Bangkok (VNA) - Thai authorities are intensifying inspections of businesses suspected of using Thai nationals as nominee shareholders for foreign investors and employing foreign workers illegally in Bangkok, as part of efforts to strengthen investment oversight and ensure fair competition.
The Department of Business Development (DBD) under the Ministry of Commerce partnered with Parliamentary Committees on Commerce and Intellectual Property, and on State Security, the Huai Khwang District Office and the Immigration Bureau on June 19 conducted a field operation in Huai Khwang, Bangkok, targeting nominee businesses and illegal foreign workers. They monitored issues involving nominee businesses and illegal foreign labour in an area with a significant foreign population.
Officials found clear evidence of operators circumventing the Foreign Business Act B.E. 2542 (1999) by using Thai nationals as shareholders to conceal the actual foreign ownership.
During this operation, the Huai Khwang District Office provided data on 112 restaurants with foreign involvement, which is under detailed investigation.
Additionally, illegal foreign labour use, working without permits, and allowing foreigners to operate businesses in place of Thai nationals were detected.
Prior to this field operation, the department had identified 53 legal entities in Huai Khwang considered high-risk nominee cases. These were referred to the Anti-Money Laundering Office for financial and transactional investigations and forwarded to relevant agencies for comprehensive scrutiny to prosecute offenders fully. The information was also sent to the task force combating illegal foreigners at the Royal Thai Police, the Revenue Department, and the Metropolitan Police Bureau for their respective enforcement actions.
For the other 49 districts in Bangkok, the department has requested information from each district office and is awaiting data for further examination.
The sectors most affected by these violations include restaurant and beverage businesses; retail and wholesale trade; and real estate businesses./.
