27 arrested including Myanmar nationals for illegal possession of 10-year visas in Surat Thani

It has been learned that Thai authorities on September 17 arrested a group and individuals possessing 10-year visas who were using illegal methods to issue them to those without national registration cards in the Surat Thani province of Thailand. Despite the lack of complete information required to obtain the 10-year visas, which start with the number '0', brokers had been issuing them in cooperation with registration department officials, and out of the 33 individuals for whom arrest warrants had been issued, 27 were arrested, the Thai police stated. Those for whom arrest warrants were issued included 4 government officials, 10 individuals who provided false testimony for the necessary verification in document creation, and 19 Myanmar nationals who were creating the visa cards, of whom 27 were arrested. Officials investigated registration records in the respective districts and found that Myanmar nationals who held passports and were registered as legal migrant workers had also obtained 10-year registration cards. Similarly, on August 4, Thai authorities arrested individuals illegally creating 10-year visas in Mae Sot district, Tak province, leading to the arrest of 12 Myanmar nationals and Thai officials, and it was also learned that there were over 700 individuals who had illegally created visas. Source – The Nation Thailand