PM Anutin launches three-part Thai land nominee crackdown with probes due by December
Anutin orders forced sales of illegally held land in Thailand and buyer checks to prevent plots passing from one nominee to another
- Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has launched a three-part crackdown targeting foreigners who illegally use Thai nominees to hold land.
- The plan orders nationwide investigations into high-risk cases, with a deadline to reach conclusions by December.
- Key measures include the compulsory sale of illegally held land and new systems to prevent future nominee arrangements.
- Investigations will focus on identifying the true foreign beneficiaries and controllers by examining financial trails and corporate structures.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul launched a three-part crackdown on illegal nominee landholding in Thailand on October 19, 2026, ordering nationwide investigations to reach case-by-case conclusions by December. The operation also calls for compulsory sales of illegally held land and measures to prevent new nominee arrangements.
Anutin outlined the operation at 10am local time at the Santi Maitri Building in Government House, Bangkok. The campaign targets the unlawful use of nominees to hold land on behalf of foreign nationals and circumvent Thai law.
Anutin described land as a vital national resource whose ownership and use must be lawful and fair. Improper exploitation, he said, threatened national security and public confidence in the state’s enforcement of the law.
Land checks must identify the real controllers and beneficiaries
Investigators must look beyond the names on title deeds and share certificates to establish who exercises control and ultimately benefits from the landholdings, Anutin said. Financial and asset trails must also be examined to identify the wider networks involved.
Anutin stressed that Thailand continued to welcome and support honest, transparent foreign investment that respected Thai law and complied with the rights granted under investment promotion legislation. Enforcement must be firm towards offenders and fair to those acting lawfully, he said.
Referring to offences uncovered through the Land Action operation overseen by the Interior Ministry and Department of Lands, Anutin said success must be measured by cases reaching a conclusion and effective enforcement, rather than simply the number of violations detected.
Three measures target illegal holdings and repeat nominee deals
Anutin set out three priorities for coordinated action against illegal nominee landholding, covering investigations, compulsory sales and long-term prevention.
1. Complete investigations by December 2026. Anutin instructed the Department of Lands and provincial governors to prioritise high-risk cases, assign responsibility and set procedures and deadlines so each investigation reaches a conclusion. Any networks involved in wrongdoing must be referred immediately to the relevant agencies for action that could include revocation of rights, deportation of people deemed undesirable under a Prime Minister’s Office announcement, or revocation of citizenship.
2. Enforce compulsory land sales and monitor the outcome. Anutin ordered action where land was found to be held unlawfully, along with checks on buyers to prevent ownership passing from one nominee to another.
3. Prevent new nominee arrangements. Anutin called for findings from investigations to inform stronger monitoring before and after the registration of land rights and transactions, alongside checks on corporate structures. The prevention system must also accept public tip-offs and disclose enforcement results regularly.
Anutin pledges protection for officials confronting influential figures
Provincial governors and land officials must act decisively, transparently and in accordance with good governance, Anutin said, pledging government support and protection for officials performing their duties honestly.
Anutin said most offenders could be influential figures, or “somebodies”, but their influence must not deter enforcement.
“There is no influence greater than that of the government and state officials performing their duties under the law,” Anutin said.
Anutin said he needed to join officials in the field to reassure the public and tackle illegal nominee arrangements, drugs, gambling, human trafficking and corruption. These activities generated enormous profits for offenders, making decisive enforcement necessary, he said.
“If this compulsory land sale operation succeeds, it could bring tens of billions of baht back into circulation and restore fairness for the public,” Anutin said.
