Police Probe Fake Thai Birth Certificates for Chinese Children
Immigration police are investigating a "ghost father" scheme where Thai men were falsely named as fathers on birth certificates for Chinese children, with four people facing charges in connection with at least two families.
BANGKOK — Immigration police have expanded an investigation into an alleged "ghost father" network accused of falsely registering Chinese children as Thai nationals, with four people facing legal action in connection with two families. The case centres on Thai men allegedly being named as fathers on birth certificates despite DNA evidence indicating that the children's biological fathers were Chinese nationals.
Pol Col Suriya Puangsombat, superintendent of the Immigration Bureau Division 3 Investigation Sub-Division, said the inquiry began after a 39-year-old Chinese woman, surnamed Huang, applied to extend her stay in Thailand on the grounds that she was caring for Thai-national children. Police became suspicious of the relationship between the woman and the Thai man named as the children's father on their birth certificates.
On 14 July, investigators collected DNA samples from the parents and children. Huang allegedly admitted that her two daughters were not the biological children of the 53-year-old Thai man, identified under the pseudonym Pradit, but of a 40-year-old Chinese man, surnamed Yue Long. The children's births were registered at Si Racha district office in Chon Buri province.
Checks found that Pradit was listed as the father of six children: three with his Thai wife, two with Huang, and one with another Chinese woman, surnamed Wang, 42. Police said the information gave them grounds to suspect that foreign children had been falsely registered as Thai nationals.
The people linked to the case were placed on a watchlist. On 24 July, immigration officers at Suvarnabhumi Airport alerted investigators after Wang, her Chinese partner, surnamed Zhu, 42, and their son were preparing to fly to Australia. Police asked the family to attend questioning and provide DNA samples. Wang allegedly admitted that Zhu, not Pradit, was her son's biological father. The child's birth had been registered at Khan Na Yao district office in Bangkok.
Wang is accused of jointly making false statements to officials, causing false information to be entered in official documents, and improperly registering a birth. On 4 August, Huang and Yue Long were summoned to acknowledge similar charges, including using an official document resulting from false information. Pradit attended a second summons on 18 August and allegedly confessed to the allegations. He was released temporarily while investigators gather further evidence for prosecutors.
Police said three Chinese nationals and one Thai national are now facing legal action. Immigration Bureau Division 3 investigators said they would continue examining possible links to others involved in similar alleged misuse of Thailand's civil registration system.
