Officials Arrested in Chinese Baby Trafficking Scheme

Medical records officials deny involvement in the scheme to grant Thai nationality to Chinese infants. A district office employee stated that sometimes fathers never appear in person to register births themselves. The investigation stems from Operation "Scrape the Dragon Scales," targeting a man called Thip who was hired to file false birth reports for foreigners. He worked alongside hospital and district officials using the identity of a Thai man named Thip to process foreign-born children for Thai citizenship through bloodline and birthplace claims, conferring full legal rights and benefits. On July 9, police arrested Ms. A, a medical records officer at a private hospital in the Thonburi area, and Ms. B, a district office employee in the Thonburi area, both connected to Thip's operation. They are accused of issuing recognition documents granting Thai nationality to Chinese children. The interrogation was conducted by senior police commanders including Pol. Lt. Gen. Nophsilp Poolswadi and Pol. Maj. Gen. Chotiwat Luangvilai. The Department of Local Administration clarified that hospitals issue birth certificates while district offices issue birth registration notifications. Ms. B claimed she provided documents in bulk packages to private hospitals, with the practice dating back to 2005 before computerization, and stated she reviewed all submitted documents but acknowledged that biological fathers sometimes did not appear in person to register births themselves. When asked if she was involved in the Chinese baby trafficking scheme or served as a broker, Ms. A firmly denied any involvement. When pressed about whether she had ever offered maternity packages at the hospital, she shook her head and immediately denied it.