Government officials in Chiang Mai's Mae Taeng district illegally registered more than 5,000 people from other countries as living in local households, the head of the Department of Special Investigation disclosed yesterday.

DSI director general Sombat Amornwiwat said such moves could allow "aliens" to seek identification cards and help them stand a better chance of getting Thai citizenship.

"If they get Thai citizenship, they can request DNA tests for their relatives who will then be able to be naturalised too," Sombat said. It could affect national security.

According to a DSI inquiry, a person from another country was generally asked to pay between Bt5,000 and Bt8,000 to get his or her name included on "available" household registrations.

Up to nine C8-level officials - whose passwords were used to enter the people's names - and about 75 other accomplices including kamnans, village heads and local people were suspected of playing a role in the scheme.

"The money in this corrupt scam could be as much as Bt35 million," Sombat said, adding that DSI had asked the Anti Money-Laundering Office (Amlo) to investigate the accounts and financial transactions of the suspects.

From March 2004 to September last year, Mae Taeng district office's registration bureau had added 5,014 names to its household registrations. DSI said only six names were added in line with bureaucratic rules.

Police Lt-Colonel Pong-in Intarakhao, who works for DSI foreign affairs and cross-border crime division, said it was suspicious because up to 1,904 names were added on one single day.

"We are going to refer the case to the National Counter Corruption Commission because some government officials are involved," Pong-in said.

In a related development, Chiang Mai's deputy head Chumphon Saengmanee said a disciplinary probe against the officials involved was pending because he had to wait for the Provincial Administration Department's order to assign him to take charge of the inquiry.

The initial order named Krissadakorn Siampakdee, then Chiang Mai's deputy head, as the chairman of the probe panel. But Krissadakorn has been promoted to become deputy governor.

"I have all the information ready. When the probe resumes, we can speed up proceedings," Chumphon said.

Mae Taeng district chief Adisorn Kamnerdsiri said the offences were committed during his predecessor's time and the officials involved had been transferred out of the area.

"I have checked the registration-work reports every week," he said.

Adisorn said his office had a blacklist of people granted ID cards illegally.

"Several of them have already been arrested," Adisorn said.

Piyanuch Thamnukasetchai

The Nation