PM Anutin says government has no ties to illegal businesses

TOKYO, Japan — 21 September 2026, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said no member of his Cabinet was involved in illegal businesses or had ties to “gray” or illicit businesses, insisting that the government had no reason to compromise with anyone breaking the law.

Speaking at a meeting on foreign policy and Thailand-Japan relations at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo at 09:30 on 21 September, Anutin, who is also interior minister, said his government remained committed to cracking down on scammers, illegal businesses and all forms of drug trafficking.

He said the crackdown had continued from his first administration through the current government, with authorities seizing more than 20 billion baht in assets linked to scam networks over a combined period of seven months under the current government and three months under the previous administration.

“I can assure you that no one in my government is involved in these activities. No Cabinet member has any relationship with gray businesses or any form of illegal business. There is no such person in this government,” Anutin said.

He added that there was therefore no reason for the government to compromise with anyone involved in illegal activities.

The prime minister also said the government had continued to raise standards and improve measures to strengthen the country’s credibility.

He cited recent changes in Thailand’s credit outlook, saying an international credit rating agency had revised the country’s outlook from “Negative” to “Stable” while maintaining Thailand’s sovereign credit rating at BBB.

Anutin said the development reflected improving conditions and greater stability in Thailand, adding that the country’s handling of illegal activities had been recognized by international institutions, including Fitch Ratings, S&P and Moody’s.

“The government has a very high level of stability, both in terms of support in Parliament and relations among coalition parties. The civil service and armed forces are also working well together,” Anutin said.

He said political stability and national security were among Thailand’s strengths and could be communicated to the Japanese government and the international community to build confidence in Thailand.

Anutin said these developments demonstrated Thailand’s seriousness in combating all forms of crime and illegal activity.

He also said the government was aware of concerns over some Thai nationals overstaying their permitted periods of residence in Japan.

Thailand was prepared to cooperate with Japanese authorities on the issue, he said, adding that he had instructed the Royal Thai Police to continue taking preventive and enforcement measures against such violations.