The governor of Surat Thani ordered an immediate investigation following the revelation of foreign nationals illegally holding Thai nationality and identity cards in Samui and Phangan.
The province of Surat Thani has reacted to reports that foreigners working in education, tourism and real estate on the islands of Koh Samui and Koh Phangan obtained Thai nationality. Their identity card numbers begin with the sequence 81033.
Provincial administrative services specify that these five digits are not sufficient to confirm Thai identity. Numbers beginning with 8 are indeed associated with foreign nationals. Additional information is therefore required to verify the legitimacy of these cases.
The province assures that the matter is not being ignored. Jumphat Wannachatsiri, governor of Surat Thani, has ordered the relevant services to speed up checks on the origin of the numbers and the procedures that led to obtaining nationality.
The governor stressed the need to act with rigour.
« If any irregularities or fraudulent acquisitions of rights are found, legal proceedings will be initiated without delay and the results made public », he said.