Bangkok: The Ministry of Public Health is tightening regulations on issuing birth certificates to crack down on "surrogate father" schemes that fraudulently obtain Thai citizenship. The government revealed that the Ministry of Public Health is tightening regulations on issuing birth certificates to combat the "surrogate father" scheme, which allows individuals to fraudulently obtain Thai citizenship. Four guidelines have been provided for strict adherence to prevent identity theft and eradicate the surrogate father scheme from Thailand.
According to Thai News Agency, Ms. Ploytalay Laksmisangchan, Deputy Spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office, revealed that the government is integrating cooperation in preventing, verifying, and strongly enforcing the law to prevent the birth registration process from being used as a loophole for illegally obtaining citizenship. This effort aims to maintain the credibility of the Thai citizenship system, prevent identity theft, and ensure sustainable national security.
The Ministry of Public Health has issued a policy outlining four guidelines for issuing birth certificates (Form TR.1/1) to personnel in both public and private hospitals, in order to eliminate the practice of child prostitution in Thailand.
Firstly, healthcare facilities must strictly adhere to their scope of authority, certifying only events that actually occurred at the facility, such as the date, time, place, and method of birth. If there are doubts about the paternity/child relationship, the healthcare facility should advise the parents to undergo DNA testing at a government-accredited institution for consideration by the registrar.
Secondly, officials must record detailed information for traceability purposes, including pregnancy history and marriage records. Data must be entered into the system based solely on the original identification documents of the parents. Furthermore, officials must immediately enter the birth certificate (Form T.R.1/1) into the Department of Provincial Administration's "Birth Certificate Service System" to prevent subsequent data modifications.
Thirdly, no single individual is allowed to perform all duties alone. Responsibilities should be divided among staff, including verification of only medical facts by nurses, recording information by medical records officers, and ensuring overall consistency of information by the authorized signatory before signing off.
Lastly, medical facilities must not facilitate birth registration at district/sub-district offices on behalf of the parents. Parents or the head of the household must do it themselves. Moreover, medical facilities are prohibited from issuing Form TR.1/1 to children not born in the hospital, except in emergency transfer cases.
Staff are requested to be vigilant and immediately report any irregularities related to parental relationships for investigation. These include cases where a foreign mother is unaware of or unable to identify the father's basic information, the father's absence during the mother's recovery, discrepancies in prenatal care location, and attempts to change the father's name in medical records after the birth certificate has been recorded.
Ms. Ploytalee emphasized that the government prioritizes the crackdown and prosecution of the 'Phor Thip' network involved in fraudulently obtaining Thai citizenship. This is being achieved through the integrated cooperation of relevant agencies and rigorous law enforcement, ensuring the protection of the interests of the country and its people.