Two men and a woman were sent to Banteay Meanchey Provincial Court on Friday for operating a business forging Thai border passes near the Poipet International Checkpoint, police said Sunday.
“They were arrested after our police investigation found that they were faking stamps for Cambodian people to cross into Thailand,” said Banteay Meanchey police chief Chhoeung Sokhom.
“We have reports from Thai authorities at checkpoints showing that more Cambodians are using fake documents,” he said.
Cheat Lo, 24, Ham Kay, 22, and Chok Sary, 35, all from Poipet’s O’Chrou district, were arrested May 3 in Poipet commune, said Nuth Ly, O’Chrou district police chief.
Police confiscated replicas of two Thai police stamps and four Cambodian immigration police stamps, which the three used to alter old border passes, he said. The trio charged about 1,500 baht per pass—about $40, he said.
“They told us they have been running this business since last year, but only changed pass photos,” Nuth Ly said. “They started using fake stamps early this year, and have sold their services to about 20 to 30 people a day.”
Nuth Ly added that police were investigating another group also suspected of border pass forgery. “This act causes many Cambodians to be arrested and jailed in Thailand,” he said. He advised people to buy passes directly from the immigration police office.
Pich Saran, immigration police chief at Poipet International Checkpoint, said Cambodian authorities were considering altering the look of official border passes to include subtle security features to foil forgers.
“We are asking top leaders to approve new stamps and use special printing techniques,” he said.
