Thailand Crypto Crackdown: Nine Illegal Bitcoin Mining Farms Shut Down

Thai authorities recently shut down nine unauthorized Bitcoin mining farms, arresting two people from southern Thailand’s Surat Thani province. Both suspects, aged 30, were charged with theft, with alleged unlawful consumption of electricity of more than $280, 000 (10 million baht). It exemplifies a Rhodesian irrationality of unregulated business in the mining of bitcoins in Thailand.

The probe was launched following a local man who noticed multiple CCTV cameras mounted at an estate, which he thought was an abandoned building. As pointed out in the article, the Central Investigation Bureau accompanied by the Provincial Electricity Authority examine the site, and burrow through a hidden Bitcoin mining process. 

Police spokesperson Pongsak Meemusik said that the operation included electricity meters that were manipulated so the miners could steal large amounts of electricity.

Large Deposit Areas of Mining Areas Identified Throughout the Province

Additional investigations observed eight more similar mining rigs in operation in other eight places in Surat Thani. Since mining involves the use of powerful computers which consume a lot of energy, these uncontrolled centres have prompted views on electricity pilferage and other risks.

While Bitcoin miners can only operate legally through registration as manufacturers and paying taxes in Thailand, illicit mining has risen sharply in the last few years. The latest crackdown on crypto activities in February 2024 was followed by increasing appeals to Thailand as a preferred country for cryptocurrency operations. 

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As the world grows a bigger interest in the use of digital currencies, the Thai government continues to develop a legal framework to try and strike a balance between the growth of this new technology and protecting consumers.