CHIANG MAI, Thailand – Thai authorities have arrested a senior district official accused of helping create fraudulent stateless identity documents connected to a Chinese suspect previously caught in possession of military-grade weapons in Pattaya. The suspect, identified only as Chatthathep, a senior district officer in Hot district, Chiang Mai province, was arrested by officers from the Crime Suppression Division, anti-corruption investigators, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), and the Interior Ministry’s DOPA N.I.C.E. task force.
Authorities allege the official abused his position while previously serving in Chiang Dao district by assisting in the illegal registration and transfer of identity records for Sun Mingchen, a 31-year-old Chinese national linked to a high-profile weapons case in Pattaya. Investigators said the case originated after Sun Mingchen was involved in a vehicle crash in Chonburi province.
Subsequent raids on a luxury property in Pattaya uncovered a cache of military-style weapons and explosives, including C4 explosives, M16 rifles, and grenades. Authorities later discovered the suspect allegedly possessed fraudulently obtained stateless-person registration documents.
Investigators claim the arrested district officer helped move the suspect’s name into a household registration in Chiang Dao despite the homeowner having no connection to the Chinese national. Officials also allege fake supporting documents were created to improperly classify the suspect as a stateless person. In addition to the senior official, authorities also arrested a local registration officer and a former village headman believed to be connected to the scheme. Sun Mingchen has also been formally detained as part of the ongoing investigation.
