First parliamentary response of PM to the call centre scams

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra spoke for the first time in parliament on Thursday in response to an interpellation since being appointed to the position.

She was replying to a question raised by Akradech Wongpituchroj, a United Thai Nation Party MP for Ratchaburi, on what actions the government has taken to deal with the spread of call centre scams and transnational crime.

Now the government was on the right track towards making polices to fight these threats, the prime minister said.

Ms Paetongtarn said she has heard of a lot of people getting scammed out of their life savings and some even being driven to suicide.

She said she had directed the ministries and state agencies to work closely together to crack down on online scams while seeking the cooperation of neighbouring countries to suppress transnational gangs.

The government has set up a centre aimed at preventing and suppressing online crimes, which has to date been able to shut down up to 1.92 million so-called mule bank accounts opened by the criminals, she said.

Ms Paetongtarn subsequently further reconciled the figure on her account on X, saying 1.92 million accounts were registered under the names of about 144,000 people.

Around 2.4 million SIM cards have also been cancelled after being found to have been used by online scammers, while another 2.8 SIM known or suspected to have been used for illegal purposes have been suspended and are under inspection, she said.

Daily damage from online scams fell from about 100mil baht a day to 50mil baht after that, she added. Said the decline is a testament to effective government measures, particularly the ongoing cutting off of electricity and internet connection to the call centre scam hubs located in five border areas in Myanmar.

As fight against transnational gangs raiding over the Thai-Mannmar border orders ongoing among Myanmar the effort to suppress the violence of transnational gangs is also done with Cambodia by launching crackdowns on call centre scam gangs in Poi Pet border town, she said.

“As a prime minister for the Thai people, I prioritize caring for Thai citizens, so my first duty is to them,” she said. “They’re never going to give up, the government, until we put a stop to those call centre scams and those drug traffickers,” she added, drawing a burst of applause in the chamber.

Ms Paetongtarn has never personally answered an interpellation in parliament since swearing in as prime minister in August last year, leading to accusations she was trying to skip sessions.