The government spokesperson revealed that "Anutin" will visit Koh Phangan on 13 May following Phuket, ordering nominee scans nationwide, pointing out this as a threat to economic security. He emphasized not allowing grey capital to exploit legal loopholes to take jobs from Thai people.
On 11 May 2026, Ms. Ratchada Thanadirek, spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office, announced that on 13 May, Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is scheduled to visit Koh Phangan in Surat Thani Province to closely monitor issues concerning foreign-operated businesses through nominees. This follows his visit to Phuket Province on 10 May, during which the Prime Minister stressed solving problems related to influential figures, public land encroachment, and protecting citizens' ability to work safely.
Ms. Ratchada stated that the Prime Minister personally follows this issue and emphasized that the government will not allow the use of nominees or legal loopholes to become a threat to the people. This problem is not merely about business registration but concerns economic security, especially in tourist areas with high economic value, significant employment, and broad impacts on citizens' income.
The Ministry of Commerce, through the Department of Business Development, scanned legal entities on Koh Samui and Koh Phangan, finding a total of 16,811 entities. Of these, 11,426, or 67.97%, involve foreign investment partnerships: 3,213 on Koh Phangan out of 4,761 total, and 8,213 on Koh Samui out of 12,050 total. This underscores the necessity for the state to rigorously verify whether Thai nationals are holding shares as nominees to circumvent the law.
"The Prime Minister has instructed security forces, administrative bodies, the Ministry of Commerce, and relevant agencies to scan all areas nationwide—not just Phuket, Samui, or Phangan. If any use of legal loopholes to take away Thai people's livelihoods is found, strict legal action must be taken," she said.
Ms. Ratchada added that the Prime Minister emphasized that the Thai government supports proper, transparent foreign investment that benefits Thailand but will not tolerate grey capital, nominees, or economic crime networks exploiting the country. She urged the public to help by reporting any clues to authorities and not to become tools allowing foreigners to use Thai names as fronts, as protecting Thai livelihoods requires cooperation from all parties.