Chiang Dao officials held in crackdown on fake Thai nationality

The Department of Provincial Administration, together with five agencies, launched The Chiang Dao 'Salai Mok' (Fog-Clearing) Operation on Thursday (January 22), led by Witoon Sirinukul, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Provincial Administration, and senior officials.

They executed six arrest warrants to detain an assistant district officer and municipal officials in Chiang Dao district, Chiang Mai, six suspects in total, over allegations of fraudulently issuing permanent residence certificates for ethnic groups and Thai nationality to at least nine foreign nationals.

Initial information suggests the arrest of the assistant district officer stemmed from an expanded investigation following the arrest of one Chinese national under an earlier operation in Wiang Haeng on November 18, 2025, with links indicating the suspect had moved their house registration into the Chiang Dao district.

Investigators later found evidence suggesting state officials had facilitated the issuance of birth certification documents, leading to the acquisition of Thai nationality for others.

All suspects are presumed innocent unless and until found guilty by a court.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul commented on the launch of Operation “Salai Mok Chiang Dao”, in which authorities executed arrest warrants to detain an assistant district officer in Chiang Dao and municipal officials in Chiang Dao district, Chiang Mai, six suspects in total, over allegations of fraudulently obtaining ethnic-group permanent residence certificates and Thai nationality for foreign nationals (“nationality bribes”).

He stressed he had already made clear that he would not focus on who the person was or how famous they might be, but would judge and take action based on the person’s actual actions and behaviour.

He added that, despite criticism that authorities could not crack down on drugs, over the past four months, they had seized 330 million pills, worth more than 10 billion baht.

He said authorities had also taken action against scammers by seizing assets, pursuing legal cases, revoking nationality and deporting offenders, calling it a full legal process.

As for cybercrime and gambling dens, he said authorities were proceeding without fear or hesitation.

The prime minister said there was no need to further expand the investigation, stressing that anyone who committed wrongdoing and those responsible would be dealt with.

On whether the case could be linked to a scammer network, given that one suspect was a Chinese national who had fled a case in China, he said the operation fell under the responsibilities of the Royal Thai Police, the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO), the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) and other relevant agencies.

Anutin said there was no need to issue warnings to civil servants who broke the law, as they already knew the consequences, especially those at the assistant district officer level.

He added that while it was his role to set policy and support officers doing their duties, those who “chose the wrong path” could not claim ignorance or that they had strayed by mistake, as it amounted to intentional wrongdoing.

Officials with authority to approve matters, he said, should face harsher punishment than ordinary people.

The prime minister said it was the responsibility of the Director-General of the Department of Provincial Administration to handle the afternoon press briefing, while his role as prime minister was to set policy, namely, that no one should break the law or threaten the public, and he said civil servants had been following the government’s policy well.

Looking ahead to the next election, he said any future government would need to remove obstacles that enable wrongdoing.

He said he could not measure whether “nationality bribes” would be fully eliminated, but insisted that anyone who broke the law would face action, adding that such decisive enforcement had not happened before.