Possible penalties include forced land sales, deportation and asset forfeiture
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has ordered provincial governors to look into land plots suspected of being illegally owned by foreigners by the end of December, with a view to subsequently revoking the title deeds.
At Government House, Bangkok, Mr Anutin, also the interior minister, announced the order on Monday as he launched the government’s campaign to crack down on illegal land ownership by foreigners.
He said provincial governors and land officials had until the end of December to identify foreigners suspected of owning land illegally through nominees in Thailand. The findings would then lead to appropriate legal action.
“Those behind this are mostly ‘somebody’. They are not ordinary people but influential ones. However, no influence is greater than that of the government,” Mr Anutin said.
Addressing provincial governors by video conference, he said the government supported their efforts to carry out the order.
The prime minister said that once suspicious land plots had been identified, officials would look beyond the names on the title deeds to establish who the actual owners or beneficiaries were, enabling the government to take legal action against those responsible.
Further measures could include revoking the foreigners’ rights to remain in Thailand. Mr Anutin said the government had prepared legal procedures for this purpose, including deportation, revocation of Thai citizenship and action against money laundering and tax evasion.
Legal action could also include forcing the sale of the land to prevent ownership from being transferred from one nominee to another, he said.
“We will take serious action against nominees who hold land on behalf of foreigners. Land is an important national resource. Ownership must be legal and fair and must not create opportunities for illegal exploitation. This problem affects not only the fair use of national resources, but also national security and public confidence in the government’s exercise of its authority,” the prime minister said.
“Meanwhile, the government confirms that Thailand is ready to welcome foreign investors who act honestly and transparently, comply with Thai law and respect the rights of Thais,” he added.
Somchai Leelanoi, director-general of the Department of Lands, said an initial investigation had identified suspicious land ownership involving 13,088 parties. Of these, 1,550 were companies allegedly involving illegal foreign shareholding, while 11,538 were suspected of holding land on behalf of foreigners.
The investigation could lead to forced sales of illegally owned land covering 5,467 rai (about 8.75 square kilometres). Officials currently estimate the combined value of the land at 14.01 billion baht, Mr Somchai said.
Earlier this month, authorities launched a crackdown on illegal foreign property ownership, raiding 17 locations at four luxury housing estates in Bangkok and arresting 11 suspects, including Chinese nationals, with assets worth more than 6 billion baht seized.