Thailand arrests 16 over alleged fake-father scheme linked to 164 Chinese children's birth registrations

Thai authorities have arrested 16 people, including district officials and hospital staff, in connection with an alleged birth registration scheme that enabled children of Chinese nationals to obtain Thai citizenship through fraudulent paternity claims.

The arrests were announced on Thursday by Pol Gen Samran Nualma, Thailand’s deputy national police chief, during a joint briefing by the Royal Thai Police and the Department of Provincial Administration (DoPA). 

The investigation, codenamed “Removing the Dragon’s Scales”, also involved the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission and the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo).

Authorities said 42 suspects have been identified in total. Courts have approved 21 arrest warrants, while 16 suspects have been apprehended so far.

Those implicated include a private hospital employee, a district office registrar, 18 Thai men accused of acting as “fake fathers”, 21 Chinese parents and one Laotian mother.

The suspects face charges under Thailand’s Civil Registration Act and Computer Crime Act, while public officials are also accused of misconduct under Section 157 of the Criminal Code.

Investigation linked to major fraud probe

The case emerged from a wider investigation into Chinese national Chen Yin Lai, who was arrested in April 2024 on allegations of operating a fraud and money-laundering network valued at more than 70 billion baht.

Investigators later traced financial transactions to Chen’s wife, identified as Chen Baojiao, whose three children possessed Thai nationality.

Subsequent inquiries allegedly uncovered a network in which Thai men were paid to register marriages with Chinese women or falsely acknowledge paternity of their children. Under Thai law, such registrations can allow children to obtain Thai citizenship.

Police said the operation had allegedly been active from 2020 until the present and was promoted to Chinese clients as a childbirth package in Thailand.

Hospital employee accused of acting as broker

Authorities allege that a medical records officer at a private hospital in Bangkok’s Thonburi district acted as a broker for Chinese clients seeking to give birth in Thailand.

According to investigators, the hospital offered childbirth packages costing around 70,000 baht. The employee allegedly charged an additional 20,000 baht fee for coordinating documentation required for birth registration.

Police said the woman had allegedly participated in the scheme for more than five years.

Investigators also accuse a district office official in Thonburi of facilitating birth registrations and processing documentation connected to the alleged operation.

Authorities said Thai men involved in the scheme were paid between 2,000 and 15,000 baht to register marriages or acknowledge paternity of children to whom they were not biologically related.

Hundreds of registrations examined

Records examined by the Department of Provincial Administration's National Identity Crime Enforcement unit showed 164 birth registrations involving Chinese mothers and Thai fathers linked to the hospital between 2023 and 2024.

Investigators reported that many cases showed no previous antenatal records involving a Thai father, with the alleged fathers appearing only during the birth registration process.

A separate review of civil registration records identified dozens of registrations involving foreign mothers and Thai fathers allegedly connected to the officials under investigation.

DNA testing has so far confirmed that 19 children were not biologically related to the Thai men listed as their fathers. Authorities have begun revoking the affected birth registrations.

Concerns over wider regional patterns

The Thai investigation comes amid broader concerns in Southeast Asia about the misuse of civil registration systems to obtain citizenship documents.

In the Philippines, authorities have uncovered multiple cases involving allegedly falsified birth certificates issued to Chinese nationals.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) previously reported finding nearly 200 fraudulent birth certificates issued by the civil registry of a single municipality in Davao del Sur between 2018 and 2019, while officials indicated that additional cases may exist beyond the period examined.

Philippine investigators have also linked some holders of fraudulent documents to operations targeting illegal offshore gaming networks. According to Philippine authorities, falsified birth certificates have been used to obtain passports, identity documents, enrolment records and other official credentials.

The issue has drawn political attention in the Philippines following investigations into dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo, also known as Guo Hua Ping. Authorities believe she may have obtained Philippine citizenship through a fraudulent late birth registration process.

Philippine lawmakers have since proposed legislation that would give authorities greater powers to investigate and cancel fraudulent birth certificates more quickly, citing concerns that such documents could be used to acquire property, establish businesses or seek public office.

Possible links to property ownership and money laundering

Investigators believe some Chinese clients may have sought Thai nationality for their children to facilitate future ownership of property and assets in Thailand.

Police said the inquiry is also examining whether some assets connected to the network may be linked to criminal activity or money laundering.

During raids on Thursday, officers searched a luxury housing estate in Bangkok’s Rama II area, where they discovered a child allegedly holding both Thai and Chinese birth documents.

Authorities also revealed that one of the accused Thai “fake fathers” is a shareholder in China Railway No.10 (Thailand), holding a 10.2 per cent stake. Investigators suspect he may have acted as a Thai nominee for the company.

China Railway No.10 (Thailand) was among the contractors implicated in the collapse of Bangkok’s State Audit Office building in March 2025, a disaster that killed 95 people.

Further investigations underway

The Anti-Money Laundering Office is now examining financial transactions and assets linked to the suspects and their associates, as authorities consider whether the alleged scheme constitutes a predicate offence under Thailand’s anti-money laundering laws.

The Department of Provincial Administration said it has tightened procedures for birth registrations involving Thai and foreign parents. New measures include requiring both parents to appear before registrars, conducting separate interviews, verifying hospital-issued birth certificates and ordering DNA tests in suspicious cases.

Officials said investigations remain ongoing and that several other private hospitals in Bangkok are being scrutinised for possible involvement in similar schemes. Authorities said anyone found to have participated in the network would face legal action.