Passport pretender: Chinese woman’s Phuket Airport arrest sparks legal turbulence

A Chinese woman was arrested last night for passport fraud at Phuket International Airport. The woman, identified as a 44 year old Chinese national, Jian Qi, attempted to bypass immigration control using a passport that did not belong to her, a crime that could lead to a maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to 200,000 baht under Thai law.

Jian Qi was apprehended around 11.45pm at the international arrivals hall, as announced by the Phuket Immigration Airport division. Oddly, her identity was revealed through a news article by Matichon, published just an hour before Phuket Immigration released its official statement.

Jian Qi had arrived in Phuket from Shanghai on flight FM831. At the immigration control counter, she presented a passport bearing the name of 28 year old Yi Chih Han, a Chinese citizen. However, the biometric control system indicated that the face of the woman before them only matched the passport photo by 30%.

With no supplementary documents to support her identity and Shanghai Airlines personnel confirming that no individual named Yi Chih Han had boarded the flight from China, Jian Qi was cornered. Initially, she tried to justify the discrepancy by claiming she had undergone multiple aesthetic surgeries. However, she eventually admitted to using another person’s passport reported Phuket News. Matichon reported…

“When asked about the use of a different individual’s passport for travel, the accused refused to answer the question.”

Following her passport fraud arrest, Jian Qi was taken to Sakhu Police Station and charged under Section 137 and Section 269/11 of the Thai Criminal Code.

Section 137 pertains to providing false information to a government official that could result in harm to others, carrying a maximum penalty of six months in prison, a 10,000 baht fine, or both.

Section 269/11, which relates to using someone else’s passport that could result in harm to others, carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a 200,000 baht fine, or both. This section also stipulates that lending your passport to someone else for illicit use is also subject to legal consequences.

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