Thailand busts fake birth certificate ring granting citizenship to 164 foreign children

Thai police on July 9 dismantled a criminal network accused of forging birth registration documents to obtain Thai nationality for foreign children, arresting several suspects, including a hospital employee and an administrative official.

According to the Royal Thai Police, the network recruited Thai men to pose as the fathers of foreign-born children in order to complete birth registration procedures and fraudulently secure Thai citizenship. Preliminary investigations found that 164 children had been registered through the scheme over the past five years.

Police arrested a female medical records officer at a private hospital in Bangkok's Thonburi District, who is believed to have arranged for foreign women to give birth at the hospital. The service reportedly cost 70,000 THB (about US$2,100), with the broker receiving 20,000 THB for handling the documentation.

Investigators found no prenatal records involving Thai fathers but said Thai men later appeared solely to acknowledge paternity, allowing the hospital to issue birth registration documents identifying them as the fathers.

Authorities also detained a local administrative official accused of certifying paternity and issuing birth certificates for children involved in the scheme. The suspects face charges of abuse of office and fraud in the performance of official duties.

Police are expanding the investigation and seeking search warrants for the homes of families linked to the network to uncover the full extent of its operations.