Bravery has paid off for Panida Yotpanya, the 22-year-old intern who exposed irregularities at a welfare centre in Khon Kaen, with state-run Krungthai Bank offering her a job after she graduates.
Several public and private universities have also offered her scholarships to pursue a master’s degree.
Ms Panida, a fourth-year community development student at Maha Sarakham University’s humanities and social science faculty, said on Wednesday her studies had progressed well since she changed her topic and research adviser after exposing the embezzlement at the Khon Kaen Protection Centre for the Destitute.
She now had two months to write up her research so she could graduate at the same time as her classmates in May.
The intern who turned whistleblower has received praise from the public for her courage in revealing the irregularities in the handling of funds at the welfare centre.
Ms Panida is being protected by soldiers and police as a key witness in the welfare funds embezzlement case.
She told a media conference on Wednesday there had been an outpouring of support and encouragement from people, and she wanted to continue to help the underprivileged in society.
“For now, I will concentrate on my studies and prepare to give testimony to the PACC [Public Anti-Corruption Commission] and an inquiry panel set up by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) into the irregularities,’’ the university student said.
Ms Panida revealed she had been contacted by several universities, both public and private, offering her scholarships to pursue a master’s degree. Some universities had offered to make her a staff member while studying.
State-run Krungthai Bank had also promised her a job in its internal auditing section at its headquarters after graduation from Maha Sarakham University, she said
She thanked the public for their encouragement and asked other students who uncover irregularities to be brave and alert the authorities.
Ms Panida and three of her friends joined the Khon Kaen Protection Centre for the Destitute as interns and during their time there were told to forge the signatures of more than 2,000 people on claims for welfare funds totalling nearly 7 million baht.
Ms Panida decided to lodge a complaint with the NCPO about the irregularities at the centre, blowing the scandal wide open.
The PACC subsequently launched a major investigation into the handling of funds for the poor at welfare centres across the country. To date, the commission has reported that 70% of the funds were prone to corruption, with the investigation continuing.