Supachai and Polpeer have joined forces with the Commerce and Interior Ministries to form a permanent team to track nominees, linking databases for retrospective investigation so that changes in shareholders cannot help them escape detection.
At 3:00 p.m. on 4 Sep 2026 GMT+7, at the Kittiyakor meeting room, Ministry of Commerce, Supachai Sutthumpun, Minister of Commerce, and Polpeer Suwannachawi, Deputy Minister of Interior, along with executives from both agencies, attended a meeting to enhance efforts to suppress nominee arrangements such as using Thai nationals to hold shares or land on behalf of foreigners.
This discussion established that the Department of Business Development, Department of Provincial Administration, and Department of Lands will interconnect and exchange data, sharing a common database to continuously update monthly, enabling officials to trace links from company registration, shareholder structure changes, involved persons, to land ownership.
The key point is to review historical data, not only current company structures, since after the government started seriously cracking down on nominees, some companies altered their shareholder makeup by increasing Thai shareholders to meet legal requirements and avoid scrutiny.
Polpeer stated that the public should be assured that even if shareholder structures change now, officials can conduct retrospective checks. At the meeting, cooperation was requested from the Department of Business Development to provide historical shareholder change data, especially for target companies, to verify facts prior to structural changes.
"Thai people should not worry. After discussions in today’s meeting, the Department of Business Development has agreed to provide retrospective shareholder change data, especially for companies in the target group," he said.
Polpeer emphasized that the main objectives of these actions are to protect legitimate Thai businesses and entrepreneurs from disadvantage caused by capital groups exploiting nominee channels, and to safeguard Thailand’s land from foreign ownership through individuals or entities holding on their behalf.
He stressed that all detected violations will not be limited to the currently named individuals or companies; officials will trace back and extend investigations to all related parties, including accounting firms, law firms, or those assisting with company setup and registration. Anyone found aware of or involved in wrongdoing will face legal action.
Moreover, if investigations uncover involvement by government officials who misuse their authority to benefit foreigners in illegal acts, they will be subject to investigation and legal proceedings without exception.
Moving forward, the Ministries of Commerce and Interior will establish a continuous joint working team, not just temporary operations, linking the work of the Department of Business Development, Department of Provincial Administration, and Department of Lands to cross-check and expand investigations involving "companies-persons-land" data, closing loopholes used for nominee business and land holdings in Thailand.