Commerce Ministry Investigates 44 Waste Firms for Nominees

Kittiwat Patchimanont, Director-General of the Department of Business Development at the Ministry of Commerce, disclosed that following media reports about electronic waste recycling factories in Prachin Buri operating illegally and causing widespread toxic pollution affecting ecosystems and local communities, and concerns that these companies may be using Thai nationals as front men (nominees) to run businesses, Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Supamas Isarabhakdi ordered relevant agencies to take strict legal action. The Department of Business Development was tasked with examining whether Thai nominees were being used to operate businesses illegally, and to expand inspections to all waste businesses with foreign shareholders in Prachin Buri to stamp out illegal foreign capital entering Thailand.

Kittiwat said the department, the Prachin Buri Provincial Commerce Office, and law enforcement agencies immediately conducted on-site inspections. The Ministry of Commerce examined company details from initial registration, invested capital, shareholder structures, actual management authority, and links to other legal entities potentially involved in nominee violations. Preliminary findings identified four companies exhibiting nominee behavior. The Prachin Buri Provincial Commerce Office has forwarded this information to law enforcement agencies for investigation and prosecution of offending business operators, including tracing financial trails of Thai shareholders who may be acting as nominees.

Additionally, the inspection expanded to all waste businesses in Prachin Buri with foreign shareholders. Using the Department's Intelligence Business Analytics System (IBAS), 44 risky legal entities operating waste businesses were identified: 41 non-hazardous waste limited companies with foreign shareholders (37 with foreign ownership below 50%, 4 with 50% or more), and 3 hazardous waste limited companies with foreign shareholders (2 with foreign ownership below 50%, 1 with 50% or more). The department, provincial commerce office, and law enforcement are now inspecting these high-risk entities for nominee violations, and any illegal operations will face strict enforcement from each agency. The Ministry of Commerce, through the Department of Business Development, continues to prevent and suppress illegal businesses in targeted sectors, flagging suspicious entities expected to use Thai nominees, and coordinating with relevant agencies to enforce laws strictly to resolve the crisis affecting legitimate entrepreneurs and impacted communities.