Ex-Singapore embassy employee arrested for faking visa documents
A former employee of the Singapore Embassy in Bangkok has been arrested in Thailand for allegedly forging visa documents.
Thai police said Mr David Han, 26, was detained on Tuesday in a hotel in Chiang Rai province and is being held at Bangkok's Immigration Detention Centre.
"His Thai girlfriend is studying at Mae Fah Luang University, that's why he popped up here," Chiang Rai immigration police chief Nattawut Saengduen told The Straits Times.
"He was arrested for possession of fraudulent documents while seeking a new visa to replace his diplomatic one," said Police Colonel Nattawut.
"He has been transferred to Bangkok and is now at Suan Plu detention centre."
Thai news outlet Khaosod said Mr Han told the authorities that he was still working at the embassy when he was trying to extend his visa. Police noticed irregularities in his documents and later found that they were forged.
Khaosod reported that Mr Han came to Thailand in 2015 and worked at the embassy for about one year.
FAKE DOCUMENTS
He had allegedly used fake documents to extend his visa several times and also to apply for credit cards to fund his stock market investments.
Khaosod also said Mr Han had amassed 700,000 baht (S$30,000) in credit card debt.
Investigators believe that he made fake documents for other people, said the news outlet.
Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to queries from The Straits Times.
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