Thailand uncovers Mae Sot registration fraud network after 700 cards

Thai authorities have arrested 11 suspects in Mae Sot district, Tak province, over an alleged registration fraud network that issued identity documents unlawfully to foreign nationals, with investigators estimating that more than 700 people may have received the cards.

The operation, launched on August 4, targeted alleged corruption involving the issuance of identity cards for people without civil registration status, known as “zero-status” registration cards. Authorities said the case involved officials and individuals allegedly helping foreign nationals obtain registration rights through improper procedures.

The operation was conducted by the Royal Thai Police, the Ministry of Interior and partner agencies under Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s policy to suppress security-related crimes.

It was led by National Police Chief Pol Gen Kitrat Phanphet and Pol Gen Samran Nuanma, Deputy National Police Chief and director of the Centre for the Suppression of Transnational Criminals and Illegal Immigration.

The agencies involved included the Department of Provincial Administration’s DOPA N.I.C.E. task force, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), the Anti-Money Laundering Office, the Office of Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission and other relevant authorities.

Police allege local registry network issued illegal cards

The Mae Sot operation, named “Crackdown on Illegal 10-Year Cards”, followed investigations from previous operations targeting suspected civil-registration fraud.

Authorities said the investigation expanded from the “Grey G Registration Crackdown” in Chiang Rai on June 18 and the “Closing the Shadow Network” operation in Don Sak district, Surat Thani, on July 4.

The Surat Thani operation resulted in the arrest of 11 people, including a former district official, who were accused of accepting payments ranging from 40,000 to 100,000 baht per person to issue zero-status registration cards to Myanmar nationals. Authorities estimated the damage at about 15 million baht.

Further investigation found that many of the foreign nationals arrested in previous cases had links to Mae Sot, prompting authorities to examine possible connections in Tak province.

The inquiry was also linked to an anonymous complaint received by the DSI and a review conducted by Tak authorities, which allegedly found that an assistant local registrar at Mae Sot Municipality had arranged unlawful identity cards for more than 700 foreigners.

Authorities alleged that the same payment pattern was involved, with applicants allegedly paying between 40,000 and 100,000 baht each.

Biometric checks identify Myanmar passport holders

Initial checks found 12 foreign nationals who had allegedly obtained zero-status registration cards unlawfully.

Officials compared facial recognition data and fingerprints with Immigration Bureau records and found that all 12 individuals held Myanmar passports.

The DOPA N.I.C.E. task force subsequently filed a complaint with investigators at Mae Sot Police Station against 17 people.

They face allegations under Sections 137, 157, 162 and 267 of the Criminal Code, as well as Section 50 of the Civil Registration Act B.E. 2534 (1991).

The Tak Provincial Court approved 13 arrest warrants and 17 search warrants.

Authorities arrested 11 suspects, including:

• Two municipal officials: an assistant local registrar at Mae Sot Municipality and a municipal employee
• Two household witnesses allegedly involved in certifying registrations
• Seven Myanmar nationals accused of obtaining registration status unlawfully

Authorities pursue remaining suspects and wider network

Police are still searching for a key suspect identified as Kit, a former assistant local registrar at Mae Sot Municipality.

Authorities said he had previously been found guilty of misconduct by the National Anti-Corruption Commission and was removed from government service in 2025.

Police said Kit’s wife, identified as On, was arrested in October 2025 in connection with an alleged illegal weapons trafficking case involving weapons and ammunition reportedly intended for an armed group near the Thai-Myanmar border.

Authorities said they would continue efforts to locate Kit and bring him into the legal process.

Items seized during the Mae Sot operation included:

• Three passports
• Five zero-status registration cards
• Four household registration books
• One work permit
• One identification card for a person without Thai nationality
• One Myanmar identity card
• One border pass
• Mobile phones, a laptop and a USB flash drive

Authorities said searches indicated possible links to a wider network involving the local registration office, which allegedly brought migrant workers from Tak and nearby provinces into a process described by officials as “labour laundering”.

The Royal Thai Police said investigations would continue based on evidence and individual conduct.

The public can report suspected registration fraud, demands for illegal payments, official corruption, nominee business arrangements involving foreign nationals, large-scale mule account activity or misuse of official documents to local police stations or the Royal Thai Police hotline 1599, available 24 hours a day.