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Lawyers warn of lawsuits over account-freezing practices

11 Sept 08:01 Key points summarised by AI

Lawyers are publicly criticizing commercial banks for freezing entire accounts of customers, often innocent retailers, suspected of links to online scammers, rather than just the specific suspicious funds.
Concerns are raised that innocent victims lose access to their money, facing severe consequences like business disruption, payment defaults, and potential legal issues from bounced cheques.
Legal experts argue that banks should be held accountable for damages incurred by victims, including frozen money, lost business opportunities, and reputational harm, urging lawsuits for compensation.
An urgent meeting is underway between the Bank of Thailand, Cybercrime Investigation Bureau, and commercial banks to improve the procedures for freezing and unfreezing suspicious accounts.

Today 14:58 Key points summarised by AI

Thailand's government will launch the "Chainat-Pasak-Gulf" water diversion canal project in fiscal year 2027, a seven-year mega-infrastructure initiative.
This permanent structural solution aims to mitigate recurrent central plains flooding by diverting water from the Chao Phraya River directly into the Gulf of Thailand, significantly reducing flow to major cities like Ayutthaya and Bangkok.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul justifies the long-term investment as a means to reduce future damages and fiscal burdens, contrasting it with the 40-50 billion baht spent annually on short-term flood relief.
Concurrently, the Prime Minister instructed officials to expand drainage capacity into the Tha Chin River and swiftly remove water hyacinths to improve immediate flood management.