Chingta Wang, who had applied for the national ID allegedly using fake documents, was arrested on a court warrant in Bangkok’s Sai Mai district and handed over to Chiang Mai’s Chaiya Prakan Police Station.
Surachate said Chingta had initially applied for a national ID on February 4, 2002 in Chaiya Prakan district, and then reapplied in 2012 and 2014 claiming he had lost the card.
Then in February last year, he reapplied for a national ID again at Bang Khen district in Bangkok and used the card to register a tour firm – Chen Yang Travel.
The immigration chief said that though there are fewer foreigners obtaining fake Thai IDs to operate a business here, it still happens. The police, along with the Interior Ministry’s administration department, have jointly suppressed a ring of officials who were involved in the practice and some officials have already been punished, he noted.
The Commerce Ministry has also been asked to revoke business licences that were obtained using illegitimate ID cards.