Alleged grey businesses run by Chinese triads in Thailand will be among the topics raised during a planned general debate with the government, said Move Forward Party (MFP) MP Rangsiman Rome.
The prospect of the government being grilled over the issue arose after former politician and massage parlour tycoon Chuvit Kamolvisit on Wednesday handed over more information about such underground activities to Mr Rangsiman.
Mr Rangsiman said the MFP is gathering information about the grey businesses, and it will discuss the matter with the House when it has more information and concrete evidence while noting that other opposition parties will also touch on the issue.
He said that information to be raised in the debate will have been verified and it will be impossible not to mention third parties. He said the opposition will try its best not to cause damage to those third parties but insisted he is ready to face any legal consequences that may ensue.
Mr Chuvit said the information he submitted to the opposition MP was never disclosed to media outlets because he deemed it more appropriate to be discussed in the House of Representatives.
He said he gave the information to Mr Rangsiman because the MP had expressed concern about alleged irregularities in the police force.
When asked if he could disclose more details, Mr Chuvit said the information he handed over was related to certain figures in the government, which made him think that it was best to put it in the hands of the opposition.
Meanwhile, the chairmen of four Chiang Mai-based foundations and staff were invited on Wednesday to clarify their activities to the Department of Provincial Administration (DoPA) after they were accused of being linked to the grey businesses.
Ronnarong Thipsiri, the DoPA's inspector-general, said officials detected irregularities and believed these four foundations had tried to hide suspicious activities involving facilitating non-immigrant visa applications for foreign nationals.
The inquiry followed allegations that immigration offices were bribed to grease the wheels for non-immigrant visa applications for more than 3,000 Chinese nationals who entered Thailand on tourist visas.
He said the department would hand over the findings to the governor of Chiang Mai to consider revoking the permits of the foundations.
