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Thailand probe finds foreign children falsely registered as flat residents
Investigators say fraudulent house-registration records could enable access to subsidised healthcare via Thailand’s pink ID card, with some cases potentially feeding into later citizenship claims.
South China Morning Post reports that Thai authorities have uncovered a wide-ranging house-registration fraud in Bangkok after records showed dozens of foreign children were registered as residents of small rooms in Din Daeng, even though investigators did not find the children living there.
The outlet says one flat alone listed 64 foreign children as occupants, an implausible figure that authorities say exposed problems in the system used to register residents.
According to SCMP Economy, investigators have found nearly 200 foreign children, reported by local media to be from Myanmar, falsely registered across flats, with additional rooms still under investigation.
The report adds that officials believe the scheme may allow access to Thai public services, including heavily subsidised healthcare, through the pink card. While the card does not confer citizenship, authorities say it can be used as part of a longer documentation trail that may support later nationality claims and is allegedly traded on the black market involving local officials.