‘Phantom birth’ scam spooks Thailand as hundreds of babies get fake citizenship

AI Summary

Thailand is investigating a 'phantom birth' scam where hundreds of babies, primarily of Chinese descent, have been falsely registered as Thai citizens. This fraudulent activity is linked to corrupt officials who are allegedly facilitating land and company ownership rights for parents in exchange for bribes.

Authorities in Thailand are unspooling a “phantom birth’’ racket involving possibly hundreds of babies – mainly Chinese – falsely registered as Thais by corrupt officials so that their parents can gain land and company ownership rights. Scores of birth certificates have come under scrutiny, with several officials arrested for suspected bribery in a scam that first came to light in northern Chiang Mai, but has now clustered around a Bangkok suburb and northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima...