‘Clean up the City’: Three officials among seven arrested over fake pink ID cards

Seven suspects, including three officials, have been arrested in a joint operation codenamed ‘Clean up the City’ in a major crackdown in Bangkok on an organised network specialising in the issuance of fake pink ID cards to Thai-born children of migrant workers.

Police and officials from the Provincial Administration Department and the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission carried out coordinated raids on several locations in Din Daeng area today.

Officials searched three rooms in two apartment buildings and found a large quantity of documents, including work permits and passports belonging to documented migrant workers, which were allegedly used in the issuance of fake Type 7 pink ID cards to their Thai-born children.

They also discovered that more than 1,300 documented migrant workers, mostly from Myanmar, had had their names registered in the household certificates of 44 apartment owners since 2024.

Pink ID cards are issued by the Provincial Administration Department to non-Thais whose names are registered in household certificates.

They are normally issued to Thai-born children of documented migrant workers, and their 13-digit ID numbers start with 7.

According to the Labour Ministry, there are about 4 million documented migrant workers in Thailand.

However, the actual number, particularly of workers from Myanmar, is much higher because many remain undocumented and work illegally in the country.

Many migrant workers also have children born in Thailand. These children are not automatically granted Thai citizenship but can apply for citizenship if they meet the legal requirements.