Bid to spur scam crackdown

Ministry to amend emergency decree

- SUCHIT LEESA-NGUANSUK

The Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry will amend the second version of the emergency decree on the prevention and suppression of technology crime to allow Thai authorities to act against suspected sources of cross-border online scams by using white-hat hackers and proactive measures to address scam activities targeting Thailand.

Meanwhile, the country will closely collaborate with Unesco and the European Union to oversee digital platforms in terms of tax collection, sales transaction fees, and misinformation.

The second version of the law took effect on April this year, while the first version was enacted in 2023.

DES Minister Chaichanok Chidchob said the new decree is expected to come into force within the next four months.

"The revision is aimed at allowing us to conduct cyberwarfare against criminals in other countries," Mr Chaichanok said after presiding over the opening of the Asean-Unesco Multistakeholder Forum on the Governance of Digital Platforms.

The event, which got underway in Bangkok on Monday and ends later today, is being co-hosted by the DES Ministry, in collaboration with the Asean Secretariat, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), and the Global Initiative on the Future of the Internet under the European University Institute.