Immigration joins business raids
PHUKET IMMIGRATION HAS confirmed its role in the raid on the Octopus restaurant in Cherng Talay earlier this month, and confirmed that a second raid had been conducted at ST Accounting in Chalong.
The confirmation came through a slew of announcements posted on the Phuket Immigration official Facebook page on Apr 8.
Phuket Immigration recognised that it had joined the raids on Apr 4, specifically naming the Octopus restaurant and ST Accounting as the targets in two raids.
Of note, none of the reports of the raids posted by Phuket Provincial Police, Region 8 Police or even the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) mentioned Immigration officers or ST Accounting.
Phuket Immigration noted in its posts online only one arrest as a result of the raids, that of a ‘Mr Pavel’, 47, which was already openly noted in police reports.
The raids were conducted with the intent of enforcing the Foreign Business Act, with special focus on the illegal use of nominees, Phuket Immigration explained.
ST Accounting has already come under close scrutiny for setting up companies using nominees following a raid by Department of Special investigation (DSI) officers in June last year.
DSI Director General Pol Maj Suriya Singhakamol, in Phuket to lead the raid, explained that the company was under investigation for its involvement in facilitating nearly 70 foreigners illegally operating companies with holdings worth an estimated total of B440 million.
In its slew of posts online, Phuket Immigration confirmed that nine other businesses were inspected for illegal use of nominees. The inspections by officers from the DSI, Phuket Immigration Phuket Provincial Police, the Phuket Provincial Tourism and Sports Office and Phuket Tourist Police.
The businesses were named as: 1) Sea Sunday Co Ltd; 2) Travanta Travel Co Ltd; 3) Crystal Cruise Co Ltd; 4) Joy Joy Scuba Co Ltd; 5) BBS-Tour Co Ltd; 6) AIM Diving Co Ltd; 7) HF Solutions Co Ltd; 8) Marlin Fishing Club Co Ltd; 9) Andaman Diving and Travel Co Ltd.
No offences were found, Phuket Immigration confirmed.
The Phuket News