Authorities Crack Down on Foreign Nominees Operating 60 Illegal Firms on Samui

Authorities arrested 14 suspects and filed 60 criminal cases targeting foreign nationals operating illegal businesses through Thai nominees on Koh Samui, uncovering a network controlling 59 companies with assets valued at 1.2 billion baht.

3d ago Khaosod

On August 15, 2026, Deputy Interior Minister Palpeer Suwanachui, accompanied by Deputy Police Commander Samran Nualma, Assistant National Police Chief Surpong Thamnojit, the Surat Thani provincial governor, the Department of Business Development, and Department of Special Investigation officers, launched "Phase 7 of the Foreign Nominee Network Dismantling" operation in Koh Samui, Surat Thani. The operation, involving over 300 personnel, targeted foreign nationals conducting illegal businesses while using Thai nationals as nominee shareholders or asset owners, following the "Koh Phangan Model" framework.

Authorities examined all 12,906 registered businesses in Koh Samui, discovering 8,254 with foreign shareholders and 875 displaying characteristics of nominee structures. After deeper screening, investigators identified 59 suspect companies controlling land and structures across 37 plots, covering 31 rai 2 ngan 36.3 square wah, valued at approximately 1.2 billion baht. This led to 60 criminal cases involving 88 suspects: 26 Thai nationals and 62 foreigners. The Koh Samui Provincial Court approved 37 search warrants, resulting in the arrest of 14 suspects including nationals from China, the United Kingdom (4 each), Italy, France, the Netherlands, Austria, the Philippines, and the United States (1 each).

The operation focused on five key business networks:

An Israeli-connected network of 19 companies using multilayered corporate structures and Thai nominees, operating unlicensed nurseries (early childhood care facilities) and buying, developing, selling, and renting luxury villas to foreign customers.

A German-connected network of 4 companies engaged in real estate and luxury villa construction on steep terrain potentially exceeding legal limits, risking unlicensed building permits. They sold villas by transferring nominee company shareholdings to avoid property transfer taxes and corporate income tax reporting.

Twenty-seven companies where Thai nationals helped establish businesses for foreigners seeking work permits or business visas—long-term one-year visas—with conflicting registration data and actual investment.

Sixteen companies initially established entirely by Thai nationals to avoid document disclosure requirements, then bringing foreign individuals into the shareholding structure to secure work permits and business visas without conducting any genuine business operations.

Two companies originating from leads provided by the French Embassy in Thailand, involving a French national accused of defrauding investors in a cannabis farm operation causing 21 million baht in losses. Surat Thani Provincial Police investigation revealed the defrauded money came from French victims who had set up these companies. Thai nominees held shares to purchase land and construct a luxury hotel with swimming pool and tennis court, operating a hotel management company through concealed rental agreements advertised as daily accommodations on websites at 11,000–17,000 baht per night, without any hotel business license.

Deputy Police Commander Samran revealed this operation was part of ongoing efforts to dismantle nominee networks in major tourist destinations, following six previous phases that examined 238 companies.

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Regional

Niko Carrillo Knocks Out Chinese Debut in Second Round

Scottish featherweight champion Niko Carrillo made a dominant kickboxing debut at ONE Fight Night 46, knocking out Chinese rival Zhou Jieqiang in the second round at Bangkok's Lumpinee Stadium on August 15.

3d ago Khaosod

ONE Championship featherweight champion Niko Carrillo knocked out Chinese newcomer Zhou Jieqiang in the second round during his debut kickboxing bout at ONE Fight Night 46, held on August 15 at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium (Rama Intra) in prime time for American audiences. The co-main event featured 27-year-old Niko Carrillo from Scotland making his first appearance under kickboxing rules in ONE, taking on 26-year-old Chinese newcomer Zhou Jieqiang. Carrillo controlled the bout from the start with aggressive striking before sending Zhou to the canvas with a knockout victory in the second round, marking an impressive debut in kickboxing competition.

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National

Push for Full Investigation Into Local Exam Cheating Scandal

A former Pheu Thai spokesman demands a full investigation into a local government exam cheating scandal affecting nearly 6,000 candidates, urging authorities to pursue those responsible rather than stopping at low-level operatives and to re

4d ago Khaosod

On August 15, former Pheu Thai Party spokesman Prompong Nopradit commented on progress in the investigation into irregularities in the local government personnel recruitment examination, following the discovery of 5,925 candidates with anomalous scores.

He expressed support for the Interior Ministry and the Department of Local Administration's serious investigation efforts, stating that this issue transcends mere test-score errors—it strikes at the heart of public confidence in Thailand's civil service system. The 5,925 affected candidates cannot be treated as a statistic to close the case. Authorities must pursue the investigation to its conclusion, not stop at minor operatives. If evidence leads to masterminds or beneficiaries, they must be traced and held accountable.

Prompong noted that managing the flawed examination records is only half the battle. The other half—what the public is waiting to know—is who did it, where the system failed, whether there were financial benefits involved, when honest test-takers will receive justice, and how to seal the loopholes to prevent recurrence. He called on the government and Interior Ministry to advance two priorities simultaneously.

First, restore fairness to honest test-takers. Once new records are compiled, authorities must promptly process those who passed according to their scores, qualifications, and available positions. Those who studied hard and passed on merit should not lose their futures due to irregularities they did not cause. While removing wrongdoers from the system matters, restoring justice to honest candidates is equally important.

Second, investigate comprehensively across three tracks: system, money, and people. On the system track, authorities must identify which points allowed irregularities to occur, who accessed the data, who had editing rights, and where controls failed, to prevent recurrence. On the money track, if any evidence or reasonable suspicion of financial benefit emerges, follow the trail rigorously and apply the law strictly. On the people track, investigate every person who may be involved—officials, intermediaries, or others. If evidence points to anyone, it must be pursued, regardless of rank.

Prompong emphasized that the public does not seek temporary headlines; they want truth, accountability, identification of loopholes, and confirmation that merit-based test-takers get their chance back. Civil service recruitment must be measured by ability, not connections; by competence, not money. The Interior Ministry has started down the right path but must see it through completely—not just removing names, not stopping at minor figures, and not letting honest test-takers bear the burden. If evidence reaches those who orchestrated or profited from the scheme, action must reach them too.

Prompong further stated that Prime Minister Anustin Charnvirakul, who also serves as Interior Minister, must assure Thai citizens that those who genuinely study and pass on merit will have advantage over those attempting to buy their way in with money or connections. Hard work must count for more than knowing powerful people. Ability must prevail over networks. Integrity must not lose. If the Prime Minister is serious, establishes this as the standard, and pursues the evidence to the end, this will not merely be a cleanup of local exam fraud—it will be a restoration of justice to honest test-takers and renewed confidence in Thailand's civil service.

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National

New Bangkok Zoo Opens April 2027 Near Pathum Thani

Bangkok's new zoo opens April 2027 in Pathum Thani, nearly nine years after Dusit Zoo closed, featuring open enclosures with moats instead of bars across 300 rai designed to prioritize animal welfare.

4d ago The Thaiger Travel

Bangkok has been without a zoo since 2018. Its replacement is nearly builtLegacy300 rai of old Rangsit wetland, an hour north of the city, and the first free look lands sooner than you would think. Ask anyone who was in Bangkok before 2018 about Dusit Zoo and you will get a story. The swan boats on the lake. The queue at the hippo pool. That specific smell on a hot afternoon. Then it closed, and the city has been without a zoo ever since. Its replacement is now 92.54% built. Dusit Zoo shut in September 2018 after 80 years and the animals were moved out to zoos around the country. The plan was always to rebuild somewhere with room to breathe. That somewhere turned out to be Khlong 6 in Thanyaburi, Pathum Thani, on 300 rai of old Rangsit floodplain. Three times the size of the place it replaces. And built on an entirely different idea of what a zoo is for. Orangutans on climbing trees behind a glass viewing wall at the new Pathum Thani zoo, in an architect’s render. Image: zoothailand.org Almost nothing has bars The official framing is “Biodiversity Park” rather than zoo, which sounds like the sort of phrase a committee lands on. In this case it actually means something. Enclosures are separated from visitors by dry moats and water channels instead of fencing. The animal gets more ground and more cover. You get a sightline with nothing running through it. The renders show tapirs half-lost in forest, orangutans up real trees, a tiger stretched out by water at roughly your eye level. Whether it feels like that in 2029 is a different question. But the intent is unusually clear. A tiger resting by water in front of a viewing shelter at the new Pathum Thani zoo, in an architect’s render. Image: zoothailand.org Four continents on a floodplain Phase 2 is the ambitious half. Four continental zones: Asia, Africa, Australia and South America. Then waterfront landscaping, public space, utilities and a set of systems the operator is calling Smart Zoo. The architecture leans into the wetland rather than flattening it. A quietly good call, for a site that spent half of every year underwater. Koalas and birds in the Australian zone of the new Pathum Thani zoo, in an architect’s render. Image: zoothailand.org The part you actually want Phase 1 is 92.54% complete. The first public look is a free opening in April 2027. Full opening, all four zones, everything working, is pencilled in for early 2029. So no, not this year. Not next year either. But close enough to start paying attention. Leopards beside a waterfall in a rocky enclosure at the new Pathum Thani zoo, in an architect’s render. Image: zoothailand.org What it cost to get here Cabinet approved 10.97 billion baht across the whole project. Phase 1 broke ground in April 2023 at 5.54 billion baht, and phase 2 accounts for the remaining 4.34 billion. Eleven years will have passed between Dusit closing and the new zoo opening properly. That is a long gap for a country that runs on family travel. It goes some way to explaining why the design brief was allowed to be this big. Genuinely day-trip range Khlong 6 sits about an hour north of central Bangkok, traffic permitting. Out after breakfast, back for dinner, no hotel required. That matters more than it sounds. Most attractions on this scale ask you to commit a weekend to them. This one will not. The swan boats are not coming back. But from 2027, Bangkok gets somewhere to take the kids again. Would you drive out to Rangsit for it, or is an hour already too far? Tell us in the comments. Related news

The contradiction of Thailand’s ‘ethical’ elephant sanctuaries Where to start your Thailand trip, by region and season Bangkok starts work on second street food hub near Pathumwananurak Park

Images: zoothailand.org. Sources: Zoological Park Organization of Thailand, Kapook Travel, The Nation The story Bangkok has been without a zoo since 2018. Its replacement is nearly built as seen on Thaiger News.

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National

ONE Champion Backs Nabil for 2028 Olympic Boxing Team

ONE Championship kickboxing champion Petchjeeja endorses professional fighter Nabil Anane's pursuit of Thailand's 2028 Olympic boxing team, insisting merit and rigorous selection processes—not connections—determine Olympic representation.

4d ago Khaosod

Petchjeeja, a ONE Championship kickboxing world champion and boxing camp owner, backs professional fighter Nabil Anane's bid to represent Thailand at the 2028 Olympics, stressing that advancement depends on ability, not connections.

In a personal Facebook post, Petchjeeja wrote: "I have competed and trained at the national team level before, so I understand well that becoming a national athlete or reaching national competition level is not easy. Everything must go through rigorous training, experience, competition, and importantly, proving oneself and passing the selection system."

Regarding Nabil, a fellow camp member and ONE Championship professional, Petchjeeja said: "For a professional athlete like Nabil to get a chance to compete in the Olympics is an excellent opportunity. Everyone knows that being an Olympic representative in each weight class requires passing training, competition, and selection processes—no one can skip these steps. Nabil's physical attributes, speed, fighting style, and existing experience make him a highly capable athlete. He has trained since childhood in both Thai boxing and Western boxing techniques over many years."

Petchjeeja continued: "If this is a good opportunity for him, he should receive it and use it to learn and develop further, especially in Western boxing technique and style. I don't see Nabil as having special connections or shortcuts to the Olympics. He still must pass the system like any other athlete. Several senior figures simply recognize his potential and believe he could develop into a Thai Olympic representative, so they want to support his training in Western boxing."

She concluded: "For me, what matters most is not why someone gets an opportunity, but whether they can prove themselves once they have it. Ultimately, an athlete's performance and ability in competition will answer everything."

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Police

ONE Championship Fighter Hit by Van During Training Run

ONE Championship fighter Suriyan Lek Phetchyingyong was struck by a white van while training on Khlong Prem Road in Pathum Thani on August 15, sustaining head trauma that required hospital evaluation. The 29-year-old was thrown over 20 mete

4d ago Khaosod

Suriyan Lek Phetchyingyong, a prominent fighter with ONE Championship, was struck by a white van while jogging for training and sustained injuries on Khlong Prem Road in Samkok district, Pathum Thani province.

The incident occurred on the morning of August 15. Samkok police responded along with rescue volunteers and paramedics from Samkok Hospital to investigate the accident.

Upon arrival at the scene, officers found an injured person in athletic wear (black short-sleeved shirt and white boxer shorts) lying motionless in the grass beside the road. The person was later identified as 29-year-old Suriyan Thiannok, known as Suriyan Lek Phetchyingyong, a renowned Thai fighter currently gaining prominence in ONE Championship. Medical personnel provided initial first aid and transported him to hospital.

Nearby, a white Toyota van was found parked at the roadside with damage to the front left side, including a broken headlight and dented fender. The driver remained at the scene to give a statement to police.

Interviewed fellow boxers training with him recounted the harrowing incident: the three of them were running their regular training routine along the roadside, as Suriyan had a fight scheduled for August 21. Suddenly, the van accelerated and struck Suriyan forcefully from behind, causing his body to be thrown more than 20 meters off the road. The group immediately rushed to help and called police.

Initial physical examination at Samkok Hospital revealed no open wounds or broken bones, but due to head trauma, the athlete was transported to Siam Saint Carlos Hospital for comprehensive evaluation and monitoring. His training partners and gym owner closely followed his condition. Police initially summoned the van driver to Samkok Police Station for further questioning to determine the exact cause and proceed with legal action.

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Breaking

Indonesia Lifts Tsunami Warning After 7.7 Quake

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck off East Nusa Tenggara Province early August 15, killing at least one person and prompting a brief tsunami warning that was lifted hours later.

4d ago Khaosod

Indonesia's Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics reported a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of East Nusa Tenggara Province on August 15 at 4:58 a.m. local time, with the epicenter located approximately 68 kilometers from Ende district at a depth of 15 kilometers. Multiple aftershocks followed the initial quake. Emergency services confirmed at least one death and four injured, with extensive damage reported across a wide area. The national disaster management agency initially advised residents in at-risk zones to evacuate to higher ground after the geophysics agency warned of a possible tsunami with waves measuring 0.5 to 3 meters. However, the tsunami warning was lifted at 8:42 a.m.

No. 07 of ∞ Read at source → Next

National

Steel Industry Defends IF Induction Furnace Technology

Thai steel industry defends induction furnace technology as legally compliant and safe, saying a recent building collapse was caused by construction defects, not the steel material itself.

4d ago Khaosod

Amid heavy criticism of IF (induction furnace) steel in recent weeks, Amorn Ungsobporn, vice chairman of the Thai Induction Furnace Metal Casting Association, has come forward to address the facts from another angle.

Amorn raises a striking question: why is technology that is legally compliant and meets Thai Industrial Standard specifications being attacked so heavily? Is this really about using regulations to eliminate competitors and allow certain capital groups to monopolize the market?

1. Blaming IF Steel for Building Collapse

Amorn states that attempting to link the building collapse to IF steel is unfair and demoralizing to workers. Thailand's Prime Minister and four leading national institutions (the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning, AIT, Chulalongkorn University, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, and the Structural Engineers Association) have concluded clearly that the cause was "defective construction techniques and design" — specifically, reinforcement steel embedment depth at shear walls falling short of legal requirements — and had nothing to do with the steel material itself. The project contractor also issued a statement confirming construction followed approved plans and materials passed all inspection and approval checks. The Structural Engineers Association tested steel samples from the rubble and confirmed they met standards at 95 percent, proving the IF system was not the root cause of the structural failure.

2. Compliance with Standards Yet Discredited

The reality is that the Thai Industrial Standards Institute issued a research report as early as 2015 confirming that IF technology has the capacity to produce steel meeting Thai Industrial Standard specifications. Current law (Thai Industrial Standard 24-2559) explicitly requires IF furnace facilities to have scrap steel sorting systems and steel purification processes such as ladle furnaces or desulfurization and dephosphorization procedures. Operators following the rules completely have reduced sulfur to as low as 0.002 percent.

From a metallurgical engineering perspective, IF furnaces operate at melting temperatures of 1,500–1,700 degrees Celsius, so nitrogen gas does not decompose and steel has higher toughness and earthquake resistance. This differs from electric arc furnaces (EAF), which exceed 3,000 degrees Celsius and risk nitrogen contamination of 80–120 ppm, creating brittle "rock candy fracture" steel.

3. Distorting News About China's IF Ban

Amorn explains that State Council Document No. 6 from 2016 has been distorted. The reality is that the Chinese government aimed to cut excess steel capacity of 100–150 million tons, so it ordered a sweeping shutdown of all "unregulated mills" (ditiao gang) that evaded taxes and failed to meet standards, combined with overall steel industry capacity reduction. For mills that operated correctly to standard but had to close for excess capacity reduction, the Chinese government paid compensation. They did not specifically ban IF technology as claimed to justify trade barriers. Today, advanced IF furnaces paired with ladle furnaces remain widely used in the international market and in China's steel sector.

4. Non-transparent Rules Punishing Law-Abiding Operators

The clearest sign of unfairness and governance concern came on 4 August 2025, when the technical committee (Committee 84) set up to urgently revise standards included multiple representatives from competing industries but had "no representative from the IF furnace association or operators — not even one." Committee 84 voted 7–6 to restrict IF furnaces in steel bar production, with the majority voting to focus on production process rather than furnace type and pointing instead to product specifications.

No. 08 of ∞ Read at source → Next

Police

Tiger Tattoo Leads Police to Arrest 19-Year-Old Rape Suspect

A distinctive tiger tattoo helped police identify and arrest a 19-year-old rape suspect in Bangkok who had gang-assaulted an 18-year-old woman at a water shop in February. The operation also netted four others involved in selling contraband

4d ago Khaosod

On August 14, Deputy Police Chief Samran Nual Ma directed an operation led by Deputy National Police Chief Siam Bunsorn, involving multiple senior officers from the Narcotics Suppression Bureau's Investigation Division, to search two small water shops in the Lat Krabang-Rom Klao area of Bangkok. The operation resulted in the arrest of five suspects: a 19-year-old man nicknamed Por from Lat Krabang; Krut, 28; Bhumi, 19; Ms. A, 17; and Ms. B, 16. Por was wanted under a warrant from the Bangkok Criminal Court dated June 5 for charges of gang rape and sexual assault. His record included previous cases involving attempted murder, weapons violations, and theft. The other four suspects faced charges related to harboring contraband goods, selling untaxed merchandise, selling unregistered pharmaceuticals, and distributing banned food products. Police seized approximately 60 bottles of bootleg water, 100 bottles of cough syrup, and 500 packs of smuggled cigarettes. The investigation began when an 18-year-old victim met a man online and arranged to meet at a water shop in the Rom Klao area on February 27. When she arrived, Por and two others assaulted her. Detective Thanyphon Chulphiphop, known as "Sergeant Jack," identified the suspect through his distinctive tiger tattoo while reviewing wanted persons. Despite his young age, Por had an extensive criminal history and outstanding warrants, making his case a priority for closure.

No. 09 of ∞ Read at source → Next

Police

Truck Driver Killed After Runaway Rig Hits Warehouse Wall

A runaway cargo truck rolled downhill and fatally struck a 59-year-old driver unloading at a warehouse in Sri Racha, Chon Buri, on August 14. The driver was unable to stop the vehicle before it hit him and crashed into the warehouse wall.

4d ago Khaosod

At 11:30 p.m. on August 14, Nong Kham Police Station in Sri Racha District, Chon Buri Province, received a report of a cargo truck rolling downhill and striking the driver who was unloading at a warehouse in Sura Sak Subdistrict. A white Hino truck with a trailer, registered in Ayutthaya Province, was found crashed against a severely damaged warehouse wall. The body of Pongsak, a 59-year-old driver from Ayutthaya Province, was found at the scene. According to initial investigation, the truck began rolling downhill while the driver was unloading. The driver attempted to run and push the truck to stop it, but was unable to do so. The rolling truck struck him with force before crashing into the warehouse wall. The body has been sent for preliminary autopsy at Laem Chabang Hospital, and police are continuing to investigate the true cause of the accident.

No. 10 of ∞ Read at source → Next