“Deputy Minister of Interior” discusses plans to regulate foundations and associations, aiming to conduct comprehensive inspections of 17,500 entities within 30 days. He seeks to publicly defend the Ministry of Interior, stating it currently lacks authority to investigate financial flows in depth and plans to propose legal amendments to expand its powers to do so. Tags: [Ministry of Interior, foundations regulation, associations, legal reform, financial oversight]
At 5:00 p.m. on 10 Nov 2026 GMT+7, Polpi Suwanchavee, Deputy Minister of Interior, chaired a meeting to discuss oversight of foundations and associations following issues and complaints about lack of transparency. The meeting included the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, executives from the Department of Provincial Administration, and representatives from the Department of Business Development, Ministry of Commerce. Tags: [Ministry of Interior, meeting, foundations oversight, transparency, government officials]
After a meeting lasting over two hours, Polpi revealed that the Ministry of Interior seeks to amend laws because it is responsible for reviewing documents when establishing foundations or associations before granting licenses, but currently lacks authority to revoke or penalize except under relevant civil and criminal laws. Some laws from 1927-1937 also require revision.Tags: [legal reform, Ministry of Interior, foundations licensing, law amendment, regulatory authority]
Regarding foundations currently under scrutiny, if they fail to submit documents as ordered by the Department of Provincial Administration, the Governor of Pathum Thani Province, acting as registrar, will proceed legally. The Department of Provincial Administration has coordinated with the Royal Thai Police to obtain evidence to determine if the foundation operates outside its objectives. Police statements suggest misconduct, so relevant documents are being collected to submit to the court for immediate license revocation.Tags: [foundation investigation, legal action, Pathum Thani, police coordination, license revocation]
Asked whether the case could be submitted to court for revocation tomorrow if the 'Good Deeds' foundation fails to provide documents, Polpi said it could not yet because the deadline was 10 November. The deadline was set because since its founding, the foundation has never reported to the Ministry of Interior or responded to ministry letters requesting documents, despite periodic local-level discussions.Tags: [foundation compliance, Good Deeds foundation, reporting deadline, Ministry of Interior, document submission]
Regarding the law amendment process, which may take a long time, and whether ministerial regulations will be issued first, Polpi said he discussed with Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilprapunt that amending the law could take two years. They are considering issuing ministerial regulations or Prime Minister’s Office orders in the interim to enforce measures while the law is amended.Tags: [legal amendment process, ministerial regulations, interim measures, Ministry of Interior, government planning]
On the comprehensive inspection plan, Polpi said preliminary data shows over 17,500 foundations and associations to be inspected. They are awaiting complete lists from Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. Once complete, detailed inspections are targeted to finish within 30 days. The inspection will cover both paper-based and online systems to verify consistency and adherence to objectives. If unable to finish in 30 days, periodic reports will be submitted to the Prime Minister.Tags: [inspection plan, foundations and associations, Bangkok, Ministry of Interior, timeline]
Addressing speculation that the crackdown was triggered only by the 'Good Deeds' foundation case, Polpi defended the Ministry of Interior, confirming ongoing periodic inspections. Past investigations uncovered foreign capital transactions through foundations purchasing land and assets via nominees, leading to multiple cases. The 'Good Deeds' foundation never reported to the ministry despite letters and local discussions. Its lack of cooperation necessitated resolving the matter by 11 November.Tags: [Ministry defense, ongoing inspections, foreign capital, Good Deeds foundation, compliance]
Polpi emphasized that other foundations are also under inspection. Some comply with regulations fully, some partially, and some not at all. Some newly established foundations operated charitable activities for 3-4 months using personal or spouse accounts. Complaints prompt coordination with the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) to investigate financial routes. Currently, the Ministry of Interior cannot independently trace financial flows. The new law draft aims to grant the Department of Provincial Administration authority to audit foundation and association financial flows.Tags: [foundation compliance, financial oversight, AMLO coordination, law draft, Ministry of Interior]
Asked about celebrities and influencers establishing foundations and associations and how the ministry plans to control them, Polpi said strict criteria already exist for establishment, including finances, founders, boards, and purposes. However, some abuse public trust by misusing donations. No law can fully control operations of all foundations. Therefore, the ministry plans to implement a Tracking Monitor system to audit donation usage, modeling on the Ministry of Commerce’s corporate registry system for tracking share transfers and management changes. Discussions are ongoing to link systems between the two ministries and with AMLO to define financial oversight roles.Tags: [foundations regulation, celebrities, donation monitoring, system development, inter-ministry coordination]
Polpi added that next Tuesday they expect to complete discussions with all agencies. Donations exceeding 300 million baht fall under the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), but the ministry seeks authority to audit such funds as it currently only receives meeting reports, operational results, and budgets without deep financial investigation. A challenge is cash donations, which are difficult to track compared to bank transactions and statements.Tags: [donation oversight, DSI, Ministry of Interior, cash donations, financial transparency]
“Some associations were just registered but have operated activities for over 10 years, including transferring funds to personal or spouse accounts. All agencies are coordinating on measures and drafting laws to ensure public transparency and protection,” Polpi said.Tags: [associations oversight, long-term operations, financial irregularities, legal drafting, public protection]
When asked about concerns over donations being used to buy real estate to avoid financial scrutiny, Polpi admitted concern about both donation sources and assets donated to foundations. Investigations found foundations involving foreigners used donations to purchase land held by unrelated persons or bought properties under company names, violating the foundation’s purpose as a trust and aid center. The Department of Provincial Administration is currently investigating.Tags: [financial misuse, real estate purchases, foreign involvement, foundation purpose, ongoing investigation]
Asked if financial flows can currently be blocked, Polpi said stopping donations from entering foundations is difficult. Hence, the Ministry of Interior must have authority to audit independently to act promptly and clarify its jurisdiction. This requires legal reform and public communication to clarify the ministry’s roles and powers.Tags: [financial flow control, Ministry authority, legal reform, public communication, audit powers]