The police are raising the stakes for foreign criminals.

Tourists are crowding in the old town of Phuket. Authorities are tightening the fight against foreign criminals who come under the guise of tourists and use Thailand as a base for committing crimes. Colonel Surapong Thanomjit, commissioner of the Provincial Police Region 8, stated that the government has instructed the Royal Thai Police and the Ministry of Interior to take measures to address the problem, especially in Phuket. The Phuket police have created a special task force to combat these foreign criminals. Foreigners wishing to do business or work in Thailand must comply with the Foreign Business Act and the Foreign Workers Act, which set rules to ensure national security and reserve certain jobs for Thais.

Last year, over 11 million tourists visited Phuket, bringing in more than 380 billion baht. This year, the private sector in Phuket expects a 5-10% increase in tourist numbers, which should generate 400 billion baht. The Phuket office of the Tourism Association of Thailand reported that the province anticipated overcrowding during the Thai New Year from April 12 to 16. As of April 11, the hotel occupancy rate was already at 80% of capacity. It was expected that around 264,350 tourists would arrive in Phuket during the holiday period, spending an average of 6,625 baht per day per person, which would bring the island 7.04 billion baht.

The arrival of foreign visitors raises concerns among authorities due to foreign criminals disguising themselves as tourists, as well as foreigners using Thais as business nominees to circumvent regulations that prohibit certain types of businesses for Thai citizens. Pol Lt Gen Surapong stated that the Provincial Police Region 8 is investigating more than 60 companies suspected of acting as nominees for foreigners in the South, primarily in Phuket and Surat Thani.

A fresh crackdown has begun.

On April 3-4, police raided 17 companies in Phuket that were allegedly used as business nominees by a Russian money laundering network, according to the Crime Suppression Division (CSD). During the operation, authorities seized two computers that reportedly contained a database of foreign clients looking to register Thai firms to be used as shell companies, more than 50 corporate stamps, and 500 related documents, said CSD commander Pol Maj Gen Montree Theskhan.

Auramon Supthaweethum, the director-general of the department, stated that inspections have been conducted in major tourist provinces, including Phuket, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Surat Thani, and Chon Buri. In-depth investigations were carried out on businesses in the hospitality sector, including those managing tour guides, restaurants, car rentals, hotels, and real estate. The agency discovered that 419 firms may be acting as business nominees; 313 of them were ordered to submit additional documents for verification. The department is also collaborating with the Tourism Department and the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to examine an additional 59 firms in Phuket.