Chalermpong Saengdee, MP for Phuket Constituency 2, submitted a formal complaint to the Phuket Provincial Commerce Office on Friday (July 3), asking officials to investigate an individual who allegedly serves as a director of five companies believed to be concealing foreign business operations.
The complaint was received by Phuket Provincial Commerce Office Chief Waranit Apiratjirawong, who confirmed that the office would investigate the allegations.
According to Mr Chalermpong, the individual holds a Thai national identification card beginning with the number 8, indicating they were born outside Thailand but later acquired Thai citizenship.
He alleged that the person is listed as a director of five companies linked to the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism sector, and claimed the businesses may be operating as nominee companies for foreign investors.
Mr Chalermpong argued that such arrangements, if proven, deprive Thai and Phuket residents of business and employment opportunities reserved for Thai nationals under the law.
“The documents we have uncovered have now been submitted to the Phuket Provincial Commerce Office for investigation into the nominee arrangements and the five registered companies,” he said.
He added that the companies have relatively high levels of registered capital, raising questions about the source of the investment funds.
Mr Chalermpong said he wants authorities to investigate whether the capital used to establish the companies was obtained legitimately and whether there are grounds to examine possible money laundering offences.
Beyond the business registrations, Mr Chalermpong said he will also seek an investigation into the individual’s acquisition of Thai nationality.
Mr Chalermpong also filed a separate complaint with the Phuket Provincial Damrongtham Centre (Provincial Ombudsman’s Office) requesting officials verify the legal process through which the individual obtained Thai citizenship, including the documentation submitted, the recognition of parental relationships and the subsequent issuance of the national identification card.
In a statement posted on social media after submitting the complaint, Mr Chalermpong stressed that his request was not an accusation that the individual had committed a crime.
Instead, he said he was asking the relevant agencies to verify whether every step of the naturalisation process complied with Thai law.
“If the inspection confirms that every step complied with the law, it will create clarity for society. But if any irregularities are found, I ask that the law be enforced equally without exception,” he wrote.
Mr Chalermpong also requested authorities examine reports that the individual had previously served as a police volunteer in Phuket before obtaining Thai nationality, saying officials should determine whether they met all legal qualifications required for that role.
Responding to the complaint, Ms Waranit said the Phuket Provincial Commerce Office would coordinate with other agencies and investigate the allegations in accordance with the evidence provided.
She noted that nominee businesses remain a major focus for Phuket authorities.
The Phuket Governor has assigned Vice Governor Pol Lt Col Khetarat Chansilp to oversee investigations into suspected nominee business operations, with the Commerce Office, Land Office and police jointly examining complaints and gathering evidence.
Some investigations have already been completed, while others remain under investigation or have been forwarded for legal proceedings, she said.
Ms Waranit also revealed the scale of the issue across the province.
According to the Commerce Office’s database, more than 6,600 legal entities in Phuket have been identified as being at risk of operating as nominee companies across six sectors: land trading, real estate, e-commerce, tourism, hotels and resorts, and agricultural products.
She said authorities have already completed investigations into 23 cases involving 25 companies, with legal action initiated where appropriate, while the remaining cases are being expedited.
Thailand’s Foreign Business Act prohibits foreign nationals from operating certain categories of businesses unless they receive special permission. The use of Thai nationals as nominee shareholders or directors to conceal foreign ownership is illegal and has been the subject of repeated government enforcement campaigns in Phuket and other major tourism destinations.
Authorities have not identified the individual named in Mr Chalermpong’s complaint, and no charges have been filed. The allegations remain under investigation.