Thai police are investigating a suspected citizenship fraud network believed to have helped nearly 1,500 children obtain Thai nationality through falsified birth registrations linked to eight private hospitals.
Deputy national police chief Pol Gen Samran Nualma said on Saturday that four additional suspects had been arrested as part of the widening investigation.
They include two Thai men, identified as Mong and Wor, who allegedly posed as fathers, as well as two Chinese nationals, Si and Mr Hu, who police said are the biological parents of children involved in the scheme.
Investigators examined witness testimony, hospital records, birth notification documents and DNA evidence from parents and children before making the latest arrests.
Police allege that a Chinese couple seeking Thai citizenship for both of their children recruited Mong and Wor, despite the two Thai men having no previous connection to the family.
The pair reportedly agreed to provide their personal documents and falsely declare themselves as the children’s fathers in return for payment.
Pol Gen Samran said the suspects face charges including making false statements to officials, using forged government documents and fraudulently registering individuals for the purpose of illegally obtaining Thai citizenship.
Authorities have since cancelled the affected registration records and revoked Thai citizenship granted through fraudulent means. Police are also coordinating with the Immigration Bureau to determine whether further legal action should be taken against foreign nationals implicated in the network.
The crackdown, carried out between July 9 and 24, identified 22 children suspected of being directly linked to fraudulent registrations and resulted in the arrest of 37 people.
Those detained include 16 Thai men accused of posing as fathers, 13 Chinese mothers, six Chinese fathers, one government official and one hospital employee, according to police.
The investigation has now expanded to 1,483 children whose registrations are suspected of being connected to eight hospitals. At one hospital alone, authorities identified 62 potentially suspicious cases. Nineteen children were confirmed as being linked to the network, while another 43 cases remain under investigation.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said on Thursday that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is working with the Department of Provincial Administration and the Royal Thai Police to investigate irregular Thai citizenship registrations.
One BMA employee has already been dismissed in connection with the probe.
Authorities are placing particular scrutiny on cases involving Thai fathers and foreign mothers, as well as registrations in which the same Thai man is listed as the father of children born to several different foreign women.
Chadchart also pointed to differences in how Bangkok district offices handle birth certification procedures. In some districts, only one official serves as the point of contact with hospitals, a system he said could create greater opportunities for misconduct and corruption.
