Thai authorities foil syndicate’s attempt to traffic Sri Lankan family using Malaysian passports

Thai immigration authorities at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok have dismantled an international smuggling operation that attempted to traffic a Sri Lankan family to Kazakhstan using Malaysian travel documents.According to Khaosod, the Sri Lankan family initially entered Thailand using their own passports before travelling overland to Malaysia.The group later re-entered Thailand using Malaysian passports and attempted to fly to Kazakhstan, accompanied by a Malaysian woman who falsely claimed to be the biological mother of both children.However, airline officials detected discrepancies in their travel documents and denied them boarding, prompting the group to change their route to Myanmar. The matter was reported to the Immigration Bureau.On a later date, the group attempted to board a flight from Myanmar to Kazakhstan via Don Mueang International Airport, where immigration authorities intervened and arrested them.Investigators found that the Sri Lankan woman and the eldest child had unlawfully used Malaysian passports belonging to other individuals, while the youngest child was believed to have travelled using a Malaysian passport that had been legally issued.Law enforcement agencies from the United Kingdom, Canada, and Sri Lanka had previously alerted regional authorities to this specific transnational syndicate operating within Malaysia.Under the syndicate's modus operandi, foreign children are smuggled into Malaysia to obtain fraudulently registered birth certificates. Criminal operators then use these birth records to apply for official Malaysian passports, granting the holders visa-free entry to various destination countries across Europe and Central Asia.Thai law enforcement officers arrested both adult women on charges of travel document misuse and criminal conspiracy. Following evaluations by welfare officers, authorities confirmed that the two young children were not victims of human trafficking; both minors have been placed in protective care while Thai officials coordinate their safe repatriation through the Sri Lankan Embassy.Source: Says-Agencies