Speaking at Parliament yesterday (July 15), MP Chalermpong, the People’s Party MP for Phuket Constituency 2, said the case was uncovered during an investigation into alleged Chinese nominee businesses operating in Phuket.
He called on the Ministry of Interior to urgently investigate what he described as possible corruption in the issuance of Thai identification documents and citizenship.
Mr Chalermpong made the allegations during a press conference alongside fellow People’s Party MPs Piyarat Jongthep and Romdon Panjor, who announced new findings from their investigation into an alleged illicit Chinese investment network.
The MPs claimed the wider network has caused economic damage exceeding B70 billion, with financial investigations tracing money to the families of key suspects.
Focusing on Phuket, Mr Chalermpong said investigators had identified a Chinese national who obtained Thai citizenship under what he described as suspicious circumstances.
According to Mr Chalermpong, the individual holds shares in five Phuket companies and acts as an intermediary for foreign investors, arranging brokerage services, real estate transactions and assisting Chinese nationals in obtaining Thai identification cards or changing their citizenship status.
He alleged the service costs up to B1 million per identification card.
Mr Chalermpong said complaints have been filed with the Phuket Provincial Commerce Office requesting an investigation into whether the individual’s business activities constitute illegal nominee arrangements.
A separate complaint has also been lodged with the Phuket Provincial Damrongtham Centre (Provincial Ombudsman’s Office) requesting an investigation into the legality of the individual’s Thai identification card and civil registration records after it was found the person had previously held registration documents in northern Thailand before transferring household registration to Phuket.
“I urge the Minister of Interior to expedite the investigation and establish the facts to resolve public concerns over corruption, the illegal issuance of identification cards and the impact these activities are having on employment opportunities for Thai people in Phuket,” Mr Chalermpong said.
The press conference also highlighted a separate case in Bangkok involving the registration of a child born to a Chinese mother at a private hospital in the Rama 9 area.
The People’s Party alleged the child’s birth was registered using a 22-year-old Thai man as the father despite police later discovering he had an extensive criminal record and is now a fugitive.
The MPs claimed hospital staff handled the birth registration directly with district officials, raising suspicions of a paid service designed to facilitate Thai citizenship.
The MPs called on the government to establish formal investigations into officials and agencies involved in birth registration and citizenship approvals, suspend the issuance of Thai passports in cases under investigation to prevent suspects leaving the country, and clarify how children would be treated if citizenship granted through fraudulent means is later revoked.