Thailand Issues 46 Arrest Warrants in ‘Fathers for Hire’ Citizenship Fraud Probe

BANGKOK: Thai police and the Department of Provincial Administration have expanded an investigation into a “fathers for hire” network allegedly involving Thai men falsely acknowledging paternity of children born to foreign nationals to help them obtain Thai citizenship unlawfully.

The third phase of the investigation identified 24 people whose nationality status requires further examination, with links to eight hospitals. Authorities have issued 46 arrest warrants for individuals allegedly involved in the scheme.

Immigration Bureau commissioner Pol Lt Gen Noppasilp Poonsawat said on Tuesday (Oct 27) that the investigation followed orders from national police chief Pol Gen Samran Nualma after authorities uncovered false birth registrations through private hospitals and the suspected involvement of government officials.

The first phase identified three children and resulted in six arrests, while the second phase identified another 22 children and led to the arrest of 36 suspects.

DNA tests involving the 24 individuals, the Thai men listed as their fathers on birth certificates, their mothers and men believed to be their biological fathers found that none of the registered Thai fathers was biologically related to the individuals concerned.

Those named in the arrest warrants include government officials, hospital personnel, foreign mothers, Thai men who acknowledged paternity, the children’s alleged biological fathers, and others suspected of improperly exercising civil registration rights.

One case involved a 27-year-old man whose birth certificate listed a Thai father and a Chinese mother. DNA tests confirmed that a Chinese man was his biological father.

Officers arrested the man at his home in Bangkok’s Bang Khun Thian district, where they also found the Chinese man and the 27-year-old’s mother, who appeared to be living together as a family.

The 27-year-old graduated in industrial engineering from King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi and works for an electrical cable company in Samut Prakan, earning approximately 30,000 baht a month.

The Thai man named on his birth certificate told investigators that he had received 5,000 baht to register a marriage with the mother for business purposes 27 years ago.

Another case involved 23-year-old male twins whose DNA tests confirmed that the Thai man listed as their father was not their biological father.

One twin, a fifth-year medical student at a leading Thai university, was arrested while undertaking a hospital placement in Si Racha district, Chon Buri.

His brother, a graduate of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology who works as a programmer earning approximately 50,000 baht a month, was arrested at a condominium in the Krung Thon Buri area.

The Thai man named on their birth certificates is serving a prison sentence for a drug-related offense and is scheduled for release on Aug 27, 2037.

The twins’ mother, formerly known as Su Jian, was arrested under identity card legislation over her alleged role in supporting both sons’ applications for identity cards.

Authorities are also investigating how she obtained Thai citizenship through marriage to a Thai national, whom she later divorced.

Investigation Extends to Businesses and Possible Nominee Arrangements

In another case, two boys aged seven and three had the same mother but different Thai men listed as their fathers on their birth certificates.

DNA tests confirmed that a foreign man was the biological father of the seven-year-old. The Thai man listed on the child’s birth certificate, who works as a motorcycle taxi rider, admitted receiving 5,000 baht for the registration.

The Thai man named as the three-year-old’s father owns 10 businesses, including a machinery manufacturing factory.

Officers arrested the foreign man while he was with both children at a house in Samut Prakan. The property is also the registered address of a company in which the children’s mother holds shares.

Investigators are examining whether the company operates under a nominee arrangement, in which a person holds an interest on behalf of another party.

Authorities said all 24 individuals would undergo a review and correction of their civil registration records.

If any are found to have obtained Thai citizenship unlawfully, the relevant documents will be cancelled and their associated legal status revoked in accordance with the law, while taking into account the rights and best interests of the children concerned.

Police will widen the investigation to include recruiters, brokers, individuals who endorsed the registrations, government officials, and the alleged ultimate beneficiaries.

The investigation aims to close loopholes that allow the civil registration system to be exploited to obtain