Chinese man faces 2-year jail for stealing identity of Thai citizen

Pattaya Provincial Court sentenced a Chinese man to two years of imprisonment for stealing the identity of a Thai citizen and concealing it for more than 30 years.

The 45 year old Chinese suspect is recognised by Thai locals as Iao but also adopts the Thai alias Nitiphat Chokchaitanaporn. The case of identity theft came to light following a raid on a drug-fuelled party at Club One in Pattaya on October 22, 2022.

During the operation, Thai police found narcotics and drug paraphernalia inside the club. Over 200 party attendees declined drug testing and managed to evade capture by fleeing the club.

Iao presented himself as the owner of the nightclub. He appeared angry and threatened officers. He claimed to know influential police officials in Pattaya and allegedly bribed them. His use of the Thai language with a Chinese accent raised suspicions among the authorities.

Further investigation uncovered that Iao was a nominee, and the actual owner of the nightclub was a Chinese man named Yu Chang Fei. Thai police arrested Yu as he attempted to flee to Laos, charging him with operating an illegal nightclub.

The focus then shifted to Iao’s nationality. Iao denied the accusation and insisted that he was a Thai citizen. He also presented his identification card which was issued in Trat province in 1992 when he was 15 years old to officers.

30 years hiding

Iao altered both his name and surname multiple times and was issued new ID cards on several occasions. Records indicate that Iao initially registered under the name Teera Jongpithakwasin before changing it to Nitiphat Chokchaitanaporn in 2007.

Iao declared that his father was Chinese while his mother was a Thai woman living in the Isaan province of Nakhon Ratchasima. According to the civil registration, Iao’s mother was a Thai woman named Muay Itsomboon and his sister was a Thai woman named Sunee Itsomboon. The two denied any relation and stated they had never met him.

Gathering evidence for actions that occurred over 30 years ago proved challenging for the authorities. Nevertheless, conflicts in Iao’s personal information and available evidence led the court to conclude that he stole the identity of a Thai citizen who might have died a long time ago.

Pattaya Provincial Court, yesterday, announced that Iao violated the Identification Card Act by reporting fake information to officials, including fake information in official documents, using fake official documents which could cause damage to others, and issuing ID cards with fake information.

Iao received a two-year prison sentence without parole and was transferred to prison immediately. Despite the court decision, Iao continues to deny the accusations, as reported by Channel 7.