Phuket tourism companies probed for illegal nominees to face DSI

[webfact]

Phuket tourism companies probed for illegal nominees to face DSI
The Phuket News


Phuket tourism businesses found using illegal nominee shareholders will be handed over to the DSI for further action. Photo: The Phuket News / file

PHUKET: -- Four companies operating in Phuket’s lucrative tourism industry and under investigation for allegedly using nominee shareholders to form registered companies will face the wrath of Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation (DSI), The Phuket News has been told.

Nimit Kangkajit, chief of the Phuket branch of the Business Development Office, recently reported to Governor Nisit Jansomwong that the four suspect companies were discovered during a one-week blitz that saw 43 companies on the island raided.

“We investigated six types of tourism businesses, namely eight restaurants, 13 real estate companies, two real estate agents, 16 tour operators, two vehicle rental agencies and two spas,” Mr Nimit said.

“Four of those business – three tour operators and one real estate company – [allegedly] used illegal nominees to set up their companies… We are collecting documents, examining bank accounts and investigating the people who are named as the shareholders of these four companies.

“When our investigation is concluded, all information will be handed over to Department of Special Investigation (DSI).” Mr Nimit warned.

Santi Pawai, chief of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports Phuket office and central to the illegal nominee raids, this week declined to name the four companies under investigation.

“I cannot publicly name them at this stage due to legal reasons, as so far these companies are only under investigation,” he said.

Mr Nimit added that 37 of the 43 companies raided were still under further investigation.

“We have been unable to locate the persons named as the owners, so we are in the process of examining all the legal documents for these companies,” he said.

“Three companies need to provide additional documents and two companies were found operating at addresses different from those listed in their registration documents.”

The latest blitz on companies using illegal nominees follows raids on nine tourism businesses in Phuket last month.

Companies that could not provide the requested documentation or were closed during when the raiding officials arrived were ordered to hand over all relevant paper work within five days of face a fine of B4,000.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-tourism-companies-probed-for-illegal-nominees-to-face-dsi-53609.php


-- Phuket News 2015-08-12

[KarenBravo]

.....and will those Thai illegal nominees get prosecuted?

Nah..........just the foreigners.

[shirtless]

Thailand wants investment but not investors , they are really blind .

[crazykopite]

It appears the writing is on the wall for all foreign companies to sell up and go elsewhere to make use of there investments Thailand no longer wants you !

[Nick167]

Serves the stupid foreigners right for coming and investing and contributing to this country's economy. Stop coming period. Urge all your friends, media, relations and governemnets about how protective and xenophobic thais are, boycott thailand and its products. It will be fun to see what happens then.

[northernboy]

Serves the stupid foreigners right for coming and investing and contributing to this country's economy. Stop coming period. Urge all your friends, media, relations and governemnets about how protective and xenophobic thais are, boycott thailand and its products. It will be fun to see what happens then.

Right after they write about the immigration and work restrictions in their own country. They were told the rules and choice to break the law because all white people are exempt from foreign laws but everyone else should do as the law states.

[onni4me]

everyone else should do as the law states.

Two words: Tesco Lotus

Serves as an example of fully transparent THAI company...

If all those involved with Thai businesses would obey the law, the Thai economy would collapse people withdrawing their money out - those capable of doing so.

One has to be careful for what one wishes for. One might get it.

[BigBadGeordie]

Hand over the documents or a B4,000 fine, followed by, the wrath of the DSI ;-).

Which apparently is much much worse than "The Wrath of Khan"!

[carstenp]

Serves the stupid foreigners right for coming and investing and contributing to this country's economy. Stop coming period. Urge all your friends, media, relations and governemnets about how protective and xenophobic thais are, boycott thailand and its products. It will be fun to see what happens then.

What happens is TAT say a 20% more tourist arrival

Edited August 12, 2015 by carstenp

[The Deerhunter]

So, how any of these being investigated thought they were legal? Any takers for 5 million baht Moo-bahn houses purchased under company names with 51% Thai share holders? Folk have been arguing this for years as to whether it is actually legal or just one of those things that you "don't want to be THE ONE CAUGHT doing it." And the law change from a few years ago.... Every Thai woman who owns land or house that it can be proved was bought with foreigner's money, not her own............is liable to confiscation? I assume that this means money belonging to ONE Falang, not money that used to belong to 1,500 Falangs.

But, Rule No.1 always applies. "Thailand is for Thais." And it is very VERY hard to become one, if you were not born one. As they used to say every week on Hill Street Blues. "Be careful out there." i.e. Don't believe every thing a Thai lawyer tells you. Lawyers everywhere in the world think they are being paid by you to tell them what you want to hear. They will consider you innocent until you are proven bankrupt.

Edited August 12, 2015 by The Deerhunter

[mancub]

Seems it's harder to find legal (bona fide) and willing Thai nominee shareholders. Greedy and complicit "illegal" ones not so ?

[Jimlove]

This country and THAI Airways are in sync : Going down in a Death Spiral, gonna crash and burn within a few years (or months ...)

[NamKangMan]

Thailand wants investment but not investors , they are really blind .

"Thailand wants investment but not investors" - yes, and that "investment" here is otherwise known as, "a donation."

Edited August 12, 2015 by NamKangMan

[Tony125]

I think its more of going after the reports of China tours and guides which was reported before as hotels, restaurants and places being used by Chinese on tours that were not owned by Thai but actually owned by Chinese so that Thailand was not really getting much money because the baht stayed in Chinese hands.

[mango66]

It appears the writing is on the wall for all foreign companies to sell up and go elsewhere to make use of there investments Thailand no longer wants you !

real investors are welcome !

Are you one of the illegal or cheating ones ??

Than please leave !!

[mango66]

So, how any of these being investigated thought they were legal? Any takers for 5 million baht Moo-bahn houses purchased under company names with 51% Thai share holders? Folk have been arguing this for years as to whether it is actually legal or just one of those things that you "don't want to be THE ONE CAUGHT doing it." And the law change from a few years ago.... Every Thai woman who owns land or house that it can be proved was bought with foreigner's money, not her own............is liable to confiscation? I assume that this means money belonging to ONE Falang, not money that used to belong to 1,500 Falangs.

But, Rule No.1 always applies. "Thailand is for Thais." And it is very VERY hard to become one, if you were not born one. As they used to say every week on Hill Street Blues. "Be careful out there." i.e. Don't believe every thing a Thai lawyer tells you. Lawyers everywhere in the world think they are being paid by you to tell them what you want to hear. They will consider you innocent until you are proven bankrupt.

make a business and share it with the locals - thats legal !

to use them only as nominees - thats illegal !

Look at all this agencies - where you will find only cyrillic letters -

in future only mandarin -

you will not find any Thai employee !!

Many works can also be done , good and fair by thais -

but these guys will only employ their nationes ;

I made a test on some of this agencies with my thai wife -

in no one of this shops were anybody inside who could talk in Thai !!

This shops - shoreholding is just illegal and have to be closed !!

It would be the same in your country !!

And fore sure,

they would not wait 5 days that you " prepair " documents -

and penalty for sure would not be 5.000,- thb

[EnglishJohn]

It appears the writing is on the wall for all foreign companies to sell up and go elsewhere to make use of there investments Thailand no longer wants you !

real investors are welcome !

Are you one of the illegal or cheating ones ??

Than please leave !!

Only investors who will 'invest' in a company where they must give at least 51% to a Thai are welcome. Which rules out people wanting to setup a small business.

How many Thai's would you trust not to cheat you out of all your money at the first chance they get ?.

The laws are stacked to make any farang wanting to run a small business 'cheat' the system to avoid getting cheated themselves. From company ownership right through to work permits. If they clamp down on those then people will close up shop.

[mango66]

everyone else should do as the law states.

Two words: Tesco Lotus

Serves as an example of fully transparent THAI company...

If all those involved with Thai businesses would obey the law, the Thai economy would collapse people withdrawing their money out - those capable of doing so.

One has to be careful for what one wishes for. One might get it.

Thai economie also worked without russians !!

And most cheating in mrds - in real estate are only, if foreign capital involved -

2 mill capital do build a Condo- 200 mill- 500 mill collected from buyers - and money dissapear to Uk, AUS, NZ or russia;

[sammygood]

no 2 brain cell

even those operators are illegal, mind this ...

if they bring qualtiy experience to the tourists, and they want the tourists money, right, thai or farang ....

will they come back if they are forced to get a thai tourist "expert" that did not finish grade school, can hardly speak a descent sentence of english, chinese, russian

bring them to places they have a deal with (like tuk tuk maffia) to buy overpriced crap

will that bring back the returning happy customers ?

[mikemac]

This country and THAI Airways are in sync : Going down in a Death Spiral, gonna crash and burn within a few years (or months ...)

Run ! Run ! Run for your life !

[Acharn]

Serves the stupid foreigners right for coming and investing and contributing to this country's economy. Stop coming period. Urge all your friends, media, relations and governemnets about how protective and xenophobic thais are, boycott thailand and its products. It will be fun to see what happens then.

And the end of the fight is a tombstone white with the name of

the late deceased,

And the epitaph drear: "A Fool lies here who tried to hustle the

East. -- Rudyard Kipling, The Naulahka

Yeah, yeah, take your football and go home and they won't be able to play without you and then they'll be sorry.

[greenchair]

So, how any of these being investigated thought they were legal? Any takers for 5 million baht Moo-bahn houses purchased under company names with 51% Thai share holders? Folk have been arguing this for years as to whether it is actually legal or just one of those things that you "don't want to be THE ONE CAUGHT doing it." And the law change from a few years ago.... Every Thai woman who owns land or house that it can be proved was bought with foreigner's money, not her own............is liable to confiscation? I assume that this means money belonging to ONE Falang, not money that used to belong to 1,500 Falangs.

But, Rule No.1 always applies. "Thailand is for Thais." And it is very VERY hard to become one, if you were not born one. As they used to say every week on Hill Street Blues. "Be careful out there." i.e. Don't believe every thing a Thai lawyer tells you. Lawyers everywhere in the world think they are being paid by you to tell them what you want to hear. They will consider you innocent until you are proven bankrupt.

make a business and share it with the locals - thats legal !

to use them only as nominees - thats illegal !

Look at all this agencies - where you will find only cyrillic letters -

in future only mandarin -

you will not find any Thai employee !!

Many works can also be done , good and fair by thais -

but these guys will only employ their nationes ;

I made a test on some of this agencies with my thai wife -

in no one of this shops were anybody inside who could talk in Thai !!

This shops - shoreholding is just illegal and have to be closed !!

It would be the same in your country !!

And fore sure,

they would not wait 5 days that you " prepair " documents -

and penalty for sure would not be 5.000,- thb

Well no it isn't the same in our countries.

In our countries there are strict discrimination laws.

Thais can buy land, own a business 100% and if married do pretty much any job they like.