Colonel accused of faking 1,136 vehicle documents

A Land Transport Department official checks vehicle registrations in Bangkok. The department has found that a colonel forged documents to seek registration of hundreds of suspicious vehicles in many provinces. (File photo by Kitja Apichonrojarek)

A colonel faces dismissal from the army for allegedly forging Army Transport Department documents for 1,136 vehicles destined for registration with the Land Transport Department.

Army spokesman Winthai Suvaree said on Saturday that authorities had found nine sets of forged documents claiming the department had auctioned off the vehicles, even though no auctions had taken place.

Details of the vehicles in the documents, including chassis and engine numbers, did not match those of any of the department’s vehicles, he said. The forged documents were dated from late 2015.

The Land Transport Department is still investigating the origins of the vehicles, which were offered to buyers at unusually low prices, raising suspicions that some may have been stolen originally.

The alleged forger has been suspended and a superior officer has proposed that the Defence Ministry dismiss him, said Col Winthai.

Media reports identified the colonel as Phopkrit Phanyos, a 50-year-old deputy director of the Army Transport Department.

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) found that the illegally registered vehicles were sold for between 500,000 and 1 million baht each, lower than their normal market prices. Authorities believe there were about 10 accomplices in the case.

Sanit Phromwong, director-general of the Land Transport Department, said that of the 1,136 suspicious vehicles, his department had already registered 605. It has since revoked the registrations.

Mr Sanit said documents were submitted for registration in 15 provinces. The vehicles consisted of 311 cars, 284 trucks and 10 buses. Officials are conducting further investigations to determine how many of the vehicles had been stolen or evaded tax.

Most of the registered vehicles were in Tak, Chon Buri, Ang Thong, Bangkok and Nakhon Pathom provinces, he added.