Probe finds 1,366 non-Thai children registered at Din Daeng flat

Seven people, including three government officials, have been arrested under court warrants during an operation targeting alleged manipulation of household registrations at Din Daeng flats in Bangkok.

More than 100 officers searched seven locations on Tuesday (August 18) under an operation named “Clearing House in Central Bangkok”.

The operation was led by Deputy Interior Minister Worasit Liangprasit and senior police officers, including deputy national police chief Pol Gen Samran Nualma and Metropolitan Police Bureau Commissioner Pol Lt Gen Siam Boonsom.

More than 1,300 children found on household records

The investigation began after the Department of Provincial Administration’s DOPA N.I.C.E. task force examined the Din Daeng District Office between April and June and detected unusually large numbers of people being transferred into a small number of household registrations.

Investigators subsequently checked 5,726 rooms at the Din Daeng flats and found that at least 1,366 non-Thai children aged between five and 15 were listed in household records.

Authorities identified 44 rooms in which at least 16 children had reportedly been registered. Preliminary checks on three of the rooms found a combined total of 140 children listed at those addresses.

Officials and intermediaries allegedly involved

Police alleged that government officials and a network of intermediaries had approved large numbers of registration transfers within short periods, despite system warnings that more than 16 people were listed at individual addresses.

Investigators also found evidence allegedly involving documents signed in advance and forged signatures of householders. The documents were reportedly used in applications for identification cards for people without Thai nationality.

Investigators submitted the evidence to the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases, which issued seven arrest warrants.

Those arrested comprised three government officials, a householder, an intermediary, a broker and a person who allegedly certified a signature. Police did not disclose their complete names or specify the charges in the source report.

All seven were arrested and taken for further legal proceedings. Investigators are seeking to identify any additional people who may have been involved.

Authorities examine possible misuse of identification cards

Authorities said people entered into the registration system could become eligible for a so-called No. 7 pink card, an identification document for people without Thai nationality.

Such documentation can provide access to rights allowed under Thai law, including basic education, healthcare and certain financial transactions.

Officials warned that registrations or identification documents obtained improperly could be exploited in schemes involving mule accounts, online scams or transnational criminal networks. 

The operation followed a government directive to investigate alleged corruption involving civil-registration records and potential security implications.