Thai police break up alleged counterfeit ID card ring for foreigners

[webfact]

Thai Police Break Up Alleged Counterfeit ID Card Ring for Foreigners
By Khaosod English


Police interview an unidentified Singaporean businessman accused of using a fake Thai ID in Chiang Rai province shortly after his arrest at the border with Myanmar on 28 July, 2015. Photo: Immigration Police

UTTARADIT — Five people are wanted by police for allegedly run a criminal scheme that produced fake Thai ID cards for foreigners living in Thailand.

Police Col. Pramuan Yimchan, a station superintendent in Uttaradit province, said at a press conference today that the five suspects sought for issuing the bogus cards are a state official, a monk and three civilians, though he did not identify any of them by name.

“All of the cards belonged to people who already died, but their names have not yet been removed from the citizens registration database.” Pramuan said. “The deceased were from different provinces … Their cards were used as new national ID cards for foreigners so that they can stay in Thailand indefinitely without ever having to acquire or extend visas.”



A fake Thai ID card allegedly found on a Singaporean businessman attempting to cross over the border in Chiang Rai province to Myanmar. Photo: Immigration Police

The scheme came to light after police in Chiang Rai arrested a 50-year-old Singaporean businessman trying to enter Myanmar with a fake Thai ID card, according to Pramuan. The Singaporean man’s ID card bore the name of a Thai man from Uttaradit province who died long ago, he added.

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1438666097

-- Khaosod English 2015-08-04

[alant]

" the five suspects sought for issuing the bogus cards are a state official, a monk and three civilians, "

Just as long as they don't drink alcohol on Buddha days...

[tomyumchai]

these cards?......theyre not really gonna work for most western foreigners, are they? maybe a spray tan first?

[NickJ]

Prison....Defrock and prison....Prison and deportation.

[temujin1234]

Good job by the police here.

Edited August 4, 2015 by metisdead
Edited out flag counter.

[halloween]

I hate to point out the fly in the ointment, but would this work if you can't speak really fluent Thai?

[bangkokfrog]

...police need permission from the National Anti-Corruption Commission to issue an arrest warrant for one of the suspects, who works as a permanent secretary in the Baan Khok District Office. “Since this is an abuse of power within the bureaucracy, we have to file the request to the commission, and it will grant us permission,”

The more I learn about Thai law, the more I shake my head. Is this suggesting that police need special permission from the NACC to arrest obviously corrupt officials? Perhaps this so that by the time permission is granted, the corrupt official have time to vanish so as not to implicate anyone higher up!

[zaphod reborn]

"The scheme came to light after police in Chiang Rai arrested a 50-year-old Singaporean businessman trying to enter Myanmar with a fake Thai ID card, according to Pramuan. The Singaporean man’s ID card bore the name of a Thai man from Uttaradit province who died long ago, he added."

Perhaps he was arrested because you need a passport to enter Myanmar. A Thai ID card is useless. They need to lock that state official up for a long prison sentence. But, TIT, it won't happen.

[Nickthegreek]

One wonders, Why would a Singaporean want a Thai ID card in Chiang Rai, the mind boggles

[OOLEEBER]

"The scheme came to light after police in Chiang Rai arrested a 50-year-old Singaporean businessman trying to enter Myanmar with a fake Thai ID card, according to Pramuan. The Singaporean man’s ID card bore the name of a Thai man from Uttaradit province who died long ago, he added."

Perhaps he was arrested because you need a passport to enter Myanmar. A Thai ID card is useless. They need to lock that state official up for a long prison sentence. But, TIT, it won't happen.

Pretty sure my wife came with me to Myanmar for the day about 12 years ago before she ever had a passport. You take the Thai id card and get a piece of paper from immigration that acts as a temporary passport and it gets the stamps. I could be wrong but I'm sure that's how it worked.

[Centrum]

This scheme was discovered about 4 years ago. The IDs were mostly from Kanchanaburi and the customers were Indian.

There's probably a news thread in the archives.

[northernphil]

"The scheme came to light after police in Chiang Rai arrested a 50-year-old Singaporean businessman trying to enter Myanmar with a fake Thai ID card, according to Pramuan. The Singaporean man’s ID card bore the name of a Thai man from Uttaradit province who died long ago, he added."

Perhaps he was arrested because you need a passport to enter Myanmar. A Thai ID card is useless. They need to lock that state official up for a long prison sentence. But, TIT, it won't happen.

Pretty sure my wife came with me to Myanmar for the day about 12 years ago before she ever had a passport. You take the Thai id card and get a piece of paper from immigration that acts as a temporary passport and it gets the stamps. I could be wrong but I'm sure that's how it worked.

It still does. My Thai wife often pops over the border to some booze and cigarettes. Costs about 40B for the one day.

[technologybytes]

That's a great looking counterfeit... I'd love one of those just for fun.

[farangdude84]

I hate to point out the fly in the ointment, but would this work if you can't speak really fluent Thai?

Yeah, one would think that the foreign accent would be the tip-off.

[Falcon]

Although these I'd cards are being referred to ask "fake ID cards", they, in fact are not, that's why they look good. In fact, I dare say that, if the numbers were out in to the database to check, they would come up as genuine as they would have been issued from a genuine amphur office. The only thing not real about them is the fact that they have been issued to someone purporting to be the person entitled to use it and have it issued in that name when clearly they haven't been as the details of the ID card, except for the photograph have been fraudulently used I.e ghosted. Therefore, it's not a fake document, just a fraudulently obtained document (ID card).

[webfact]

Singaporean had false Thai ID, say police
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Police have arrested a Singaporean for illegally obtaining a Thai identification card via a remote district office of Uttaradit province.

The card has identified the Singaporean as a Thai who is in fact already dead.

Zhang Yao Zhong, 50, is one of 16 alleged suspects Thai authorities have been trying to hunt down for their role in the illegitimate issuance of Thai identification cards.

The suspects include an assistant district officer.

"We are investigating the case further," Ban Khok Police Station superintendent Colonel Pramuan Yimjan said Tuesday.

The Singaporean told police he had paid Bt200,000 for the card and received it in 2013.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Singaporean-had-false-Thai-ID-say-police-30265880.html


-- The Nation 2015-08-04

[jlwilliamsjr18]

Farangs need not apply. Sorry boys, this is an Asian game.

[chrisinth]

Farangs need not apply. Sorry boys, this is an Asian game.

Do you know what a luk khrueng is?

[BigBadGeordie]

Farangs need not apply. Sorry boys, this is an Asian game.

Do you know what a luk khrueng is?

I do, but at this time of night he is in bed, showered, homework done and school in the morning.

He can, also, much to my chagrin, say at a load volume, "Hadaway an shy1te man"

Edited August 4, 2015 by BigBadGeordie

[Happy Grumpy]

That's a great looking counterfeit... I'd love one of those just for fun.

It's a real ID card, issued from the same office as others.

They just put bogus info on it.

[kiwikeith]

I hate to point out the fly in the ointment, but would this work if you can't speak really fluent Thai?

hexackory! just what I was thinking.

[lildragon]

Maybe they were irked because they weren't getting a piece of the pie?

[brewsterbudgen]

Fake Thai ID cards are useful for Laotians and Cambodians.

[Suradit69]

these cards?......theyre not really gonna work for most western foreigners, are they? maybe a spray tan first?

Not that I would imagine there would be a big demand for Thai IDs, but there are plenty of western foreigners of Asian descent ... about 5% of the US population is Asian American, but then I suppose anyone who thinks spray tan will make someone look Thai wouldn't consider them "real" westerners.

The Anglo-Saxon foreigners probably would go for the ever-popular fake immigration stamps in their passports.

Edited August 4, 2015 by Suradit69

[faraday]

That's a great looking counterfeit... I'd love one of those just for fun.

Send 30,000 baht to:

Reginald P Umbongo

Nigeria.

[Dogmatix]

"The scheme came to light after police in Chiang Rai arrested a 50-year-old Singaporean businessman trying to enter Myanmar with a fake Thai ID card, according to Pramuan. The Singaporean man’s ID card bore the name of a Thai man from Uttaradit province who died long ago, he added."

Perhaps he was arrested because you need a passport to enter Myanmar. A Thai ID card is useless. They need to lock that state official up for a long prison sentence. But, TIT, it won't happen.

Pretty sure my wife came with me to Myanmar for the day about 12 years ago before she ever had a passport. You take the Thai id card and get a piece of paper from immigration that acts as a temporary passport and it gets the stamps. I could be wrong but I'm sure that's how it worked.

Last time I looked Thais could cross the border with ID card only, if they only stayed in the border town and returned the same day. I think he was arrested on his way back to Thailand.

[Dogmatix]

A lot of money is being made selling this sort of ID card to Chinese, Burmese, Cambodians and Laotians and has been for years.

[easybullet3]

how can these cards be counterfiet ??

they are REAL !!

counterfiet means COPY, FAKE, Not the real thing.

these cards are 100% REAL... but illegally sold and used by other people.

also: very odd how a foreigner could try to pull off looking like a Thai Person and not speak good thai.

I guess he could say he grew up abroad.

but the photo!!!

so, how does having a Thai ID card enable someone to stay permanently?

they would still need to have a passport stamped.

and if its not a thai passport,,, then ??

unless they use the Thai ID card to get a passport.

but then they would show the PASSPORT to travel.. and NOT the ID card.

so how on earth was the singaporian caught?

I just dont get it.

if he travelled in or out of thailand,, he would show a PASSPORT.. (not an ID card).

ID cards are only good for domestic flights I thought.

(or was it a domestic flight).

anyway... typical thailand that a Monk was involved!! Lol

[Greer]

these cards?......theyre not really gonna work for most western foreigners, are they? maybe a spray tan first?

I hate to point out the fly in the ointment, but would this work if you can't speak really fluent Thai?

I hate to point out the fly in the ointment, but would this work if you can't speak really fluent Thai?

Yeah, one would think that the foreign accent would be the tip-off.

Bear in mind that many farang do have Thai citizenship, and many do not speak terribly wonderful Thai - nor of course do they look Thai.

[gk10002000]

...police need permission from the National Anti-Corruption Commission to issue an arrest warrant for one of the suspects, who works as a permanent secretary in the Baan Khok District Office. “Since this is an abuse of power within the bureaucracy, we have to file the request to the commission, and it will grant us permission,”

The more I learn about Thai law, the more I shake my head. Is this suggesting that police need special permission from the NACC to arrest obviously corrupt officials? Perhaps this so that by the time permission is granted, the corrupt official have time to vanish so as not to implicate anyone higher up!

I believe you will find that the police are doing very little high profile work without coordination or approval from the military coup leaders. Same for the judges.