DNA tests expose alleged birth certificate fraud linked to eight hospitals; probe targets brokers and officials
BANGKOK: Thai police have issued 46 arrest warrants in the third phase of a crackdown on an alleged scheme in which Thai men were paid to pose as fathers on birth certificates, enabling children of foreign fathers to obtain Thai citizenship.
Immigration Bureau Commissioner Pol Lt Gen Nopasilp Poonsawat announced the latest operation on October 27, following a joint investigation involving metropolitan police investigators and the Department of Provincial Administration.
Police said DNA tests on 24 people found no biological relationship with the Thai men listed as their fathers. Investigators linked the alleged scheme to eight hospitals, with one case dating back 27 years.
In several cases, the children’s biological fathers were reportedly Chinese nationals. Thai men named on the birth certificates told investigators they had received around 5,000 baht for registering as fathers. In one instance, a man allegedly married the child’s mother for “business purposes”.
Among those implicated was a motorcycle taxi driver, while another man listed as a father is currently serving a prison sentence for drug-related offences, police said.
Those arrested include parents, foreign fathers, men allegedly paid to pose as fathers and officials suspected of helping create false records. One mother also faces a charge under the ID Card Act. Authorities are examining whether a company associated with another family was operating as a nominee business.
Officials said the registration status of the 24 people would be reviewed and corrected in accordance with the law, while taking children’s rights into consideration.
Investigators are now focusing on brokers and other individuals suspected of profiting from the alleged operation.
The first two phases of the investigation, launched in July, uncovered 25 children and resulted in 42 arrests. The latest action marks an expansion of the probe into suspected birth registration fraud and its potential links to the acquisition of Thai citizenship.
