Chon Buri police, the Department of Lands and the provincial commerce office searched the 12 sites on 21 October under court warrants.
Why it matters: the raids came two days after Prime Minister Anutin told land offices nationwide to look past Thai “nominee” names on land held for foreigners.
- The holdings under investigation: 12 companies, 11 houses and 16 plots of land.
- The foreigners include 14 Chinese and seven Indian nationals.
- Most reports say the 85 are under investigation; one says they have been charged. No arrests had been reported by 23 October.
- Forced sales of confirmed holdings come with a Department of Lands deadline of 180 days to a year.
Background The nominee crackdown
Foreigners generally can't own land in Thailand, and many businesses on the Foreign Business Act's restricted lists need majority Thai ownership. A "nominee" setup puts land or a company in Thai names while a foreigner pays for and controls it, which breaks the Land Code (for land) or the Foreign Business Act (for businesses). Raids have spread since 2024 across Phuket, Koh Samui and Pattaya. This October, land offices were ordered to finish investigating 1,397 suspected companies, holding 2,360 plots, by December. Land confirmed as nominee-held faces a forced sale. Registered leases and condos within the foreign quota are legal.
