By Thai Newsroom Reporters
PRIME MINISTER ANUTIN Charnvirakul today (Nov.3) expressed concern over Cambodia-based scamming/money-laundering networks which, he said, could possibly prompt the world community to declare potential boycotts against Thailand if those rogue, transnational criminals were not arrested and brought to justice by the Thai authorities.
The prime minister who concurrently performs as interior minister and Bhumjaithai leader admitted that he has been more or less pressured by the world community to crack down on the Cambodia-based scamming/money-laundering rackets with alleged association with or involvement in unnamed, yet-prominent elements in Thailand’s political circles where the ill-gotten money could possibly be laundered and illicitly used otherwise international boycotts against this country would probably occur sooner or later.
Anutin commented that the authorities have been “quietly” working to address the issue, which has become a hot item of national agenda in Thailand, but they could not speak it out loud to the public for fear that some relevant, classified information could probably otherwise be leaked to those criminal suspects who, he said, would apply advanced technology to carry out their rogue businesses and manage to stay at large and circumvent attempted arrests by the authorities in this country.
Only about 20 billion baht in laundered cash has been so far seized by the Thai authorities, thus viewed as a relatively small amount of ill-gotten money in comparison to more than half a trillion baht worth of crypto laundered from the scammer’s money and seized in the US.
According to the prime minister, those authorities are the Anti-Money-Laundering Office, the Department of Special Investigation, the National Police and the Ministry of Interior. The prime minister said those government agencies are basically working in coordination with one another with their detailed tasks hardly unveiled to the public.
Nevertheless, Anutin who made his comments after chairing an AMLO meeting on the scammer/money-launderer issue at its headquarters today declined to comment on criticism that the Cambodia-based scamming/money-laundering networks might possibly involve Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Agriculture & Cooperatives Minister/de facto Klatham boss Thammanat Prompao who was reportedly associated with notorious wheeler-dealer Benjamin Mauerberger, alias Ben Smith, an alleged accomplice of scammer/money-launderer suspects and an adviser to senior Cambodian leader Hun Sen.
The prime minister has recently met with US President Donald Trump during a Thai-Cambodian peace talk and an undersigned treaty in Kuala Lumpur whilst the US government has put Ben Smith, among others, on the updated list of transnational scammer/money-launderer suspects.
Anutin has been largely viewed by government critics as like-minded and sympathetic with Thammanat who had provided solid support for the Bhumjaithai leader’s rise to power with the Klatham being part of the current coalition government.
Meanwhile, Thai Sang Thai leader Sudarat Keyurapan has encouraged the prime minister to set up a government task force to coordinate with existing government agencies such as the Anti-Money-Laundering Office and those of the United States, United Kingdom and other foreign states to eradicate the transnational scamming/money-laundering rackets which could probably involve any Thai politicians who might be looking for money to buy votes in the general election which will likely be held between early February and late March.
According to the leader of the divided opposition party where five out of a total six MPs have evidently renegaded to practically support the Bhumjaithai-led government, as much as 20 billion baht worth of ill-gotten money transferred from the Cambodia-based scammers could possibly be laundered in Thailand for use by electoral contestants anywhere throughout the country. She said a range of 50 to 70 million baht in cash could possibly be spent to buy votes from among constituents by each rogue candidate.
“The dirty money is prevailing over the country’s economic and political landscapes with the international community’s confidence in the country run by the slowly-performing government alarmingly declining.
“It’s time the government seized and foreclosed all laundered money and relevant assets, tracked the suspected scammers’ money transaction records and set up a task force to coordinate with the US government and other foreign states and effectively combat them,” Sudarat said.
CAPTIONS:
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul chairing an Anti-Money-Laundering Office meeting today. Top photo – Amarin TV, Front Page – Thai Rath
Insert – Thai Sang Thai leader Sudarat Keyurapan. Photo – Amarin TV
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