CHIANG RAI -On Wednesday, the Police Commission of the House of Representatives held a seminar titled “Cyber Security Awareness: Protect Yourself Before Becoming a Victim”, at the Kong Garden View Resort Hotel in Mueang Chiang Rai District, Chiang Rai Province.
Speakers included Mr Wirote Lakkhanaadisorn, party-list MP for the People’s Party; Mr Thakoon Yasaeng, Chiang Rai MP and Vice Chairman of the Police Commission, Pol Col Phiphat Naradet, Deputy Commander of Chiang Rai Provincial Police; Mr Pongtharin Samorn, Deputy Provincial Prosecutor from the Office of the Attorney General for the Protection of Rights and Legal Aid for the People in Chiang Rai, and Mr Kriangsak Yodsan, Director of the Chiang Rai Provincial Office of the Attorney General. Around 300 people attended, including police officers, teachers, students, and education staff.
People’s Party MP Mr Wirote explained that many young people are being tricked into opening mule accounts, which ruins their future and fuels crime. He stressed that tackling mule accounts and the grey economy in the area needs cooperation from the whole community. This includes government officials, teachers, kamnans, village heads, community leaders, and parent networks.
He called for strong public awareness campaigns, especially targeting vulnerable families where children live with grandparents while parents work abroad. He urged community leaders to keep a close eye on these risks and stop children from being persuaded by strangers, or even casual acquaintances, to open accounts for illegal use.
He went on to say that black and grey businesses and cross-border money laundering are a growing threat. Chiang Rai is heavily affected by online scam gangs, often called “scammers”, who operate from neighbouring countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos. He cited estimates that illegal funds from Laos alone may reach around 390 billion baht each year.
Cash Cleaning in Chiang Rai
These scams use computer systems to rig the outcome of fake investments or games, making victims think they are making a profit before stripping away all the money. The stolen funds are then moved back across the border to Chiang Rai and cleaned through cash-heavy businesses such as pubs, bars, restaurants, hotels, resorts, transport services, retail shops, car care services, and even coffee shops.
Some of these groups also enter government procurement, including schemes like the school lunch programme.
He warned that this illicit money distorts fair competition in local markets. Honest business owners suffer, as grey capital groups can sell goods and services at very low prices or accept losses for long periods. Local traders then struggle to compete and may eventually shut down. When this happens, the local economy slows, workers lose their jobs, and some may be pulled into acting as money mules or nominee account holders.
To address this, he said the private sector has an important part to play. Groups such as the Chiang Rai Merchants Association, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Chiang Rai Provincial Chamber of Commerce know the local situation well.
He suggested that when traders notice new businesses with unclear backgrounds using aggressive pricing and disrupting the market, they should quickly contact the Provincial Commerce Office. Officials can then check the shareholding structure to see if nominee shareholders are being used.
Mr Wirote noted that companies involved in money laundering often use a single law firm to handle all their legal work. The same nominee groups hold shares across 20 to 30 related companies through cross-shareholdings. He said this pattern is easy to trace and can be checked by the Provincial Commerce Office or the Department of Business Development.
Following the Money
He also called on the Chiang Rai Provincial Revenue Department to treat these cases as a priority. He urged them not to focus only on honest businesses when collecting taxes, but to look closely at companies used for laundering money. According to him, these groups often falsify accounts, inflate or distort revenue figures, or run so-called zero-dollar tours, reporting very low profits to avoid tax.
He said the Revenue Department should investigate such signs of tax evasion. By working with the Chiang Rai Chamber of Commerce and other business groups, he believes the authorities can identify suspicious businesses much more clearly. When there are signs of underlying criminal activity, he said, coordination with the Chiang Rai Provincial Revenue Office is essential.
He added that the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) is already following the money trail in some cases, which can lead to asset seizure and confiscation. He stated that he is pressing the Revenue Department to take firm action and treat this issue as a serious priority.
Mr Wirote also warned about the wider risk to the country. If the authorities allow criminal groups to operate freely and even live inside the country, there is a danger that Thailand could be branded as a grey country and placed on the FATF Grey List. If that happens, foreign investors are unlikely to bring in direct investment.
That would hold back supply chain development, slow economic growth, reduce high-skilled job creation, and weaken the overall economy. He said this financial vulnerability has already caused heavy losses.
Bribes Paid to Local Officials
He pointed out that illegal funds are being used to buy stocks and bonds, including those in banks, energy companies, state enterprises, and insurance firms. Some groups also manipulate share prices and join government auctions, which creates a financial bubble.
At the same time, the state loses money through bribes paid to some local officials, police, and administrative officers, as well as from unpaid taxes. These groups often act as if they are above the law. He added that this behaviour also harms tourism.
Mr Wirote cited figures that show scammers’ money flows in Laos are around 330 billion baht per year, in Cambodia, about 390 billion baht, and in Myanmar, more than 550 billion baht.
In total, illegal flows reach over 1.4 trillion baht a year across the three countries. An estimated 300,000 people are involved in this line of work in those areas, which has turned it into a large-scale industry. He referred to data indicating that American citizens have been cheated out of around 10 billion yuan, or more than 300 billion baht.
For Thailand, reported losses stand at 115.3 billion baht. When compared to the size of the economy, he said Thailand’s losses are more than five times higher than those of the United States.
Source: Trans Border News
