Phuket: The Minister of Interior revealed the results of his field visit to Phuket, stating that preparations are underway to demolish encroachers on Bang Tao Beach and Freedom Beach in July-August, along with the forced sale of land belonging to 317 nominee companies. The initiative is poised to be expanded to other provinces popular with foreign settlements, with clear results expected in two weeks.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Worasit Liengprasit, Deputy Minister of Interior, revealed after visiting Phuket province to follow up on the progress in resolving issues related to influential groups and cracking down on nominees that the process of addressing encroachment on public areas, particularly in Bang Tao Beach, Freedom Beach, and Nui Beach, has been monitored. Regarding the influential groups in Bang Tao Beach, the matter has entered the police process. The bribery allegations are being investigated, while the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (ONACC) will provide details on the involvement of government officials. Meanwhile, Freedom Beach, despite being within a national park, is also under police investigation. Demolition of structures is expected to begin in August, as this is the period when those affected can file complaints. Demolition at Nui Beach is expected to commence in mid-July.
Mr. Worasit also revealed that they have gathered 99% of the information regarding the alleged bribery of influential individuals, and are awaiting disclosure from relevant agencies. Regarding nominees holding land, work with the Department of Business Development, Ministry of Commerce, has revealed that 317 companies hold land totaling 480 plots. These 317 companies will be forced to sell their land as they have no right to own it. Further investigation will be conducted to determine how they acquired the land. All information will be compiled, and the land will be forcibly sold. If the provincial governors fail to comply, they will have the authority to intervene. Furthermore, these 317 companies will be investigated by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) due to similar patterns of wrongdoing and the high risk of land ownership on behalf of others, involving damages of nearly 6 billion baht. This impacts national security as foreigners owning land in Thailand is unacceptable to this government. Th e majority of those involved are law firms and accounting firms providing services, and information regarding their shareholdings has been found, which the DSI will pursue.
Mr. Worasit further stated that the investigation into land ownership by nominees will be expanded to all areas. The government has targeted areas where foreigners have settled, including Phuket, Koh Samui and Koh Phangan in Surat Thani Province, Krabi Province, Phang Nga Province, Pai District in Mae Hong Son Province, Chonburi Province, Rayong Province, and Bangkok. He added that more clarity will emerge in the next two weeks, but acknowledged that the data is very complex and requires time for verification. Inaccuracies could lead to legal action against government officials. He explained that there are many instances of land ownership being concealed, such as Company A being 51% owned by Thais and 49% by foreigners, with Company B then acquiring additional shares held by Thais. Although Company B is a Thai-registered legal entity, the combined ownership results in a higher proportion of foreign ownership than Thai ownership.
However, each province has been gradually submitting this issue to the Ministry, and the data will be processed within the next two weeks. Regarding nominees who have obtained Thai citizenship, we will investigate whether the process was conducted legally. If any irregularities are found, legal action will be taken. We can verify the reasons for their obtaining Thai citizenship, so there is no need to worry about the verification process.
Regarding claims that the land ownership under a Nor Sor 3 title deed is legal, Mr. Worasit affirmed that foreigners do not have the right to own land unless it is a special case under BOI investment promotion. Furthermore, if there is encroachment on public land, the Department of Land and the Department of Forestry can investigate.