Interior Ministry Probes Foreign Land Nominees in Surat Thani

Matichon•Politics•1d ago

Reader Briefing

Deputy Interior Minister Worasit Liangprasit is overseeing investigations into foreign nominee land ownership and business operations in Surat Thani, particularly on Samui and Phangan islands.

•112 legal entities in Koh Phangan were found to have foreign shareholder proportions exceeding legal limits, holding 124 plots of land.
•Surat Thani province has 25,864 legal entities, with 11,721 having foreign shareholders.
•The Revenue Department of Surat Thani Area 2 is investigating 110 cases of potential nominee use.
•Legal action has been taken against 104 foreign workers and 46 employers for labor law violations in Surat Thani.

Overview

•Deputy Interior Minister Worasit Liangprasit is monitoring the resolution of foreign national misconduct regarding nominees, business operations, and land ownership in Surat Thani province.
•In Koh Phangan, 112 legal entities were identified as exceeding foreign shareholder limits, holding approximately 86 rai, 3 ngan, and 42.4 square wah of land across 124 plots.
•The Governor of Surat Thani has ordered the disposal of land for 8 cases, with 28 cases under consideration and 76 cases being gathered for proposal by the Koh Phangan Land Office.
•The Surat Thani Provincial Commerce Office identified 5,486 legal entities with duplicate addresses and 4,621 individuals holding shares in multiple companies for further analysis.
•The Surat Thani Area 2 Revenue Office has processed 12 out of 110 suspected nominee cases, with a total value of 7.538 million baht.
•Since May 13, legal proceedings have been initiated in Koh Samui and Koh Phangan, including a targeted inspection on August 14 regarding unlicensed hotels.
•Surat Thani issued work permits to 7,542 foreigners, consisting of 4,101 in Koh Samui and 2,513 in Koh Phangan.
•Worasit Liangprasit stated that agencies must ensure the process is completed and not left as mere numbers or reports.

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Source: Matichon (Original)

Key Quotes

Worasit Liangprasit

"Those who act correctly must be able to conduct business with confidence, while those who use loopholes, nominees, or violate the law must enter the legal process equally."

คนที่ทำถูกต้องต้องสามารถประกอบธุรกิจได้อย่างมั่นใจ ส่วนใครใช้ช่องโหว่ ใช้นอมินี หรือฝ่าฝืนกฎหมาย ก็ต้องเข้าสู่กระบวนการตรวจสอบและดำเนินการตามกฎหมายอย่างเท่าเทียม

Key Entities

Person

Worasit Liangprasit(วรศิษฎ์ เลียงประสิทธิ์)

Deputy Minister of Interior monitoring the investigation of foreign nominees in Surat Thani.

Organization

Ministry of Interior(กระทรวงมหาดไทย)ℹ️

The ministry overseeing the Deputy Minister tasked with resolving foreign misconduct in Surat Thani.

Department of Business Development(กรมพัฒนาธุรกิจการค้า)

An agency involved in linking data to verify business ownership.

Surat Thani Provincial Commerce Office(สำนักงานพาณิชย์จ.สุราษฎร์ธานี)

The office that screened legal entities and found duplicate addresses and shareholders.

Revenue Department(กรมสรรพากร)

The national tax agency involved in investigating nominee business activities.

Surat Thani Area 2 Revenue Office(สำนักงานสรรพากรพื้นที่สุราษฎร์ธานี 2)

The specific office investigating 110 cases of potential nominee use in Surat Thani.

Koh Phangan Branch Land Office(สำนักงานที่ดินส่วนแยกเกาะพะงัน)

The office gathering data to propose the disposal of land held by foreign nominees.

Place

Surat Thani Province(จังหวัดสุราษฎร์ธานี)ℹ️

The province where investigations into foreign nominees and illegal land holding are being conducted.

Koh Samui(เกาะสมุย)ℹ️

An economic area in Surat Thani under scrutiny for foreign business operations.

Koh Phangan(เกาะพะงัน)ℹ️

An area in Surat Thani where 112 legal entities were found holding land illegally via foreign shareholders.