Village and sub-district heads (Kamnan) who are influential figures in their localities will be dealt with in line with the government’s policy to crack down on dark influences in Thailand, according to Deputy Interior Minister Chada Thaised.

Chada, who was formerly highly influential in his home province of Uthai Thani, said today (Sunday) that officials have completed a list of as many as 700 people who meet the criteria of being “influential figures”, an expression from which a negative inference is often drawn in Thailand .

He said that these “influential figures” are divided into a Red group, numbering about 100, with the rest in the Yellow group, meaning that they are on a watch list, based on their records of alleged unlawful activities, adding that the list will have to be verified by the police before it can be disclosed.

The deputy interior minister maintains that the list was prepared without bias and will be screened by a committee, which is scheduled to meet on Tuesday.

The next step, he said, is for him to meet with village and sub-district heads, especially those who are known to be “influential figures”, to ask them to turn over a new leaf or face the full might of the law.

He hinted that one way of dealing with local leaders who refuse to change could be to initiate a full tax audit on their business and personal financial positions, to ensure that any unpaid tax is paid.

Chada insisted, however, that not all influential local leaders are bad people.

After dealing with the village and sub-district heads, the deputy interior minister said the next targets will be state officials who have close connections with influential figures allegedly involved in illegal activities.