Thai deputy finance minister resigns amid scam allegations

By Kitiphong Thaichareon and Panarat Thepgumpanat

BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thailand's deputy finance minister said on Wednesday that he will resign following allegations linking him to a transnational scam operation.

Border areas between Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia have become hubs for online fraud since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the United Nations says billions of dollars have been earned from the trafficking of hundreds of thousands of people forced to work in scam compounds.

The opposition has alleged that the 61-year-old former financier Vorapak Tanyawong and his wife are among a number of Thai political figures involved in a criminal network accused of laundering money for regional scam operations.

Vorapak denied all allegations and said that he would resign from the cabinet to shield the government from distractions.

"I am resigning to allow the government to carry on running the country and not hinder its duties," he told reporters at a briefing.

"I want to maintain that I am innocent and will take legal action against those who distort facts and spread false information," he said.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Tuesday ordered Vorapak to submit a written statement to clarify allegations about his involvement in the scam operation.

Vorapak became the first cabinet minister in Anutin's government to resign, just weeks after taking office.

(Additional reporting by Panu Wongcha-um; Editing by David Stanway)

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