Former Chiang Dao officer arrested over Sun Mingchen registration case
A former Chiang Dao district officer has been arrested for allegedly creating false civil registration records for Chinese suspect Sun Mingchen.
Authorities have arrested a former Chiang Dao district officer accused of creating false civil registration records for Sun Mingchen, a Chinese suspect already facing allegations linked to the possession of military-grade weapons and explosives.
The operation, named “Revealing the Dragon’s Shadow”, was carried out by several agencies as investigators expanded their probe into how Sun’s civil registration records were allegedly processed.
Jeseth Thaiseth, Deputy Interior Minister, is expected to lead a press briefing on the operation at around 4pm on Friday (May 15) at the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission Region 5 in Mueang district of Chiang Mai province.
Weapons case widens after Chon Buri crash
The arrest comes as authorities continue to investigate the wider case involving Sun Mingchen, whose arrest followed a vehicle rollover accident in Chon Buri province.
The crash later led investigators to discover a large cache of military-grade weapons hidden inside a residence near Pattaya, including C4 explosives, M16 rifles and fragmentation grenades. Police have said the case has since expanded beyond weapons possession into possible links with transnational criminal networks.
Police spokesman Pol Lt Gen Trairong Phiwphan earlier said forensic examinations and digital evidence analysis had made significant progress in the case. Authorities had uncovered chat records, images of weapons training activities and evidence suggesting that the suspect had been accumulating weapons since late last year.
According to investigators, the evidence points to direct links between Sun and scam syndicates based in Cambodia. Police believe the weapons were connected to preparations for possible violent clashes between rival scam gangs, rather than attacks inside Thailand.
Trairong stressed that investigators had found no indication that Sun or his network intended to carry out acts of terrorism in Thailand or target Thai citizens.
The police spokesman also addressed the suspect’s claims about his mental health and his stated reason for collecting the weapons, saying those statements formed part of his legal defence. Investigators, he said, would rely primarily on forensic and digital evidence, which carries stronger evidential weight.
