Launch of operation 'Revealing the Dragon's Shadow' arrests 'Former Chiang Dao district chief and employee' involved in pink ID card forgery 'Ming Chen Sun' leader of Chinese scam network
At 16:00 on 15 May 2026, Mr. Jetsad Thaiyased, Deputy Minister of the Interior, announced the results after the DOPA N.I.C.E. task force and related agencies launched Operation 'Revealing the Dragon's Shadow' to arrest the 'District Chief of Hod' and an employee of Chiang Dao district. The operation team was led by Mr. Withun Sirinukul, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Provincial Administration, along with Police Major General Jarunkiet Pankaew, Deputy Commander of the Central Investigation Bureau, and Police Lieutenant Colonel Siripong Sritula, Deputy Secretary of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, who headed the team to begin the operation.
They arrested Mr. Chattep, District Chief of Hod District, Chiang Mai (formerly District Chief of Chiang Dao District, Chiang Mai), and Ms. Suparat, 31, a Chiang Dao district employee. They face charges of official misconduct under Section 157 of the Criminal Code, violations of the Civil Registration Act, the Computer Crime Act, and related offenses.
The case also involves granting Thai nationality to Mr. Ming Chen Sun, who was arrested after a car accident in Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province, where authorities found military weapons, explosives, and various ammunition in his vehicle and residence on 9 May 2026.
Central Investigation Bureau officers read the arrest warrant to Mr. Chattep and informed him of his rights before searching his vehicle, where they found one government-issued firearm, which was confiscated. A search of his workspace found no registration documents. He was then taken to the National Anti-Corruption Commission office in Region 5.
Deputy Minister Jetsad Thaiyased stated that investigations revealed suspicious activity in Mr. Ming Chen Sun’s registration. He exploited Thai residency for personal gain by fraudulently acquiring Thai nationality. The registry fraud involved moving his registration to Chiang Dao District on 12 October 2022, managed by the former Chiang Dao district chief. He used the home of a 77-year-old grandmother, an ethnic minority who cannot speak Thai or read, and whose transactions required fingerprint stamps. The grandmother testified she was paid 2,000 baht.
Mr. Ming Chen Sun’s actions involved changing a pink ID card with a leading digit '6' to one with '8' to increase Thai nationality claims in the future. The investigation found links between pink ID card forgery in Wiang Haeng and Chiang Dao districts, involving minority registration fraud in Chiang Mai. This fraudulent registration of non-border ethnic groups involved 445 cases, with 18 violations detected, mainly involving Chinese, Burmese, and Cambodian individuals who were not properly residing along the border.
Today, four arrest warrants were issued: two for government officials, one for Mr. Ming (arrested in Chonburi), and two for village chiefs, totaling five individuals to face prosecution.