Korn urges the government and Dr. Ekniti to take serious action against scammers within the country, stating that the “Bangkok Blueprint” is meaningless unless it targets Thai scammers with connections and addresses data leak vulnerabilities.
On 16 Oct 2026 GMT+7, Korn Jatikavanich, deputy leader of the Democrat Party, commented on tackling tech crime and scammer networks. While supporting international cooperation, he urged Dr. Ekniti Nitithanprapas and the government to genuinely intensify efforts to eradicate scam gangs and related parties within Thailand in concrete ways, rather than merely setting policies or creating attractive cooperation frameworks.
Korn called on the government to respond to and urgently act on five key issues as follows.
1. Economic and personal harm: He highlighted about 1.3 million online fraud cases causing total damage exceeding 120 billion baht (citing data previously discussed in parliament in September). Behind these figures are life savings and family breakdowns, especially among vulnerable groups.
2. Regarding the U.S. House of Representatives' planned sanctions on scammer networks, he noted that chairpersons of two key U.S. House committees have sent letters to the U.S. Secretary of State and Treasury Secretary proposing sanctions on individuals and entities linked to scammers, including a former Thai deputy finance minister. He urged Thai agencies to demonstrate their investigative capacity independently without waiting for foreign pressure.
3. Issues with national registry data and government system leaks: He questioned the security of citizens' data after reports in August that officials' passwords were stolen by malware leading to data being sold. Although the Department of Provincial Administration denied any main database leaks, the government must clearly explain where vulnerabilities lie, how they are fixed, and who is responsible.
4. Delays in investigating the Thai capital market: He urged the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to speed up investigations into networks alleged to be involved with scammers in the Thai stock market, as over a year has passed without public progress.
5. Conflicts of interest and governance in oversight organizations: He referenced cases where senior officials in oversight bodies were involved in signing contracts with accused scammers, leading to complaints filed with the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). He called on ministers to use legal powers to remove such individuals from office to uphold good governance and ensure transparency, integrity, and independence in investigations.
Korn concluded that although Thai agencies have begun seizing assets in transnational cases (e.g., the network of Jim Leeak – Ben Smith), actions against “Thai nationals with connections” remain slow, reflecting structural problems.
“The Bangkok Blueprint will have greater meaning if the government applies global principles effectively at home, including protecting citizen data, tracking money flows, conducting independent investigations, and providing concrete assistance to victims. Combating scammers cannot succeed through elegant international cooperation frameworks alone but requires seriousness, transparency, and integrity in domestic enforcement,” Korn said.