Thai Prime Minister's Son Caught Cheating on University Exam by Phairath Khampha 31 August 2002 The son of Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was caught cheating in a university examination and faced disciplinary action, officials said. Panthongtae Shinawatra, a political science student at Bangkok's Ramkhamhaeng University, was caught with study notes hidden in his pockets, according to examiner Wiwatchai Kulamat. This is a serious problem in Thailand's education system, with a high percentage of students routinely cheating on examinations, particularly the sons and daughter's of the country's economic and political elite, who can pay their way outof the mess if caught cheating. And it makes one wonder about the validiy of many of Thailand's people who hold all types of university degrees, especially as the univeristy's rector said that exam cheating and fraud in Thailand "is rife and considered a trivial issue". If it could be proven that he was using the notes to cheat Panthongtae could be banned from his studies for a year. Panthongtae is the only son of Mr Thaksin, a successful tycoon and the founder of Shin Corporation, the country's biggest telecommunications company. The political science student is also one of Thailand's richest men, after much of his father's fortune was transferred to him in September 2000 to comply with Thai constitutional rules in a scam set up by his father to avoid impeachment for corrupt financial transactions. A 25% stake in Shin Corp, worth over 13m baht ($325m), was placed in his name as his father is not allowed to hold more than a 5% stake in any listed company while in office. Facing suspension Mr Wiwatchai said the discovery was made during a law examination and that Panthongtae was removed from the examination room. He was blocked from taking any more exams until an investigation into the incident can be carried out. This investigation will be convoluted in order to obfuscate what exactly happened so that the son can eventually free himself from the mess he put himself into. Of course, ti will cost considerable money, not that he does not have little. If found guilty the 22-year-old student could be failed in all of the subjects he has taken this term and be suspended from his studies for up to a year. "Panthongtae was found with a copy of some notes in his pocket. In this kind of incident, if students are found guilty of intending to cheat, they will be punished," Professor Wichot Wanno, his student advisor at the university, said. "The university is considering whether in his case he meant to cheat or just forgot about the notes," he added. Innocent oversight? Professor Wichot however was made to decide to not be convinced of Panthongtae's guilt. "In my private opinion, I don't think he intended to do it. He just forgot like many students forget. But this has become a big issue because he is the prime minister's son," he said. This was a sentiment echoed by a government spokesman who said Panthongtae had just taken a small notebook into the examination room "which many students do". And they usually use this notebook and all goes well for them if they are not caught. His father Mr Thaksin has refused to comment on the incident. Although Thai news websites had been reporting the story there was no mention of it on the evening television news. According to AFP the Thai government news organisations said they had been asked not to report on the story. The prime minister has been regularly cracking down on freedom of the press in his increasingly dictatorial approach to running the country for the benefit of his rich cronies and the country's economic and political elite. Notwithstanding Professor Wichot's statements made for political expediency and the sake of his career, Mr Panthongtae, a third-year student at Ramkhamhaeng University, was discovered red-handed copying answers from two pieces of paper he had smuggled into the examination room, said Wutthipong Larpcharoensap, deputy chief of the university's exam supervision centre. And Mr Panthongtae, 23, admitted the wrongdoing in a written statement to exam supervisors. "His motive for carrying the two pieces of paper into the examination room needs to be explored," said Wichote Wanno, Mr Panthongtae's faculty counsellor. "He is a good student and works hard." But obviously not hard enough. Darani Pookahad, a third-year student at the university, said she Mr Panthongtae had deliberately concealed his notes as signs had been placed on the doors of every examination room warning students not to carry in any unauthorised documents. "So it could not have been an innocent accident," she said. "Mr Panthongtae will have to face the consequences like other students who violate the rules," she added. University says exam fraud rife and trivial The acting rector of Ramkhamhaeng University sought to play down the cheating in the exam by the son of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, saying exam fraud was widespread and considered to be a trivial matter. He said given Thai society's penchant for cheating and stealing, together with rife corruption, what could anyone do. Granted, he said, most academic credentials from Thailand ought to be considered suspect. "Ramkhamhaeng University considers cheating in exams by students to be a trivial problem. It is common in all exams. In some cases, we have even found that students have paid others to take exams on their behalf," said the acting rector, Rawiwan Srikhramkhran. "Students are youths. How can we punish them for exam fraud?" she asked. "However, it is true that because of this one wonders whether such people are properly trained in their fields and perhaps most professionals are therefore not truly professionals." Ms Rawiwan said Mr Panthongtae would be allowed to sit exams in all the courses he had registered to take this semester pending the outcome of an investigation, which was expected to take up to four months to complete. Under university rules, students found guilty of cheating are failed in all the exams they take during the semester, and suspended from attending their studies for one academic year. However, because in this case it was the son of Thailand's prime minister, the obfuscation in the case had already started with Ms Rawiwan dening having received an account of Mr Panthongtae's cheating despite the dean of the university's political science faculty, Pornchai Theppanya, insisting a report had been submitted directly to the acting rector by the chief exam monitor. Meanwhile, Mr Thaksin claimed the incident had resulted from a "misunderstanding". However, senator Montree Sinthawichai said he knew for a fact that exam questions had been leaked to Mr Panthongtae and called for the student to expose those responsible.Mr Panthongtae "should set a good example by revealing the names of those who helped him to cheat," he said. He, too, wondered how it is that doctors, engineers, accountants and other professionals managed to find jobs in other countries, given that their professional credentials obtained in Thailand were clearly suspect because of this problem. He said he was amazed at the naivete of people in the West about this problem.