Two Vietnamese Men, With Thai Woman Arrested in Chiang Rai for Fake Visa Stamps

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of Khaosod

 

A Thai woman and two Vietnamese men have been arrested in Chiang Saen district, Chiang Rai province, for allegedly forging official visa stamps and travel documents. Police seized numerous counterfeit stamps and passports during the operation.

 

The suspects have been identified as Ms. Wannapat, 43, from Mae Sai district in Chiang Rai, and Mr. Tuan Vinh, 33, and Mr. Van Lqi, 38, both Vietnamese nationals. They were detained on 17 March while sitting in a vehicle in Village 8, Wiang subdistrict, near the Thai-Lao border along the Mekong River.

 

Chiang Saen police became suspicious after spotting a white Toyota parked outside Huai Kiang School at night. Officers conducted surveillance and observed Ms. Wannapat at the wheel, with the two Vietnamese men as passengers. The men were seen removing a package from the boot of the vehicle and transferring it to another car.

 

Upon approaching the group for questioning, police found that the Vietnamese men could not communicate in Thai. A search of the vehicle revealed a cache of forged documents and official stamps, including:

 

• Six Thai entry-exit visa stamps

• Four Cambodian visa stamps

• Four Vietnamese visa stamps

• 27 Chinese passports

• 54 Vietnamese passports

• Paper cutters, rubber stamp pads, and several mobile phones

 

All three were immediately taken into custody and questioned in the presence of immigration officials.

 

Ms. Wannapat told police she had been hired for 800 baht to transport the two Vietnamese men from Mae Sai, on the Thai-Myanmar border, to Chiang Saen. She claimed to have no knowledge of the package’s contents and insisted she was simply working as a driver on a familiar route.

 

The Vietnamese men, speaking through an interpreter, admitted hiring Ms. Wannapat for transportation, stating that they intended to cross the Mekong River into Laos. However, they denied any awareness of the fake visa stamps and passports.

 

All three suspects have been charged with forging official stamps, seal impressions, or visa stickers for international travel. If convicted, they face prison sentences of one to seven years and fines ranging from 20,000 to 140,000 baht.

 

Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine whether the group is part of a larger visa forgery network.

 

-- 2025-03-20