crack down on illegal foreign-run businesses

by **wiking** » January 1, 2012, 11:19 am

for some will 2012 not be so nice
if they will do this on all the houses and land farang have bought, than many thais can buy cheap houses !!!!!!!
and what about all the bars and restaurant, real estate and others what farang are doing with no working license and
never paid income tax.
many off the nominees all these real estate have used, have never report income to tax goverment and how can they then buy all these assest !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DSI to crack down on illegal foreign-run businesses

The Nation on Sunday January 1, 2012 1:00 am
Department of Special Investigation (DSI) chief Tharit Pengdit said yesterday his office would crack down on foreigners using Thais as nominees to buy land and run businesses from which they are legally excluded.

Tharit said many foreigners were using Thai nationals as nominees to run businesses prohibited for non-Thais under the Foreign Business Act 1999. The businesses include logging, newspapers and property development. He said the DSI was cracking down on foreign gangsters encroaching on forestland and running property projects as well as extorting others in Koh Samui, Pattaya City and other tourists cities, while human traffickers had brought Chinese prostitutes into Thailand. Claiming foreign gangsters aimed to launder money in Thailand-based businesses before transferring it offshore, Tharit said the DSI would be more proactive in going after them before Thailand entered the Asean Economic Community in 2015. He urged members of the public to alert the DSI to any suspicious activities.

by **parrot** » January 1, 2012, 11:42 am

As I read the article, if you abide by the law, you have nothing to fear. If you don't abide by the law, then that's a different story. It's pretty much the same rule of law here as anywhere else.
The same goes for immigration laws.....there are myriad ways to work around the established laws for long stay/driving/working in the country......and then there are the legal ways. From what I've seen, if you do it the right way, you have no problem.

by **BobHelm** » January 1, 2012, 12:00 pm

I thought that this law was enforced & tightened up on a couple of years ago..
Well. according to newspaper reports at time.

Thai partners in businesses were going to be subjected to annually audits to ensure that they were genuine 'owners & managers' of the businesses that they had legally signed to say they were & not just proxies pulling a salary for never going near the business.

As parrot says anyone not attempting to circumvent the law should face little by way of problems.

I suspect that it is, at least in part, it is 'flag waving & distraction' typical of these type of 'crackdown'.
I note that this time they are deeply concerned about Chinese prostitutes in Tourist areas. Last time it was Russian. No mention of the Thais that must actually make up over 80 to 90% engaged in the trade...
They, of course, do simply not exist...

by **Prenders88** » January 1, 2012, 12:37 pm

I'd be worried if I bought a house through a Mickey Mouse Thai Company, using a Thai proxy. :shock:

You could both end up in the s*it.

I've never heard of any "farangs" being involved in the illegal teak trade, that's sewn up between the Thai and Chinese Mafia.

crack down on illegal foreign-run businesses