18,000 false IDs issued in Chiang Mai: DSI
THE NATION

CHIANG MAI: -- At least four senior officials from a district in Chiang Mai are accused of unlawfully issuing Thai identification cards to more than 18,000 unqualified immigrants, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) said yesterday.

DSI chief Tarit Pengdith said the probe found that 18,587 foreign immigrants had been added unlawfully to the database of Wiang Haeng district as eligible recipients of Thai IDs.

Tarit said the case would be passed on to the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) for a disciplinary probe against the four Wiang Haeng officials. Tarit said other officials and local administrators might be involved in the irregularities.

The government has approved citizen ID card issuance for stateless hilltribe people who can prove they were born in Thailand. But an unusually high number were issued to immigrants in Wiang Haeng district alone, prompting the DSI to investigate. Of the 18,587 cases, 12,514 were found to have been added to the database without household registration, while 4,150 were added without approval, Tarit said.

The DSI also found that an unauthorised ID card had been issued in Chiang Mai's Mae Ai district to a foreign drug boss, Ongjong Saelu, who received a ID card as Thavorn Somjit.


-- The Nation 2013-05-16

so what's next they gonna try to get all those people to return their id cards?

Thank goodness for those 4 kind Samaritans in Wiang Haeng! They obviously take the human rights of these poor hill tribe people seriously. Great to see government officials acting with kindness and respect - There wasn't any money involved was there? Perish the thought.

Take a look at the Immigration office in Chiang Mai and you can see how many people try to get their ID card. No wonder it takes hours to get the 90-days-slip into your passport. A shame...

Sounds great!

So, the north will indeed sour like south in future.

Beats me how the hurdle of proving birth in Thailand for hill tribes people can be achieved without a birth cert or ID card.

False ID's - probably the ones where the "fees" were not paid.

I wonder if they voted

The system does not seem to work very well.

Thailand's biggest enemy is its bureaucracy which allows each and every crook to cook his own goose and when caught then it is off ........ to an inactive post until time is right for the next scam. Land of the free indeed!

......use then for their corrupt purposes......of course pocket a premium just for issuing them.....

...and nobody in a nation of 60+ million knows anything or says 'boo'......

........such patriotism........

.....the 'farangs' can't have any though..they don't look Asian.......and so much money is made off of them in so many other ways anyway....

....bust the 'illegal' westerners that have given so much to this country......and make all other illegals...legal....

....typical justice......typical b*llsh*t.....

...my wife tried to get 2 i.d. cards for my daughters the other week.....

...they said they didn't have any.......and were not sure when they would......

...........of course not.....if they are being sold..........

.......I think this goes beyond corruption.....i cannot think of a term for it......selling nationality.....

....all the while...we honest, hard-working foreigners that have been robbed, drugged, killed....are treated like sh*t......

Do many of the rural folk realise the significance of a birth certificate? If they obtain one how long before rodents, insects or humidity destroy it?

My wife needed to obtain a birth certificate before I could register her into the UK National Insurance scheme. All official copies of birth certificates at the office in Prakhon Chai had mysteriously disappeared (no prizes for guessing why) and the confirmation of the headman of her village was needed before a new one could be issued. Although my wife when a child had been playmates with his children, he wanted 5K baht to confirm her status. I refused to pay. DHSS in the UK were satisfied with a photocopy of her ID card from which her personal details to enter into the new birth certificate would have been copied from.

If a drug baron could get a Thai birth certificate then I would tend to believe that an offer that couldn't be refused was made or money changed hands.

The system does not seem to work very well.

Can you name one in Thailand that does?

The system does not seem to work very well.

Can you name one in Thailand that does?

The "Patronage" system?

The system does not seem to work very well.

I think nominations for "The understatement of the Year Award" have closed, otherwise you'd be in the box seat for first prize!

EDIT: But back on topic - Officials here have to realise, as do other criminals, that if you want go avoid capture by their peers (even in a profoundly corrupt society), you have to keep below the radar and feed the higher-ups. Fail to do either of these and the administration, irrespective of being corrupt, will hang you out to dry. And in no way do I endorse corruption, just pointing out why we occasionally see these cases made public.

Do many of the rural folk realise the significance of a birth certificate? If they obtain one how long before rodents, insects or humidity destroy it?

My wife needed to obtain a birth certificate before I could register her into the UK National Insurance scheme. All official copies of birth certificates at the office in Prakhon Chai had mysteriously disappeared (no prizes for guessing why) and the confirmation of the headman of her village was needed before a new one could be issued. Although my wife when a child had been playmates with his children, he wanted 5K baht to confirm her status. I refused to pay. DHSS in the UK were satisfied with a photocopy of her ID card from which her personal details to enter into the new birth certificate would have been copied from.

If a drug baron could get a Thai birth certificate then I would tend to believe that an offer that couldn't be refused was made or money changed hands.

5,000... good deal,

the original likely got sold to some hilltribe person for 50,000.

The system works fine, with just occasional fines, legally, hell no,

but it goes on, unless something big like this drug dealer goes public.

in 3 months it will be back to business, impressions made and a few seats shuffled.

Take a look at the Immigration office in Chiang Mai and you can see how many people try to get their ID card. No wonder it takes hours to get the 90-days-slip into your passport. A shame...

I've been dealing with Chiang Mai Immigration for over 5 years, and only once have I had to deal with a bad attitude, or any other problem. The problem with CM Immigration is not just the people from Myanmar, and other Asian countries, but the doubling and even possibly tripling of the falang that are here now. And I've personally witnessed many of them being overbearing, obnoxious and rude to the staff.

Over two years ago CMI requested a larger office, more staff, and better parking facilities to handle the growing number of people now utilizing the facility, but as of yet, BKK had done nothing to help. Oh, they did promise to hire 14 more staff for CMI, which hasn't happened yet, but even if it did, where would they work? There's not enough room for them in the building they have now. And, unfortunately, for everyone involved, which includes the staff there, it's only going to get worse before it get's better.

I wonder if they voted

Indeed, perhaps word got out that they were red colour blind...

Can I get one??

so what's next they gonna try to get all those people to return their id cards?

ha ha....Good luck with that plan.

Darn, missed the boat again.

The system does not seem to work very well.

Can you name one in Thailand that does?

The tax office.

......use then for their corrupt purposes......of course pocket a premium just for issuing them.....

...and nobody in a nation of 60+ million knows anything or says 'boo'......

........such patriotism........

.....the 'farangs' can't have any though..they don't look Asian.......and so much money is made off of them in so many other ways anyway....

....bust the 'illegal' westerners that have given so much to this country......and make all other illegals...legal....

....typical justice......typical b*llsh*t.....

oh boo hoo

Try getting an ID card in America.

The system does not seem to work very well.

Can you name one in Thailand that does?

Most of the in-call girlie joints on Ratchada work pretty well.

The system does not seem to work very well.

Can you name one in Thailand that does?

most (not all) systems work in Thailand. but Thai systems are like engines, they don't run without fuel.

The system does not seem to work very well.

Can you name one in Thailand that does?

The tax office.

Agree!.

As well, the Hang Dong Government Drivers' Licensing Office across from the airport end of runway. Nice, friendly, helpful people too.