Thailand moves to add environmental offences to money laundering law
At least 50 teams are being mobilised to inspect high-risk factories, while proposed legal changes would help trace assets linked to environmental offences.
- Thailand's Ministry of Industry is working with the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) to classify environmental crimes as predicate offenses under the country's anti-money laundering laws.
- This change will enable financial investigations and asset tracing to target the masterminds and nominees behind illegal industrial waste dumping, who often hide their involvement.
- The proposed amendments will cover offenses related to factories, hazardous substances, and environmental quality, allowing authorities to seize or freeze assets linked to these crimes.
- Draft amendments are in progress, with the new legislation expected to take effect in mid-2027 at the earliest.
Thailand's Industry Minister Varawut Silpa-archa ordered urgent action against illegal industrial waste dumping and unlawful waste management on Thursday (October 29, 2026).
The Ministry of Industry is coordinating with the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) to push for environmental offences to be designated as predicate offences under anti-money laundering legislation, to extend financial investigations and asset tracing to masterminds and nominees.
At least 50 teams are also being mobilised to carry out rigorous inspections of high-risk factories, with the aim of covering the whole country.
Passakorn Chairat, permanent secretary for industry, met Police Lieutenant General Thepsu Bowornchotidara, AMLO secretary-general, at the agency's offices on Tuesday (October 27, 2026).
They discussed ways to designate environmental offences as predicate offences, alongside coordinated data sharing, financial investigations and measures to seize or freeze assets linked to wrongdoing, to put the industry minister's instructions into practice.
Passakorn explained that the initiative targets businesses operated through proxies, including individuals and legal entities holding shares on behalf of the true owners, or nominees.
It also addresses transfers of assets and benefits derived from wrongdoing.
These practices hinder efforts to identify those responsible and recover the costs of remediating and rehabilitating affected sites, while the government has to use public funds to urgently address the damage and alleviate public hardship.
AMLO reported progress on draft amendments to anti-money laundering legislation that would add environmental offences as predicate offences, covering laws governing factories, hazardous substances and the promotion and conservation of national environmental quality.
The changes are expected to take effect in mid-2027 at the earliest, providing additional tools to scrutinise transactions, trace assets linked to wrongdoing and extend investigations to those involved behind the scenes.
While the amendments are pending, action under anti-money laundering legislation can be considered where an offence falls within an existing predicate category, such as customs offences.
Alongside the legislative push, the ministry is accelerating inspections of factories in categories 105 and 106, targeting 100% coverage throughout the country.
Priority areas are the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), Prachin Buri and Samut Prakan.
At least 50 operational teams are being mobilised to establish the facts, monitor factory operations and strictly enforce the law before inspections expand to other parts of the country.
Passakorn added that the ministry and AMLO are preparing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to link information on financial trails and assets and coordinate criminal investigations with asset seizure and freezing measures.
The two agencies also plan to establish systems for transferring information, case files and evidence, and to develop staff capabilities.
These efforts are intended to encompass factory inspections, legal action and measures to cut off the flow of benefits to environmental offenders.
