PUBLISHED : 22 Jan 2026 at 15:14

Pol Maj Gen Jruykiat Pankaeo (centre), deputy commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), talks to one of the six officials accused of falsifying documents to grant Thai citizenship to foreigners. (Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham)

Six officials, including two deputy district chiefs, have been arrested in Chiang Mai for allegedly falsifying permanent residency documents to grant Thai nationality to foreigners, mostly Chinese.

The two men and four women were apprehended on Thursday during an operation in Chiang Dao district led by Pol Maj Gen Jruykiat Pankaeo, deputy commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB).

Also taking part were officers from the police Anti-Corruption Division, the national and public-sector anti-corruption commissions and the Department of Provincial Administration.

The suspects were identified as Theerawat Suksri and Wiset Phongnok, both deputy district chiefs in Chiang Mai; and four women — Suwanan Worathongchai, Natenapha Khuenphet, Rungarun Sawatsawai and Pornphatchara Thanakan — who worked as municipal officials in Chiang Dao district of the northern province.

The raids were part of an expanded investigation into corruption by public servants accused of abusing their authority to falsify permanent residency documents and facilitate the illegal acquisition of Thai nationality by foreigners, primarily Chinese nationals.

The six suspects were arrested under warrants issued on Jan 20 by the Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct. The charges include performing or neglecting official duties unlawfully, certifying false official documents, and producing, using or supporting the use of falsified population registration documents.

The arrests were linked to an investigation in late November last year, when police and Department of Provincial Administration officials arrested the Wiang Haeng district chief and his associates for alleged bribery linked to applications for Thai citizenship and legal status for stateless persons.

Subsequent inquiries uncovered further irregularities involving applications for birth certificates filed with the registration office of tambon Thung Khao Phuang in Chiang Dao district.

Investigators found that a birth certificate issued on Aug 15, 2025, and a related form issued the previous day, bore the signatures of two suspects — Mr Theerawat and Mr Wiset — certifying documents later determined to contain false information.

The arresting team said the investigation would be expanded to identify other members of the network and to review additional civil registration documents that may have been fraudulently issued.

Legal action will be pursued rigorously, they added, to prevent further corruption within the population registration system.