Authorities in Krabi have searched a pool villa on a 2.5-rai plot of land amid allegations that Thai nominees were used to hold property on behalf of foreign investors. The operation was led on June 2 by Krabi Governor Angkoon Silathevakul and Pol. Maj. Gen. Sukkasem Nakhonwilai, commander of Krabi Provincial Police, alongside police, provincial administration officials and other agencies.

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The raid targeted a villa in Moo 7, Nong Thale subdistrict, Mueang Krabi district, following an investigation by Krabi’s task force on offences involving foreign business ownership through nominee arrangements. Officials believe the case may involve violations linked to the use of Thai nationals as nominees for foreign interests.

Investigators did not locate the company’s owners during the search. Examination of land ownership documents found that the property is held under the name of a private company whose directors and controlling parties include two Spanish nationals and one Thai national. Authorities said the company’s structure may constitute the use of Thai shareholders acting on behalf of foreigners to circumvent legal restrictions, potentially classifying it as a foreign entity under Thailand’s Land Code, which prohibits foreign ownership of land.

Officials have instructed Krabi Land Office personnel to file a complaint with investigators at Ao Nang Police Station. Authorities will seek to identify and summon those involved to acknowledge the allegations and face legal proceedings.

Further inspection found that the villa had been operating as a daily rental property for foreign tourists without a hotel licence as required under the Hotel Act 2004. The property reportedly required a minimum stay of three nights and charged 60,000 baht, while having operated in this manner for approximately three years.

Authorities are also examining whether the villa complied with reporting requirements for foreign guests under Section 38 of the Immigration Act 1979. Officials said a detailed review will determine whether further legal action is warranted.

Governor Angkoon said authorities have already searched six other businesses suspected of nominee ownership arrangements. These include accommodation businesses, hotels, restaurants, a zoo and a cannabis cultivation facility, all of which remain subject to ongoing legal action.

Matichon reported that the investigation forms part of a wider review of foreign-linked businesses in the province. According to information from the Department of Business Development, there are 401 companies in Krabi with foreign participation that authorities intend to examine.

Pictures courtesy of Matichon

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Adapted by ASEAN Now Matichon 3 June 2026

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They spent the last 30 years selling these villas in this way - now it's time to take them all back.

It's hilarious.

The questions are..............is it a government directive or opportunist provincial administrations jumping on the financial gain bandwagon in this latest and very targeted anti foreigner campaign..............and what exactly is their end game...?

10 minutes ago, Off Piste said:

The questions are..............is it a government directive or opportunist provincial administrations jumping on the financial gain bandwagon in this latest and very targeted anti foreigner campaign..............and what exactly is their end game...?

I would think it's opportunist mayors. There is literally 100s of thousands villas held under company name really doing no harm. There are the same amount of businesses under company name, making profits paying no tax, employing foreigners illegally, that's where they should focus

26 minutes ago, ukrules said:

They spent the last 30 years selling these villas in this way - now it's time to take them all back.

It's hilarious.

Well not really if one is living in one.

Seems like the victims will be punished.

1 minute ago, baansgr said:

I would think it's opportunist mayors

It's very early days in this nominee and illegal activity crackdown, I'm really intrigued as to how it will pan out......Right now, it's on an upward trajectory with no real end in sight, almost contagious.....................

Governor Steve McGarret - Krabi 50. Book 'im Somchai, Thai nominee 1.

The government must have been waiting for the fruit to ripen. Kind of like the countdown for the Olsen Twins to become legal.

2 hours ago, ukrules said:

They spent the last 30 years selling these villas in this way - now it's time to take them all back.

It's hilarious.

It certainly must be very confusing for those who had been assured that they were doing the legal thing at the time.... why is it that all of a sudden they are enforcing this law?

2 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

the company’s structure may constitute the use of Thai shareholders acting on behalf of foreigners to circumvent legal restrictions

Except in a very few cases and except when in a foreigner’s Thai wife’s name, every property with a foreigner shareholder/director will be found to be illegal use of a Thai as a shareholder. It is easy to confirm by looking at the company’s bank account. Only if 51% of the funds used to purchase the land were transferred from the Thai shareholders and only if the Thai shareholders’ funds had been in that account with a reasonable period where expectation that they were actually their funds can be assumed - not deposited the day before the transaction - and only in this case are the Thai shareholders not nominees.

So a quick search through a database or two can show every single illegal purchase of Thai land.

I live near Mabrachan and every foreigner I have met here in the last 30 years are illegally holding Thai land. Only a few were smart enough to put the land in their wife’s name and register a proper mortgage at the land office, which prevents the sale without the loan being repaid.

So it is confusing why the Thai government pretends to be addressing an issue, rather than actually addressing it.

Who is the ultimate beneficiary of all those confiscations? and how all those properties in a hundreds of millions will end up with? will we ever know? Me think, No.

Sounds like someone wasn't sufficiently generous to the status quo. Just pay up and everybody go home happy-happy. But maybe too late . . .

3 hours ago, Off Piste said:

very targeted anti foreigner campaign

It is the Rule of Law being targeted.

Should really go back and find posts from AseanNow members ridiculing anyone who was warning this was risky, saying this will never happen, etc.

As a foreigner, you can own the house. You can't own the land. This law has been in existence for a very long time. You can lease the land for 30 years, but rolling leases of 30+30+30 years are not enforceable.

These "buy company that owns a house" schemes with a few Isaan farmers as shareholders who got 1000 baht for copy of their ID card were always illegal. Anyone who went this route is looking at having their property confiscated or be given a short time (last time I've heard of it was 30 days) to sell it, although in that case the company owners fled the country if I remember correctly.

I know many don't trust their wives enough to put their property in their name. If they are willing to put some significant effort in it, they could actually gain a Thai citizenship. If not too old. Could learn to speak Thai. Learn a bit about Thai history. And have 200$ to apply. Even embarrassingly singing national anthem in front of many serious uniformed men is no longer required. If not married, it takes longer and is more expensive path to citizenship via permanent residence. After holding it for 5 years, one can apply for citizenship. Process for both is literally the same, although PR is considerably more expensive than citizenship.

But if someone just wants to make a corrupt shortcut without being willing to invest any effort into it - sorry, mate. Maybe owning a villa in Thailand isn't for you. Unless, of course, you don't mind losing 10s of millions of baht when it gets confiscated while you're fleeing the country, avoiding arrest. Som nam na.

Years ago, there was no AI, so it was too much work to take action against it. Now, lazy civil servants can check everything from behind their computers. But if there were no benefit or profit to be gained for them, they wouldn't do this.

2 hours ago, Mr Janneman said:

Years ago, there was no AI, so it was too much work to take action against it. Now, lazy civil servants can check everything from behind their computers. But if there were no benefit or profit to be gained for them, they wouldn't do this.

Yes. The 6JAN 2021 Washington DC bomber (bombs placed but didn't explode) was caught after 5 years. All the raw information had been obtained early on but it took programs with so much more horsepower to link like the Home Depot receipts, Cell phone data, shoes and backpack, license plate video, etc. etc. which is how or they finally found the guy.

Another change over time with AirBnB or B-ooking com it easier now to do short term rentals on property and maybe the authorities are using those links and working backwards.

Edited June 3Jun 3 by JerryM

6 hours ago, Off Piste said:

It's very early days in this nominee and illegal activity crackdown, I'm really intrigued as to how it will pan out......Right now, it's on an upward trajectory with no real end in sight, almost contagious.....................

I bet many foreigners are glad their condo floats in mid air. 🤣

7 hours ago, Off Piste said:

The questions are..............is it a government directive or opportunist provincial administrations jumping on the financial gain bandwagon in this latest and very targeted anti foreigner campaign..............and what exactly is their end game...?

Is it perhaps that foreigners in Thailand obey the law... or how is that handled in your home country, smarty-pants?

10 hours ago, ukrules said:

They spent the last 30 years selling these villas in this way - now it's time to take them all back.

It's hilarious.

... but it's been illegal for all of those years and everybody involved knew it. Even more hilarious.

Edited June 3Jun 3 by Liverpool Lou

10 hours ago, Off Piste said:

The questions are..............is it a government directive or opportunist provincial administrations jumping on the financial gain bandwagon in this latest and very targeted anti foreigner campaign..............and what exactly is their end game...?

There's nothing anti-foreigner about it, it's anti-illegal activity.

9 hours ago, baansgr said:

There is literally 100s of thousands villas held under company name really doing no harm

Well, those hundreds of thousands of villas that have been registered in the name of companies solely for the purpose of getting around foreign ownership laws really are doing harm... they're breaking the law. Legitimately trading companies that own properties in this manner are not breaking the law, those are the ones that are doing no harm.

10 hours ago, Off Piste said:

...and what exactly is their end game...

The end game is to stop people illegally circumventing Thai laws on foreign property ownership.

9 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Well not really if one is living in one.

Seems like the victims will be punished.

On the contrary, it seems as though those who deliberately went out to illegal circumvent foreign property ownership laws are the ones being punished, and rightfully so.

7 hours ago, ezzra said:

Who is the ultimate beneficiary of all those confiscations? and how all those properties in a hundreds of millions will end up with? will we ever know? Me think, No.

Yes, we will know, any illegally owned property that is confiscated will then belong to the state.

Off topic post removed @TimBKK discuss the topic, not other posters.

The Sky is falling at last for some

13 hours ago, ukrules said:

They spent the last 30 years selling these villas in this way - now it's time to take them all back.

It's hilarious.

Thirty years ago, it was common knowledge that this "Thai company" property ownership route was a bogus, grey area that was always going to be illegal.

Fools and their money.... hilarious. You're right.

Edited June 3Jun 3 by NanLaew

Well, sends the message that in Thailand the ground moves at a moments notice and you shouldn't invest as you can lose everything in a week or two.... optics are bad to say the least and the locals helped fool the foreign investors. Only an idiot would invest here in Thailand as the ground is constrantly moving... go ask Pepsi, Carlsberg or Kingsgate for even legit attempts.

20 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

Som nam na.

It is an ugly thing to mock and gloat over the misfortune of others.

I see a lot of misery here for some folks in their later years.

Somehow this showed up to me...

On 6/2/2026 at 6:30 PM, ukrules said:

They spent the last 30 years selling these villas in this way - now it's time to take them all back.

It's hilarious.

It's disgusting and symptomatic of the ingrained endemic corruption. They refuse to attack the corruption at its source; the local officials who approve, and the Thai nationals who counsel and enable the wrongful acts. I won't be surprised if a local Thai with connections is able to "purchase" the property at a below market price. These land seizures before judgement are for show and are intended to distract a financially worried public from bigger problems, like a looming economic recession.