Chai Chana Exposes Chinese Scammers Hiring Thai Nominee to Launder Money Through Unlicensed Entertainment Venues
Chinese nationals banned from their homeland are using Thai nominees to operate unlicensed entertainment venues and restaurants across Bangkok as fronts for money laundering, according to a Democratic Party deputy who has referred the case
Democratic Party deputy leader Chai Chana Detchdetcho announced on May 22, 2025, that the party's volunteer legal clinic received complaints about a Chinese gray-market group holding foreign passports who cannot return to China and have set up businesses in Thailand. The group operates multiple money-laundering fronts including restaurants, entertainment venues, noodle shops, KTV bars, and luxury karaoke lounges on Ratchada Road and in the Meng Chai and RCA areas, as well as a supermarket. These establishments belong to the Chinese group but are registered under Thai nominees, locally called "straw men." They employed a Thai man with the initials R. (nicknamed Ruea) to register the businesses and hold shares on their behalf. The businesses report revenues of 30-100 million baht despite insufficient investment, and the entertainment venues operate without proper licenses, staying open until dawn with drug use occurring inside.
The Chinese gray-market group members own luxury homes in upscale suburban areas and maintain a "straw man network." The straw man network leader, R. Ruea, was previously arrested in 2020 for illegally crossing into Cambodia. He was formerly based in Bangkok but currently resides in Nonthaburi Province. Chai Chana revealed the straw man network structure, showing how R. Ruea owns the operation while accounting staff manages funds and others hold assets. R. Ruea has placed vehicles and land with friends, and property with his parents. He registered companies but never filed financial statements, as has his mother. The group reportedly owns luxury homes valued at 20 million baht in Nonthaburi. Chai Chana said he will forward all evidence to Phitthak Detcha, a Democratic Party MP and chairman of the parliamentary anti-money laundering and drug trafficking committee, to coordinate law enforcement action.
Chairman Detcha stated that R. Ruea, approximately 30 years old, is uninvolved in politics, while the straw man network manager also faced similar charges. He noted the Prime Minister has ordered provincial police commanders and governors to strictly suppress such operations. As a legislator, Chai Chana pledged to closely monitor the case, emphasizing that without stopping scammer gangs, Thai society will continue facing serious crime problems.
Chairman Detcha also noted that the Chinese gray-market group modified KTV buildings, dividing them into private bar-like rooms where drugs are used, with construction costs exceeding 20 million baht. The group targets commercial buildings and converts them into small bars with illegal activities. He questioned whether Bangkok authorities, particularly former Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt, knew about the structural modifications and whether inspection teams verified if these venues complied with Bangkok regulations.
