DSI to probe ID forgery gang after many Rohinya migrants have Thai ID cards

[webfact]

DSI to probe ID forgery gang after many Rohinya migrants have Thai ID cards



BANGKOK: -- The Justice Ministry today ordered the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to investigate after the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) sent in reports indicating many Rohinya migrants have Thai identity cards.

Primary investigation later revealed a C7 official of the Department of Local Administration and a dozen of local officials were involved in forging ID cards for stateless persons.

DSI deputy director Pol Lt-Col Pong-in Intakao said investigation revealed that a number of Rohingya nationals have in possession of Thai ID cards.

However their photos on the cards discounted by their physical appearance which bear no similarities to Thai people in any way whatsoever, he said.

“We are making inquiries and will be getting to the bottom of the matter as quickly as possible,” he said.

According to the NIA, it has discovered that in Kanchanaburi province between 2006 – 2013 certain entries in the local population registration database had been altered on numerous occasions and no less than 421 suspected foreign individuals having been granted citizenship.

A C7 official of the Department of Local Administration in charge of stateless persons was found to be directly involved with the ID forgery.

This indicates malfeasance on the part of local civil servants who are the only people with the authority to edit state documents.

Not only that, this official for example has also been found to have been involved with identity card counterfeiting operations based in the Thong Phaphum district in Kanchanaburi province as well as another in Mae Sai district in Chiang Rai province.

The DSI will be coordinating with the Department of Local Administration and the Ministry of Interior to have the illegitimate names removed from state records and have all the counterfeit identity cards possessed by stateless persons confiscated.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/dsi-to-probe-id-forgery-gang-after-many-rohinya-migrants-have-thai-id-cards


-- Thai PBS 2015-05-20

[clockman]

In the land of fakes, what do you expect?

[Tatsujin]

And the punishment for all of the officials involved is ... ?

[FloridaExport]

Sounds like genuine cards that were falsely issued by public officials, not some ragtag gang of fakers like you'd find in Khao San Road. This is what you get when bribery and corruption are seen as rules rather than exceptions.

[toybits]

Not only that, this official for example has also been found to have been involved with identity card counterfeiting operations based in the Thong Phaphum district in Kanchanaburi province as well as another in Mae Sai district in Chiang Rai province.

He/she has a prior record of similar crimes in two other areas and YET (the English version, NOT Thai), he'she remains in office? I wonder who is protecting this person? If I were investigating, I would be VERY interested in finding out who? YET my belief is that nobody would even bother. At least not YET.

[DM07]

The Rohinga are not Thailand's problem!

Okay...we trafficed them here, have them as slaves on our fishing trawlers, give them fake ID's, make money off them any which way we can, let them die in our camps in the jungle...but they are not our problem to deal with!

[maidee]

no need for fakes

i'm sure there are willing officials that will make you a REAL thai id card for the right amount of cash

wish i could buy one

[WitawatWatawit]

If memory serves - this is not the first time this has happened in Kanchanaburi. I have a vague recollection of something similar 10 years or so back.

@toybits - dead right.

[FangFerang]

Kanchanaburi Province is a very Yellow province -- how does that look through lemon goggles?

[timmyp]

>However their photos on the cards discounted by their physical appearance which bear no similarities to Thai people in any way whatsoever, he said.

There are Thai citizens with Thai ID cards who are ethnically South Asian and Malaysian, and of course they have a physical appearance bearing little similarities to Thais. So it's not that odd for someone who doesn't look "Thai" (which is a pretty broad spectrum anyway) to have a legitimate Thai ID card.

Of course the real giveaway would be speaking no Thai or heavily accented Thai.

[deckape]

I wonder where these criminals will be transferred to?

[Thaddeus]

Kanchanaburi Province is a very Yellow province -- how does that look through lemon goggles?

It looks like you are grinding an axe in a library.

[SOTIRIOS]

...this corruption runs to so many levels.....quite 'telling'.....

...but we only see the victims being arrested....

[steven100]

As callous as it seems, it would appear that all countries are in favor of giving them food, water & medicine and sufficient fuel so they can return to where they came from, be that Myanmar or Bangladesh. It was mentioned on the news that some migrants were telling UNHCR officials they were Rohingya refugees so they would qualify for aid assistance when they are not genuine Rohingya.

And now the Phillipines has announced the same will apply should any boats arrive in it's waters.

It is the correct thing to do as letting them in would send the message that any arrivals by boat will be taken care of. This would have 100,s of thousands turn up in days. This is simply not the solution.

As shown by Thailand and other countries ... assist and help them in a humanitarian way with food, water & all the essentials.

Next step would be to go after the smugglers and kill them. This will stop further boats coming and also assist those in need now.

[smedly]

Kanchanaburi Province is a very Yellow province -- how does that look through lemon goggles?

you have a thaksin sponsored red terrorist organisation and then the rest of the Thai people, please explain what a yellow is as you seem to constantly mention it

There used to be a yellow shirt movement that has disbanded years ago

[DM07]

As callous as it seems, it would appear that all countries are in favor of giving them food, water & medicine and sufficient fuel so they can return to where they came from, be that Myanmar or Bangladesh. It was mentioned on the news that some migrants were telling UNHCR officials they were Rohingya refugees so they would qualify for aid assistance when they are not genuine Rohingya.

And now the Phillipines has announced the same will apply should any boats arrive in it's waters.

It is the correct thing to do as letting them in would send the message that any arrivals by boat will be taken care of. This would have 100,s of thousands turn up in days. This is simply not the solution.

As shown by Thailand and other countries ... assist and help them in a humanitarian way with food, water & all the essentials.

Next step would be to go after the smugglers and kill them. This will stop further boats coming and also assist those in need now.

Do you believe in repeating the same BS (word for word) on every Rohinga- related thread, makes it somehow better or right or morally acceptable?

Your "humanitarian way" is dropping some packs of Mama- noodles and water bottles into the ocean (because the boats are too full to drop anything there! Do you understand what that means??), so the already weak people had to swim for them!

"All the essentials"?

Good God, man!

They repaired the shoddy equipment so it "works" and pointed somewhere to the horizon and said "There is Malaysia! Now go!"

Humanitarian way!

If that is what you think "humanitarian" means, I really have no more further questions!

You totally lost the plot!

Edited May 20, 2015 by DM07