Anutin says foreigners ‘should not come here and take advantage of us’, as Thailand acts to close legal loopholes
Thailand acts to close legal loopholes and deter transgressions following a wave of scandals involving illegal businesses and landholdings.
Quick Look
- Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has condemned foreigners for illegal business and landholding practices in Thailand.
- The government is responding by reducing visa-free entry to 30 days, fast-tracking deportations, and cracking down on nominee business structures.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The government is addressing public backlash regarding illegal foreign ownership of land and businesses facilitated by corruption.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has issued a withering rebuke to foreigners behaving badly in Thailand following a wave of scandals involving illegal businesses and landholdings including a cemetery, saying the cases have “gone too far” by breaching Thai law and hospitality.
Facing mounting public backlash against illegal foreign ownership of swathes of the country enabled by endemic corruption, Anutin’s government has halved the visa-free entry period to 30 days for most countries and fast-tracked deportation proceedings against criminals.
Authorities have also launched a crackdown on “nominee” businesses that use Thai citizens as paper owners of companies, while vowing to tighten rules that have allowed foreign nationals to buy citizenship and therefore own land restricted only to Thais.
Open Questions
- What specific criteria will define 'nominee' businesses in the crackdown?
- How will the government verify citizenship status for land ownership?
