The Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) has set out to seize the assets of TC Blue Dream Ltd, the alleged nominee working on behalf of foreign investors to operate a boat that capsized and killed 47 Chinese tourists last month, on suspicion of dubious operations, including money laundering.
Peerapat Ingpongpan, Amlo's director of Legal Affairs Division 1, said officials have examined the financial trail and data of the company, and found that a group of suspects had obtained money from foreign investors to operate the business and buy the Phoenix -- the ill-fated boat.
Mr Peerapat said Amlo is now examining to see where else the suspects had invested money, so the agency could seize it.
Pol Maj Gen Surachate Hakparn, deputy commissioner of the Tourist Police Bureau said the owner of TC Blue Dream Ltd, Woralak Ruekchaikal, had said that she had been the owner of various tourism companies between 2015-2017. TC Blue Dream Ltd was founded back in 2016 with three Thai shareholders, including Ms Woralak.
Earlier, Ms Woralak was arrested and charged with recklessness causing death and injuries to others, and reckless conduct causing physical and mental harm to others. She is now being detained in Phuket Prison.
Deputy national police commissioner Rungroj Sangkram said Yindee and Chakkrapan Lerkchaikan, Ms Woralak's mother and brother, were also arrested on Monday. However, Chinese national Lei Hou -- Ms Woralak's husband, investor and the real owner of the company -- has escaped and is on the run.
Meanwhile, Pol Gen Rungroj said the investigation of the case is 90% completed.
Gen Surachate added that the inspection of 400 boats is now completed and 30 boats were barred from operating. He said the Chinese government is now waiting for the wreckage of the boat to be recovered as it Thailand's responsibility, adding that the recovery is expected later this week.
Two tour boats sank off Thailand's southern resort island of Phuket on July 5. Tourists from one boat were rescued, while the Phoenix carrying 89 tourists and 12 crew sank, killing 47 visitors from China. The incident was one of Thailand's worst tourism-related disasters in recent years.