The Labour Ministry’s employment department has been ordered to conduct inspections in various areas nationwide, especially in industrial parks, to check for advertising billboards offering foreign passports for sale, similar to the one found in Bangkok.
Phumiphat Mueanchan, the Labour Ministry’s spokesman, said today that, if such billboards are found, they must be taken down and those involved will face prosecution.
The spokesperson was referring to a billboard seen at the busy Din Daeng intersection, offering passports from various countries for sale.
The Din Daeng and nearby Huai Kwang areas have been described as Bangkok’s “new China town”, due to the increasing number of Chinese there.
The messages on the billboard, in Chinese, also mentioned that the service was for those seeking a second nationality.
The issue came to light after some netizens took pictures and posted them on social media.
The billboard has been taken down and police have been ordered to track down those responsible.
The police have questioned a Chinese woman, who claimed she was hired by a man mentioned on the billboard to handle the matter. She told police that all communication was conducted through the Line messaging application.
The Chinese woman will be charged with working illegally in Thailand.
After gathering additional information, the police believe that a Singaporean firm is involved in the matter.
The spokesperson said that the Prime Minister and the Interior Minister have assigned officials to ensure that Thailand is not used as a base for such illegal activities.
The combined photo shows before and after the billboard was taken down.
