Authorities have dismantled the “Dragon Scale Removal” gang, operating amid declining Thai birthrates, where “gray Chinese capital” hires “fake fathers” to obtain citizenship. Hospital and government officials are implicated. One Chinese child case involves a “fake father” who is a shareholder in a Chinese company building government offices.
In an era when Thailand faces a population crisis with significantly decreasing Thai birthrates annually, official population registry data reveal anomalies. A large number of mixed-heritage children (“Chinese mother–Thai father”) have appeared in the system. This is the root of a major crackdown on a transnational criminal network threatening national security, exploiting loopholes by using money to recruit Thai men as “fake fathers” to unlawfully grant Thai citizenship to children of Chinese descent.
This operation is not merely ordinary false birth registration but a well-organized scheme involving government officials and medical personnel facilitating the process, from delivery beds in hospitals to desks in district offices.
Today, 9 Jul 2026 GMT+7, under the urgent policy of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anutin Charnvirakul, known for the slogan “Relieve Suffering, Promote Happiness, Protect Public Peace, Eradicate Drugs, Defeat Thugs,” authorities aim to purge corruption in population registration—a crime undermining national security.
Police General Samran Nuanma, Deputy Commissioner of Police and Director of the Center for Suppressing Transnational and Illegal Immigration Crime (Police Transnational Crime Suppression Center), and Head of the Foreign Offenders Suppression Unit, together with Police Lieutenant General Nophasin Poolsawat, Chief of Staff to the Police Commissioner, led the Metropolitan Police forces in collaboration with Deputy Minister of Interior Pol.Pir Suwanchawee (MoI 2) and Deputy Director-General of the Department of Provincial Administration, Mr. Witun Sirinukul. They headed a special task force against registry-related security threats (DOPA N.I.C.E.), alongside officials from the Office of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission, Anti-Money Laundering Office, and the Department of Special Investigation.
Together, they launched the “Dragon Scale Removal” operation targeting networks of “fake fathers” involved in transnational crime and registry fraud to falsely register foreign children as Thai nationals.
Previously, officials have continuously purged the registry system through operations such as:
On 18 Jun 2026, the “Gray G Registry Sweep” operation resulted in the arrest of the Chief District Officer of Chiang Dao District, Chiang Rai Province.
On 4 Jul 2026, the “End of Shadow Force” operation targeting false zero-registration identity cards led to the arrest of the Chief District Officer of Don Sak District, Surat Thani Province (currently serving as Chief District Officer of Khanom District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province).
Most recently, on 9 Jul 2026, arrest warrants were requested from the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct for 40 individuals, alongside 53 search warrants, to dismantle a major network in Bangkok.
Tracing from a “Billion-Baht Scammer” to Citizenship Fabrication Network
The case originated in April 2026 when the Technology Crime Suppression Division arrested Mr. Chen Yinlai, a major Chinese scammer using Thailand as a base to launder up to 70 billion baht.
Further financial investigations revealed suspicious transfers through multiple mule accounts to Ms. Paojiao Chen, Mr. Chen’s Chinese wife. She has three children, all of whom, including herself, obtained Thai citizenship.
Joint in-depth investigations by the Department of Provincial Administration and the Royal Thai Police revealed that Thai men were hired to marry Ms. Paojiao Chen to officially appear as the “father” of the children. They purchased delivery packages at a private Bangkok hospital with district office officials facilitating the birth registration, enabling children to unlawfully obtain Thai citizenship.
On 29 Apr 2026, the “Dragon Scale Reversal” operation arrested six suspects (two Chinese nationals, three Thai men hired for registration, and one district official), and revoked the citizenship of five children. However, police recognized this as just the tip of the iceberg.
Coordination between the Police Transnational Crime Suppression Center and DOPA N.I.C.E. identified key figures central to this corruption network, including:
Ms. Sunee (surname withheld), a Thai woman employed by a prominent private hospital in Thonburi, acted as a broker liaising with Chinese clients seeking Thai citizenship for their children. She invited clients to purchase delivery packages at the hospital costing 70,000 baht each, charging an additional 20,000 baht for arranging birth certification documents and recruiting Thai men to act as “fathers” for a fee ranging from 2,000 to 15,000 baht.
Ms. Siriporn (surname withheld), a Thonburi district office official, functioned as the registrar facilitating and illegally accepting birth registrations, believed to be complicit with Ms. Sunee.
Deeper examination of the Department of Provincial Administration’s registry database revealed a staggering 164 birth registrations involving Chinese mothers and Thai fathers through this private hospital.
Alarmingly, Ms. Sunee reported 62 births, with Ms. Siriporn as the registering official. Authorities conducted thorough investigations including interviews with Thai fathers and Chinese mothers, hospital medical record audits, and crucially, DNA testing, which confirmed at least 20 cases where the Thai men were not biological fathers but “fake fathers.”
With conclusive evidence, on 7 Jul 2026, DOPA N.I.C.E. filed complaints at Bang Yi Ruea police station, leading the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct to issue arrest warrants for 40 individuals. Charges include conspiracy to file false reports to officials, computer crimes, misconduct under Section 157, and forgery under Section 162, categorized as:
Ms. S., private hospital official – 1 person
Ms. S., Thonburi district official – 1 person
Thai men acting as “fake fathers” – 17 persons
Chinese mothers – 16 persons
Chinese fathers – 5 persons
The latest operations have apprehended 16 suspects (hospital staff, district officials, 7 fake fathers, 5 Chinese mothers, 2 Chinese fathers). The remaining 26 are actively being sought.
Investigations uncovered two particularly significant and alarming cases:
Case of Master K. (dual birth registration and dual nationality): Born 8 Jan 2024, initially registered in a municipality in Nakhon Ratchasima Province to obtain Chinese citizenship. On 23 Jan 2026, the child was registered again at a private hospital in Thonburi through the Thonburi district office to obtain Thai citizenship. This child now holds both a Thai national ID and a Chinese passport under the name Master H. DNA tests confirmed biological parents are Mr. Xu Yuan and Mrs. Wu Mei, both Chinese nationals, while the “fake father” Mr. W. has confessed to the fraud.
Case of Master N. ('Fake father' with notable credentials): Official records list Mr. P. as father and Mrs. Xiao Ying, a Chinese national, as mother. Initially, Mr. P. denied paternity, claiming to be the biological father, but DNA testing conclusively disproved any biological relationship. Furthermore, Mr. P., the 'fake father,' is a shareholder in a large construction company responsible for major national infrastructure projects including the high-speed rail and government buildings damaged by the 28 Mar 2025 earthquake.
Police General Samran Nuanma emphasized that fabricating “fake fathers” to grant foreign children Thai citizenship by bloodline and birth opens access to rights and benefits across social services, education, and property ownership, severely threatening national security in the long term.
The Department of Provincial Administration has ordered registrars to revoke fraudulent registrations and immediately annul Thai citizenship for the 20 confirmed cases. The Immigration Bureau will proceed with deportation of the foreign nationals involved according to the law.
Moreover, officials implicated will face disciplinary investigations and criminal prosecution. The Anti-Money Laundering Office will trace financial flows to seize assets of the criminal network under money laundering charges.
The Royal Thai Police confirmed that this security mission will not tolerate leniency. The public is urged to report any suspicious activities related to contract marriages, fake child registrations, or registry fraud at local police stations or via the 24-hour hotline 1599, to help protect Thailand from transnational gray capital schemes.
