Citizenship bust targets 5,000 ‘fake Thais’ in Chiang Mai's district

Chiang Mai — In a major bust targeting what authorities believe to be about 5,000 individuals with fake Thai citizenship, local officials and migrants were among 20 suspects arrested across 35 locations in Chai Prakan district. Deputy Interior Minister Worasit Liangprasit announced the arrests made by 200 police and administrative officials at the provincial police station, revealing a network of corrupt officials and Thai house owners who issued Category 0 ID cards to migrants, enabling them to claim Thai citizenship without proper residence records.

Deputy national police chief Pol Gen Samran Nualma stated that the operation targeted the issuance of Category 0 ID cards in Chai Prakan from 2018 to 2022, aiming to suppress the fraudulent practice. Police found irregularities, including forged documents and incomplete fingerprint records, during their investigations. Of the 35 suspects arrested, nine were government officials, three were Thai house owners, and 23 were migrants.

The raid focused on 35 locations, seizing 20 suspects, including a former assistant chief of Chai Prakan, a tambon chief, a village headman, eight Thai house owners, and nine Myanmar nationals. Narucha Kosacivilize, director-general of the Department of Provincial Administration, noted that previous busts led to the revocation of Thai nationality for 75 migrants, and 4,947 more suspected migrants are currently under investigation.