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Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO)

The Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) acts as the Thai national financial intelligence unit (FIU) and has become a member of the EGMONT Group of Financial Intelligence Unit since 2001. The AMLO is ready to sign an MOU with all 69 members of the EGMONT Group to help facilitate the exchange of information on terrorist financing and tracking of blacklisted groups.

Money laundering is a non-traditional security threat because transnational crime organizations have expanded their base to operate in Thailand. Although there is good coordination among security and law enforcement agencies but there is no proactive operation to effectively control and counter transnational organized crime groups. Money laundering affects society significantly because money laundering and crime commission is an endless cycle such as drugs, human trafficking, and intellectual property rights violation. The increase of crime cripples law enforcement and weakens social stability, making people feel the lack of safety in life and assets. The government would need to allocate more resources in crime suppression, leaving less for other necessary developments.

The Anti-Money Laundering Office is a government agency, not under Prime Minister's Office or any Ministry. The Office works independently and is answerable to the Prime Minister. It is mandated under Section 40 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 1999 and its amendments, to act on the Anti-Money Laundering Board's and Transaction Committee's resolutions, as well as other adjutant tasks; receive and give feedback to t ransaction reports and other information received from other channels; receive or send reports or information for further action under this act or other laws or under agreements concluded with domestic or international agencies; set out guidelines for supervision, examinat ion and evaluat ion o f compliance with this Act of reporting entities; conduct national money laundering and terrorism financing risk assessment in order to formulate AML/CFT/CPF policy and strategies, as well as inform supervisory agencies and other agencies to act accordingly; jointly set out action plans with other government agencies; notify supervisory agencies of reporting entities who fail to comply with the law to take further action under their respective laws. AMLO is also tasked to promote people's cooperation, conduct knowledge dissemination and training programs in relation to AMUCFT/CPF.

1. carry out acts in the implementation of resolutions of the Board and the Transaction Committee and perform other administrative tasks;
2. receive transaction reports submitted under Chapter II and acknowledge receipt thereof as well as receive reports and information related to transactions from other sources;
3. receive or disseminate reports or information for the execution of this Act or other laws or under an agreement made between domestic or foreign agencies;
   1. establish guidelines for observance, supervise, examine and evaluate reporting entities on implementation of this Act in accordance with rules, procedures and guidelines established by ordinance of the Board;
   2. conduct national money laundering and terrorism financing risk assessment in support of the formulat ion o f AMUCFT policy and strategy for submission to the Board and the Cabinet, as well as disseminate the results of such assessment to agencies supervising reporting entities under Section 13 and Section 16 and other relevant agencies for action in relat ion to AMUCFT;
   3. formulate an action plan, jointly with relevant government units and agencies in implementat ion of the AMUCFT policy and strategy;
   4. notify the names of reporting entities under Section 13 and Section 16 who violate the AMU CFT laws to respective supervisory agencies to consider taking action under relevant laws;
   5. promote people's cooperation in giving information for AMUCFT purpose;
4. gather, collect data, stat istics, examine, monitor and evaluate the implementation of this Act and analyze reports or data related to t ransactions, and assess risk relating to money laundering and terrorist financing;
5. gather evidence for the purpose of taking legal proceedings against offenders under this Act;
6. conduct projects with regard to the disseminat ion of knowledge, the giving of education and the training in the fields involving the execution of t his Act, or to provide assistance or support to both Government and private sectors in organizing such projects; and
7. perform any other acts under this Act or under other laws.

Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) as the lead agency for national risk assessment, commissioned the National Institute of Development Administration to conduct the 2016 risk assessment. The framework consisted of money laundering and terrorism financing factors risk from various domestic and transnational crimes, which affect the financial system, especially predicate crimes under anti-money laundering law, taking into account information on threat and vulnerability and then assessing consequences in order to take risk-based approach to adopting enhanced or reduced measures to prevent or mitigate residual risks.

Thailand faces high transnational crimes risk from criminals from Western and Eastern Europe, Russia, China, Western Africa, South Korea, Japan and neighbouring countries such as Myanmar. Majority of crimes were drugs, fraud, human trafficking, cybercrime, document forgery and illegal migration, most of which are committed abroad and Thailand is used for transit or operation preparation and money laundering base. Thailand has a large informal economy, some research papers estimate that it is as large as registered businesses or at least accounts for 30 to 40 percent of GDP. Illegal activities such as smuggling of goods, unlicensed financial businesses, sex trade and casino also have a big share.

Thailand is a target where foreign criminals use to launder or hide money to a higher amount than what Thai criminals launder abroad. Most of incoming illegal money is from drugs and fraud committed in USA, Europe, Myanmar and China channeled through banks. Most of these proceeds are used to buy property and invest in front businesses, especially in tourist areas. Money or assets that Thai criminals move abroad is from fraud and gambling. Destination countries are USA, Europe and tax haven countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau, where the money is moved through banks and cash couriers. These proceeds are used to buy property.