ADDITIONAL 46 arrest warrants have been issued in the third phase of a crackdown on “fake fathers” scam whereby Thai men are paid to falsely claim paternity of children born to foreign nationals so as to illegally acquire Thai citizenship and asset ownership rights, TV Channel 7 said this morning (Oct. 27).
National Police Chief Pol. Gen. Samran Nualma directed Pol. Lt. Gen. Noppasil Poolsawat, commissioner of Immigration Bureau, and Pol. Maj. Gen.Teerachai Chamnanmor, deputy commissioner of Police Forensic Science Division, to launch a joint operation with teams from Immigration Police, Metropolitan Police Division 8, and the Department of Provincial Administration’s (DOPA) N.I.C.E. unit in raiding and dismantling the “fake fathers” network.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Noppasil said investigations have uncovered a scheme involving fraudulent birth registrations at several private hospitals, with the complicity of government officials. The first phase of the operation identified three children and led to the arrest of six individuals. The second phase expanded the investigation, uncovering 22 additional children resulting in 36 arrests.
The current operation, the third phase, has identified 24 children whose citizenship status requires further investigation and legal processing. These cases are linked to eight different hospitals. Authorities collected DNA samples from these 24 children and compared them with the Thai men listed as fathers on their birth certificates, the children’s mothers, and the individuals believed to be their biological fathers.
The results confirmed that none of the Thai men listed as fathers share a biological connection with the children. Consequently, investigators requested arrest warrants for 46 individuals, including government officials, hospital staff, foreign mothers, the Thai men who falsely claimed paternity, the actual foreign biological fathers, and others involved in the illicit manipulation of civil registration records.
One of the significant cases uncovered involves a 27-year-old man named Thaweesak (surname withheld). His birth certificate lists a Thai man named Wanchai (surname withheld) as his father and a Chinese woman named Wunli as his mother. However, DNA testing revealed that his biological father is actually Mr. Chen Tonggen.
As a result of this identity-swapping scheme, Thaweesak was able to complete a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi and is currently employed at an electrical cable company in Samut Prakan province, with an income of approximately 30,000 baht per month.
Police raided a house in Bangkok’s Bang Khun Thian district, where Chen and Wun Li were found living together as a family. Wanchai told police that 27 years ago, someone had approached him to register a marriage with Wun Li for business purposes, for which he received a payment of 5,000 baht.
Another case involves 23-year-old twins Sutthiphat and Sutthinai who were listed on their birth certificates as having Mr. Komon (surname withheld) as their father and Ms. Harsamon (surname withheld) as their mother.
However, DNA testing confirmed that Komon is not their biological father. Investigations revealed that Sutthiphat, a fifth-year medical student at a leading university, was arrested while completing an internship at a hospital in Si Racha district, Chon Buri province.
His twin, Sutthinai, a graduate of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology who currently works as a programmer earning approximately 50,000 baht per month, was arrested at a condominium in the Thon Buri area. Komon, the Thai father of record, is currently incarcerated for a drug-related offence, with a scheduled release date of Aug. 27, 2036.
Harsamon, whose original name was Su Jian, was arrested for offences under the Identification Card Act. Investigative findings indicate that beyond using a “sham Thai father” to secure Thai citizenship for the twins she also obtained Thai citizenship through marriage to a Thai national, followed by a divorce after citizenship was granted. This sequence of events warrants further legal scrutiny.
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This and Front Page: Police cracking down on “fake fathers” scam. Photo – TV Channel 7
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