Crime
Singapore Man Who Forged Thai Visa Documents to be Deported
A former Singapore embassy staff was on Friday (May 8) sentenced to 114 months in jail by a Thai court after being convicted for forging Thai visa documents.
David Han, 26, was found with forged employment documents, salary slips, and certificates from universities in both Thailand and abroad after he was arrested by Thai police on Tuesday (May 5) in the northern province of Chiang Rai.
The Bangkok Court on Friday also fined him 190,000 baht and suspended his jail sentence.
As of Friday evening, he was detained at Bangkok’s immigration detention centre awaiting deportation. He will be blacklisted from entering Thailand.
Thai police say Han had submitted a forged letter from the Singapore defence attache, among other Visa Documents.
“Furthermore we are still investigating whether he worked with other people even though he confessed to doing it alone,” Police Major-General Piti Nitinonthaset, a superintendent of Immigration Bureau Division 1, said.
“We found many suspicious elements, like a visa sticker that might be made in his country. Consequently officials are now working with the Singapore police to find out more,” added Maj-Gen Piti.
Fake Thai Visa Documents difficult to spot
The Immigration police said Han worked at the defence attache’s office at the Singapore embassy in Bangkok from 2013 to 2014. Between 2015 and this year, he applied to extend his 90-day visa with forged Thai visa documents 19 times. He also also opened a bank account, for credit cards and opened a Thai stock trading account.
“The visa documents he presented to the officials were mixed with genuine ones. Making it difficult to spot the fakes,” said Maj-Gen Piti.
Han was arrested on Tuesday at a hotel in Chiang Rai, where local police also said his girlfriend was studying.
Thai media reported that he had amassed 700,000 baht in credit card debt.
In response to queries from The Straits Times, Singapore’s foreign ministry said: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is aware of the incident and is rendering consular assistance to the Singaporean.
“The case is being dealt with in accordance with the local laws of Thailand” the foreign ministry said.
Source: Straight Times
