Skol Harnsuthivarin, secretary to Commerce Minister Krirk-krai Jirapaet, said the ministry was conducting a preliminary investigation into three companies: NNPL (Thailand), Kianwoo Marketing and Willis Sales and Contracting.

"The ministry has completed a preliminary investigation into the remaining 12 companies, and individuals involved will soon be called in for interrogation," he said.

The remaining 12 companies include Norway's Telenor, United Communication Industry and Hutchison CAT Wireless Multimedia.

The companies were short-listed in the Thaksin era while the investigation of Kularb Kaew, suspected of being a nominee of Singapore's Temasek Holdings, was ongoing.

Skol insisted yesterday that the ministry was no longer participating in the Kularb Kaew investigation.

The department wrapped up its investigation in September, after the case became controversial in January. It then passed the case to Thung Mahamek police station, near Kularb Kaew's office, for further judgement on whether the company was a Temasek proxy. The Central Investigation Bureau is now investigating the nominee case.

The case's statutory limit is 10 years from when the company is found to have breached the law.

Meanwhile, a high-level Commerce Ministry official noted yesterday that even though police had not yet finished their investigation into whether Kularb Kaew was a nominee of Temasek Holding, the Information and Communications (ICT) Ministry had the right to revoke the telecommunications-business licences issued to Shin Corp's subsidiaries.

Under the Telecommunications Act of 2006, the ministry can consider revoking the licences awarded to Shin subsidiaries: the satellite licence to Shin Satellite and the mobile-phone licence to Advanced Info Service.

Petchanet Pratruangkrai

The Nation