{"podcast":{"title":"The Bangkok Podcast","slug":"the-bangkok-podcast-419399","podcast_index_feed_id":419399,"rss_url":"https://thaifaq.libsyn.com/rss","website_url":"http://www.bangkokpodcast.com","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/7/b/f/5/7bf5548cb29d038fd959afa2a1bf1c87/S8_Show_Logo.jpg","author":"Greg Jorgensen & Ed Knuth","episode_count":574,"summary":"Online since 2010! Greg Jorgensen and Ed Knuth have been knocking around Bangkok since the turn of the century. Exploring dark corners, eating amazing food, and interacting with fascinating people, the two have gotten to know and love Thailand's capital in all its confusing, mysterious glory. Every week they chat about topics near and dear to those living here, those visiting here, or those who are just curious about what it's like to live in Asia's craziest city. Want to explore Bangkok on your own? Check out Greg's self-guided audio tours on Voice Map! https://voicemap.me/publisher/greg-jorgensen","last_synced_at":"2026-07-15T06:21:24.425454+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-bangkok-podcast-419399"},"episode":{"title":"When Owners Don't Own: Thailand's Thorny Nominee Issue [S8.E44]","slug":"when-owners-don-t-own-thailand-s-thorny-nominee-issue-s8-e44","published_at":"2026-05-19T17:01:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-bangkok-podcast-419399/when-owners-don-t-own-thailand-s-thorny-nominee-issue-s8-e44","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-bangkok-podcast-419399","url":"https://thaifaq.libsyn.com/when-owners-dont-own-thailands-thorny-nominee-issue-s8e44","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/thaifaq/BKPS8E44_-_Thai_Nominees.mp3?dest-id=34166","summary":"The issue of Thai nominees has heated up in the past little while, with daily news stories about crackdowns, changing laws, and foreigners running scared (or just running). The discussion begins with Ed outlining the basic framework of the Thai Foreign Business Act, explaining how it restricts foreigners from owning more than forty-nine percent of companies in certain restricted sectors. He details how this legal hurdle gave rise to the widespread use of Thai nominees, where Thai citizens are paid to hold fifty-one percent of the shares on paper, allowing the foreigner to maintain operational control. Next, Ed brings up the legal gray area surrounding this practice. He clarifies that while having genuine Thai business partners is perfectly fine, using fake nominee shareholders who possess no actual financial stake or voting power is strictly illegal under Thai law. Greg then steers the conversation toward recent government crackdowns on this practice. He discusses how authorities have been aggressively targeting blatant abuses of the nominee system, specifically focusing on certain foreign-owned businesses in tourist hotspots like Phuket and parts of Bangkok. Ed subsequently highlights the massive risks that foreigners take when utilizing these shady corporate structures. He points out that because the Thai nominee legally owns the majority of the company, the foreign investor has almost zero legal recourse if the nominee suddenly decides to seize control of the assets or the business bank accounts. Finally, Greg wraps up the topic by suggesting legitimate alternatives to the nominee route. He points out that foreign entrepreneurs should instead look into the Board of Investment promotion or the US-Thai Treaty of Amity, both of which offer legal pathways to complete fo…","meta_description":"The issue of Thai nominees has heated up in the past little while, with daily news stories about crackdowns, changing laws, and foreigners running scared…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2731,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-bangkok-podcast-419399/episodes/when-owners-don-t-own-thailand-s-thorny-nominee-issue-s8-e44/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-bangkok-podcast-419399/when-owners-don-t-own-thailand-s-thorny-nominee-issue-s8-e44.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}