An ombudsperson at Harvard University is said to have stepped in on the case of its Thai-born employee, who allegedly breached her state scholarship contract with the Thai government.
Dr Padet Poolwithayakit, a dentist in Saraburi and one of the four guarantors, posted a message on Friday on his Facebook page, claiming he has received information from a source in the US that Harvard University has already acknowledged the Dolrudee Jumlongras scandal and is now investigating the case through its Ombudsman Office.
In the message, Dr Padet said: "She [Dolrudee] is now in trouble. My source in the US has informed me that Harvard University, her employer, has acknowledged the scandal, so her name might be deleted from the HSDM's [Harvard School of Dental Medicine] leadership list."
He apparently was referring to the Ombduds Office, an independent affiliate of the main ombudsman office, which serves only the medical schools of Harvard, including Dr Dolrudee's Harvard School of Dental Medicine.
According to the Ombuds Office website, Melissa Brodrick, the ombudsperson, deals with cases of professional misconduct, but has no power to intervene.
Melissa Brodrick, ombudsperson: 'I have shared your concerns' (Photo from Ombuds Office website)
The email to Mr Padet actually indicated she stopped short of promising an investigation, saying only that she had shared the concern of Dr Dolrudee's guarantors with administrators of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.
Dr Dolrudee left a 30-million-baht debt to her four guarantors after she, a former Mahidol University dentistry instructor, defaulted on a large debt obligation from a scholarship she took to pursue her master's and doctoral degrees at Harvard in 1993.
The scandal went viral last week after one of her guarantors, Dr Padet, posted a message describing how he and other three guarantors now had to pay out of their own pockets to settle the scholarship debt that has not been repaid.
After she completed her PhD, she did not return to teach at Mahidol University, contrary to the condition of the scholarship. She is now an instructor in Developmental Biology working at HSDM.
Angry Thai netizens have been bombarding the Harvard University Facebook page, calling the Ivy League college to also show some accountability.
Dr Padet later posted another message saying: "Many people have asked me about my last message. I can tell you guys that she has already been investigated by the Ombudsman Office, according to my source in the United States."
"I will follow up results from the investigation closely. I reckon that this move from Harvard will affect her career over there because the Ombudsman Office is an influential office in Harvard, so I think from now on she will try to do everything she can to ease social pressure otherwise it would be difficult for her to work at Harvard."
He also posted a photo showing an emailed reply from Ombudsperson Ms Brodrick.
The email said: "Thanks for the update, I have shared your concerns and email with leadership at HSDM."
In another post, Dr Padet urged Thai netizens to send a petition to Harvard's Ombudsman Office to tell the university the truth about Dr Dolrudee.
"The Ombudsman Office will keep your identity secret. We must work hand-in-hand to do this," Dr Padet urged netizens on his Facebook page.
The Bangkok Post wrote an email to Ms Brodrick asking her to help clarify the ongoing investigation claimed by Dr Padet on his Facebook page, but did not immediately receive an answer.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Dapong Ratanasuwan said he plans to hold a meeting with the Finance Ministry, the scholarship's source of funds, soon, over how both agencies can change the terms and criteria for considering applicants for government scholarships.