Interior Ministry orders Phuket deputy governor-level official back to provincial post after inquiry ends

Thailand’s Interior Ministry has ordered Phuket provincial clerk Rungreung Thimabut to return to duty in Phuket after the end of a fact-finding investigation and the expiry of his temporary reassignment order.

According to a report dated June 25, 2026, the Department of Provincial Administration sent a letter to the Phuket governor instructing the province to receive Mr. Rungreung back to his original post. The letter said his period of temporary assignment to the department had ended and the department’s fact-finding process had been completed.

The letter referred to Department of Provincial Administration order No. 1512/2569, dated May 20, 2026, which assigned Mr. Rungreung to duty at the department from May 25 to June 24, 2026.

The department said the inquiry process had now concluded and the reassignment period had expired, so Mr. Rungreung was being sent back to resume work in Phuket. It asked the province to notify the department once he reports for duty.

The department also stated that in fiscal year 2026, the official had 12 days of leave remaining. It instructed the province to ensure the official performs his duties in line with relevant laws, regulations and official orders, and to maintain the honor and discipline expected of civil servants.

The document was signed by Winai Tocharoen, deputy director-general of the Department of Provincial Administration, acting on behalf of the director-general.

On May 20, 2026, the department, under Director-General Narucha Khotchasitwilai, ordered Mr. Rungreung and four other administrative officials to report to the central administration while a committee examined complaints about alleged benefit demands or kickbacks from entertainment venues in Patong, Kathu district, Phuket.

Later, on May 28, 2026, Phattharaphong Suphakson, also known as lawyer Un Buriram, disclosed a screenshot of a Line chat that he said showed a brief message, “Help blue,” allegedly exchanged between a senior Interior Ministry executive and a local official before an election. The report said it later became known that Mr. Rungreung was the person who sent that chat.