The Thai Cabinet has approved a draft resolution now requiring banks, telecom operators and social media platforms to co-pay victims of online scams, as part of new efforts to tackle technology-related crimes.
Government spokesperson Jirayu Hongsub says that the Cabinet approved the draft amendment to the Executive Decree on Measures to Prevent and Suppress Technological Crime 2023 after receiving confirmation from the secretary-general of the Council of State that it could be implemented lawfully.
The approved draft executive decree amendment focuses on making banks, telecom operators and social media platforms to co-pay victims of online scams.
In the said The Nation report, the current technology crime executive decree had become outdated in combating the growing number of online scams and call center gangs, said Prasert Chantararuangthong, Digital Economy and Society Minister, which is also echoed by Jirayu.
The secretary-general of the Council of State Office indicated that the amendment could be made via an executive decree once the government sees it as an urgent matter necessary to protect public safety and economic safety.
In the current decree, the public still suffered financial damage of around 60-70 million baht per day, compared to the 100-200 million baht per day before the decree was enforced, said Prasert to the Cabinet.
Prasert continues that the amended law would provide the necessary tools to “effectively tackle call center gangs and online scammers; that the current decree lacked provisions for tackling peer-to-peer (P2P0 platforms used by call center gangs to trade cryptocurrency.”
“After the Cabinet approves the draft as proposed by the Digital Economy and Society Ministry, the draft will be sent to the Council of State for review before being published in the Royal Gazette for enforcement”, said Jirayu. Adding that the process would take about 30 days, with the new executive decree expected to take effect by February 2025.