CHIANG RAI — Police in Chiang Saen district, Chiang Rai province, have arrested one Thai woman and two Vietnamese men for collaborating to forge official stamps and visa stickers used for international travel. Authorities discovered counterfeit stamps and numerous passports as evidence.
Ms. Wannapat, 43, from Mae Sai district in Chiang Rai, along with Mr. Tuan Vinh, 33, and Mr. Van Lqi, 38, both Vietnamese nationals, were apprehended while sitting in a vehicle in Village 8, Wiang subdistrict, Chiang Saen district near the Thai-Lao border along the Mekong River on March 17.
Chiang Saen police officers had become suspicious when they noticed a white Toyota parked in front of Huai Kiang School at night. After surveillance, officers found Ms. Wannapat driving the car with the two Vietnamese men as passengers. The men were observed removing a package from the Toyota’s trunk to transfer it to another vehicle.
When officers approached to question them, they discovered the Vietnamese men could not communicate in Thai.
Police then searched the vehicle and found six Thai entry-exit visa stamps, four Cambodian stamps, and four Vietnamese stamps. Additionally, they seized paper cutters, two orange rubber stamp pads, several mobile phones, 27 Chinese passports, and 54 Vietnamese passports. The suspects were taken for questioning with immigration police present.
Ms. Wannapat claimed she was hired for 800 baht ($24) to transport the two Vietnamese men from the Thai-Myanmar border in Mae Sai district to Chiang Saen district. She stated that she regularly works as a driver on this route and was unaware that the package contained illegal items.
The Vietnamese men, speaking through an interpreter, confirmed hiring Ms. Wannapat for transportation as they intended to cross the Mekong River into Laos, but denied knowledge of the package contents.
All three suspects have been charged with collaborating to forge official stamps, seal impressions, or visa stickers used for international travel—an offense carrying a penalty of one to seven years imprisonment and fines ranging from 20,000 to 140,000 baht ($6,000-11,890).
___________
