Inside The Fake Fathers Scheme
Thai authorities have uncovered an alleged birth registration scheme in Thonburi. Police arrested a hospital medical records officer and a local district official for allegedly operating an illegal birth-registration scheme.
According to investigators, they allegedly helped Chinese mothers give birth in Thailand and recruited Thai men to falsely claim paternity. This process allowed the children to be registered as Thai nationals.
A Price Tag for Citizenship
The operation appears to have been highly structured. It was reportedly marketed in China as a full childbirth package costing 70,000 baht. The hospital staff member allegedly acted as a broker, charging an additional 20,000 baht to handle the documentation.
Meanwhile, the district official allegedly helped push the birth certificates through the system. If the process required a fake marriage or a Thai man to falsely certify himself as the father, the network reportedly charged between 2,000 and 15,000 baht for the service.
Cracking Down on the Network
Police launched the investigation under the codename Operation Removing the Dragon’s Scales. Authorities began their probe after identifying suspicious financial activity linked to a Chinese woman who had three children with Thai citizenship.
Investigators found that the network has been active since 2020. A review of hospital records uncovered at least 164 cases where Chinese nationals used Thai men who allegedly acted as fake fathers to register births. In many instances, the supposed Thai fathers did not appear in the hospital records until the final stage of the process.
Why Foreign Families Seek Thai Status
Authorities believe some families wanted Thai citizenship for their children because it could make it easier to hold land, property and other assets that would otherwise face restrictions on foreign ownership.
Police are currently expanding the investigation to determine if more officials, brokers or clients were involved in the network. This crackdown is part of a broader effort by the Royal Thai Police to dismantle organized criminal groups accused of using Thailand as a base for money laundering and other illegal activities.
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