Commerce Ministry Raids Hauykhwang, Finds 9 Risky Businesses
Commerce Ministry officials raided nine businesses in Hauykhwang and found three hotels and six restaurants operating illegally with foreign ownership structures and unauthorized workers. Authorities are investigating nominee operators and
The Department of Business Development, in cooperation with four government agencies, raided businesses in Hauykhwang and found three hotels and condominiums offering daily rentals, along with six restaurants and service businesses in the high-risk category. Authorities are investigating share ownership patterns and will take legal action against nominee operators.
Poonpong Naiyanapakarnum, director-general of the Department of Business Development, stated that on August 9, 2025, officials and a specialist anti-nominee team were dispatched to inspect businesses in Hauykhwang and surrounding areas under the direction of Deputy Interior Minister Pol Peer Suwannachuay. The operation was a joint effort involving four agencies: the Department of Provincial Administration, the Department of Business Development, the Immigration Bureau, and the Department of Employment. After an initial planning meeting at Wang Chai, undercover officers checked into target hotels and condominiums in the afternoon, and the raid commenced at 2:30 p.m., followed by inspections of other businesses.
The operation uncovered three hotel and condominium operations offering daily rentals. The first had 34 rooms in a six-story building, advertised online at 1,200 baht per night, with registered capital of 4 million baht (registered March 2024). It had one Chinese director and Thai-Chinese ownership split 51-49%. The second had 48 rooms in a six-story building, advertised at 1,300–3,900 baht per night, with 200 million baht in registered capital (registered March 2024), with Thai and Singaporean shareholders at 99-1%. The third had 52 rooms in a seven-story building, advertised at 759–1,300 baht per night, registered capital of 12 million baht (registered February 2022), with Thai and Chinese shareholders at 96-4%.
Acording to Poonpong, preliminary checks found unauthorized structural modifications from townhouses to hotels, missing building permits, and non-standard fire escapes. Thai women were presented as owners in company registrations alongside Chinese nationals. Five Myanmar workers were found, including one working outside authorized roles, two with expired permission to stay, and two who failed to notify authorities of employer details. Four restaurants, one alcohol shop, and one beauty salon were also inspected, with most showing Chinese ownership and mostly Myanmar and Shan Thai workers. One Chinese hairdresser was found illegally practicing a reserved Thai profession; the salon owner attempted to contact officials during the raid.
