Activist Challenges Birth Certificate Issued Over Decade Late for Myanmar Child
An activist is challenging irregularities in a Myanmar child's birth certificate issued over a decade late in Rayong province, with allegations of bribery and improper use of a factory owner's address for the registration.
On September 18, 2025, activist Akkrawut Krairisomsat, known as Tae Acheeva, and his team visited Muang Kaeng Subdistrict Municipality office in Rayong province to investigate a case involving a migrant worker family from Myanmar. The parents were born in Myanmar and worked in Kanchanaburi province, but reported the child's birth at Kaeng Hospital in 2011.
Questions arose because the Myanmar boy attended school in Kanchanaburi and never left the province, yet his birth documentation used for education differed from the official birth certificate issued by the local registry office. Officials only issued backdated birth documentation in 2024, prompting multiple parties to flag irregularities. Audio recordings allegedly feature the mother confirming she paid 80,000 baht for the birth certificate and national identification card.
Local registry officials explained they received the birth notification with hospital documents and used the employer's address, citing standard practice for foreign workers. They attributed the multi-year delay to a system failure in 2011–2012 when records could not be processed. When the Myanmar mother later requested documentation, officials issued backdated papers based on available national registry data, insisting they followed proper procedure with no irregularities.
The factory owner whose address appeared in the household registry without knowledge is preparing legal action against involved officials and parties for using the house registration for birth notification without the Myanmar family ever living there. District Officer Anon Wonggyaem of Kaeng District has acknowledged the matter and pledged to investigate all complaints and parties involved.
