All 50 district offices in Bangkok have been ordered to review records of birth registrations dating back to 2017, focusing on children born in private hospitals that have been linked to the “fake fathers” scandal.
District offices must submit their findings by July 27, Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said on Tuesday while detailing the operation to prevent the scheme that helped Chinese families obtain Thai birth certificates by recruiting Thai men to sign up as fathers.
Authorities have arrested 32 suspects out of 35 warrants issued so far, including suspected fake fathers, Chinese mothers and registration-related personnel.
Pol Gen Samran Nualma, a deputy national police chief, has said more than 500 foreign children may have been falsely registered, with five private hospitals in Bangkok allegedly involved in facilitating the process.
Following the reports, urgent actions have taken place on several fronts in the capital, Mr Chadchart said.
A major task force has been established, and it has inspected a total of 31 of 50 districts since June 2.
The task force addressed improper practices related to civil registration and national identification card issuance. Initial findings have not uncovered any fraudulent birth registrations similar to those previously discovered in Thon Buri district.
A comprehensive audit has been ordered to review records of birth registrations and birth certificate issuance involving foreign mothers and Thai fathers over the past nine years.
Findings due to be reported by July 27 must cover the number of birth registrations and birth certificates issued each year; the completeness and accuracy of supporting documents and registrars’ procedures; and verification of Thai fathers’ records, including how many children they have and whether those children were born to the same or different mothers, in order to detect anomalies.
If any suspicious cases or improper conduct are identified, authorities will pursue legal action and take disciplinary measures in accordance with Ministry of Interior guidelines without exception, the governor said.
Mr Chadchart said supervisors in every district office must closely review the work of registration officials each time a birth certificate is issued. Officials must exercise judgement and assess the plausibility of the information provided in order to stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes, he added.
One alleged financier of the network, Chinese national Chen Yin Lai, was arrested in 2024 on money laundering charges linked to a call-centre scam. His wife reportedly left Thailand with their three children — all of whom held Thai nationality — and remains overseas.
The arrested suspects were being questioned at the Bang Yi Ruea police station in Thon Buri.
