monday 6 July 2026 12:00 PM
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chotinrin Kerdsum on Friday (July 3) opened the doors of the Governor's Residence in a bid to hear directly from residents, inviting the public to answer two simple questions: “What do you want to tell the Governor?” and “What do you want the Governor to do?”
Former Phuket governor faces criminal prosecution over illegal hotel licence
Former Phuket governor faces criminal prosecution over illegal hotel licence
Sunday 5 July 2026 10:00 AM
PHUKET: Thailand's National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has ruled that former Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada committed criminal misconduct by approving a hotel licence for what is now a luxury Phuket resort despite the project allegedly failing to comply with environmental requirements.
Phuket officials trained to avoid disciplinary offences
Phuket officials trained to avoid disciplinary offences
Sunday 5 July 2026 09:30 AM
PHUKET: As Phuket continues to grapple with a string of high-profile investigations involving alleged misconduct by public officials, the Provincial Office this week organised a training programme aimed at helping civil servants avoid disciplinary offences.
Phuket schools honoured for anti-corruption education efforts
Phuket schools honoured for anti-corruption education efforts
Saturday 4 July 2026 09:00 AM
PHUKET: Nine educational institutions in Phuket have been recognised for outstanding efforts in promoting anti-corruption values, with provincial officials reaffirming their commitment to strengthening transparency and good governance across government agencies.
Rungruang now accused of illegal land dealing
Rungruang now accused of illegal land dealing
Tuesday 30 June 2026 06:27 PM
PHUKET: Former Phuket Provincial Palad (Chief Administrative Officer) Rungruang Thimabut has now been accused of extortion following a multi-agency investigation that uncovered an alleged money trail in an extortion case in Phuket to a separate local government recruitment exam bribery case in Southern Thailand.
House committees hit the beaches
House committees hit the beaches
Monday 29 June 2026 11:45 AM
PHUKET: Five House of Representatives committees carried out a sweeping series of inspections across Phuket over the weekend, targeting land encroachment, illegal development, blocked beach access, unlicensed businesses and conservation issues as part of a nationwide crackdown ordered by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.
Rungruang arrested in national exam corruption probe
Rungruang arrested in national exam corruption probe
Monday 29 June 2026 11:18 AM
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Palad Rungruang Thimabut has been arrested by anti-corruption police over allegations that he acted as a middleman in a bribery scheme linked to local government recruitment examinations, just hours after returning to his post following a temporary transfer to Bangkok.
Phuket hotel operators take legal vacuum fight to Parliament
Phuket hotel operators take legal vacuum fight to Parliament
Monday 29 June 2026 11:00 AM
PHUKET: Small and medium-sized hotel operators in Phuket have taken their long-running licensing dispute to Parliament, warning that a legal vacuum has left more than 5,600 hotels unable to apply for or renew hotel business licences despite years of efforts to bring operators into the legal system.
House committee talks nominees, but not corruption
House committee talks nominees, but not corruption
Monday 29 June 2026 10:30 AM
PHUKET: A House committee tasked with investigating corruption and official misconduct has visited Phuket to examine illegal encroachment on public land and the use of foreign nominee companies, but an official report of the meeting made no reference to the corruption allegations currently engulfing the province.