Visitors as well as foreigners are being used by nominations to operate businesses in Thailand.
PUBLISHED: 4 Dec 2024 at 17: 36
Authorities announced on Wednesday that more than 1, 000 Thai and international nationals had been detained in a joint operation by officers and commerce government officials for use of Thai nominees by international companies over the past few days.
According to Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej, commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau ( CIB ), the investigations targeted 442 businesses with more than 3.6 billion baht in circulation in 46 locations across the nation.
The police anti-economic crime division, a unit of the CIB, took part in the operation along with officials from the Department of Business Development ( DBD ) at the Ministry of Commerce, he said.
A full of 1, 014 people were detained, including 714 Thais, 258 Chinese, 21 Malay, four Cambodians, four Asian, three Britain, three German, two Chinese, two Myanmar citizens, one American, a Singaporean and one Kazakhstan nationwide.
Pol Lt. Gen. Jirabhop claimed that several of the businesses were run by Thais acting as proxies for foreigners despite the fact that they were only offered to Indian nationals.
These businesses had property assets worth 254 million ringgit, and records obtained showing that they had hired law or accounting firms to manage their enrollment were confiscated.
Authorities discovered some businesses engaged in forex trading, as well as warehouses where goods were kept in transit, many of which were outlawed for importation, according to the CIB key.
Some of the others were labeled as sides to steal funds without engaging in any business, according to Pol Lt. Gen. Jirabhop.
According to assistant business minister Napintorn Srisanpang, the joint operation followed a resolution reached by the police and the DBD to look into Thai nominees in early November.
He urged Thai citizens acting as proxy to come forward and review to officials in order to gain a chance to be seen as witnesses. He stated that any attorneys or auditors involved would be notified to professional regulatory systems.
The use of Thai intermediaries, according to deputy police chief Thatchai Pitaneelabutr, has harmed the market and threatened national security, particularly when these companies are run by call-centers or drug groups.