Chinese woman detained over illegal passport ad in Thailand

Royal Thai Police (RTP) detained a Chinese woman for allegedly commissioning and installing a controversial advertisement promoting passport services for relocating to another country. The suspect claims she was merely an intermediary working for a company in Hong Kong and communicated via a Chinese app and LINE, earning 17,000 baht for her role.

The RTP, led by Thiti Sangsawang and Itthiphon Itthisarnronchai, orchestrated the operation. They directed several senior officers, including Panthana Nuchanarot and Noppasin Poolsawat, to bring in the Chinese woman, Nasu, from a condominium in Huai Khwang. The interrogation took place at the Investigation Division of the Immigration Bureau after it was discovered that she had commissioned a shop to create and install the contentious advertisement.

Nasu revealed during the interrogation that she had taken on the job from a Hong Kong-based company. The contact was established through a Chinese application, and further communication was handled via LINE.

She was responsible for coordinating the rental and installation of the billboard, for which she received a monthly payment of 150,000 baht for the rental and 60,000 baht for creating the sign. Nasu received a fee of US$500, roughly 17,000 baht, for each sign she facilitated. However, she did not know the name of the company that hired her, only having contact through a LINE account featuring the image of the person on the sign.

Police charged Nasu with working in Thailand without the necessary permits. The Metropolitan Police Bureau and the Immigration Bureau are continuing their investigation to identify the true orchestrators behind the operation.

The Huai Khwang District Director revealed the advertisement for passport services is illegal.

“The building where the sign was installed did not have the proper permits, and there is no corruption among our officials.”

The Immigration Bureau also clarified that the advertisement had no connection with acquiring Thai nationality. This is a matter of another country’s government’s prerogative, they explained.

The controversial Chinese-language advertisement, which promoted passport services for relocating to another country, has since been removed from the Huai Khwang intersection. The authorities are actively working to find those responsible for commissioning the ad, reported Khaosod.