PM Vows Tough Penalties for ID Card Smuggling Ring
Prime Minister Anutthin Charnweerakul vowed strict enforcement against officials involved in issuing national ID cards to foreigners, citing the suicide of a former Chiang Mai district administrator facing over 400 years in combined sentenc
Prime Minister Anutthin Charnweerakul confirmed on August 10 at Wat Rajabophit that the government is enforcing strict penalties against networks issuing national ID cards to foreigners, and warned civil servants not to break the law, citing severe consequences. He said prosecutions are already underway against those responsible. He pointed to the case of a former district administrator in Wianghaeng, Chiang Mai, who took his own life as evidence of how seriously the government is pursuing these cases, signaling to anyone involved to stop immediately. The PM said he asked the Comptroller of the Internal Revenue Department why the official felt compelled to take such drastic action, noting that with multiple charges across different statutes, combined sentences exceed 400 years, which may have caused extreme stress. However, he does not want to see such tragic outcomes and stressed that no one should break the law and all officials must perform their duties with honesty and integrity.
