More Wi-Fi hotspots for Phuket as plan to tag tourists mulled

[Jonathan Fairfield]

More Wi-Fi hotspots for Phuket as plan to tag tourists mulled

 

 

Phuket will increase the number of hotspots for free Wi-Fi Internet connection to 1,000 around the island as part of its ambition to turn the island into a “smart city”, the digital economy minister said.

 

The province may also develop an electronic wristband system for foreign tourists so their identity and location would be known in case of untoward incidents, said Digital Economy and Society Minister Pichet Durongkaveroj. Pichet was speaking to a group of reporters and local officials during his trip to the Phuket Command Centre at the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Centre for Zone 18 on Friday. 

 

Pichet made the visit to be briefed briefed by deputy Phuket governor Thawornwat Kongkaew on progress in the implementation of the smart-city plan for the tourist-destination province.

 

During the briefing, Thawornwat said the implementation had progressed greatly to achieve the measures of a smart economy, including tourism, health, education, safety and the environment in accordance with the government’s Thailand 4.0 policy. 

 

After the briefing, Pichet said smart-city developments included the installation of 1,000 free Wi-Fi hotspots, up from the current 200 hotspots. 

 

He said the province also has planned to develop the uses of wristbands to track tourists and to use Big Data to analyse information about tourists’ habits. He said the Phuket command centre would also link to all CCTVs on the island to work with face-recognition software to guard against crimes as well as to collect the data of tourists who use public boat services. 

 

This would be done for the sake of their safety. Pichet said the government would provide financial support to the Phuket Smart City project but the province must ensure that each project would be worth the investment. He said some work could be carried out with cooperation from private firms instead of sole investment by the government.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30341155

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-03-17

[johng]

Sounds like a TV series

Person of interest.

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1839578/

[KneeDeep]

Dodgy. Selling our data.

[Maverell]

'develop the uses of wristbands to track tourists '

 

I can see it now - as the planes arrive and you go through immigration you get a stamp and a wristband, then when you leave you don't get out unless you hand back your wristband or pay a fine.....

 

Can't see the idea going down to well however 'well intentioned'.

[Moti24]

"The province may also develop an electronic wristband system for foreign tourists so their identity and location would be known in case of untoward incidents....."

 

That'll be the nail for the coffin!  Why the hell would tourists come to Thailand to be treated like a criminal!

 

I'm not lost for words, but I'd be banned from TVF if I printed them!

[Maejo Man]

The public backlash would be so massive that this farce would be on the back burner before it ever got off the drawing board.

[DeeMak9]

They cant be serious right?

[Luckysilk]

And let's track Thais in our home country's and see how they feel.

 

 

[robertthesculptor]

<deleted> that.....

[Tony45]

The resort I have loved since 1995 has changed and is now not for me.

Sent from my SM-A520F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[BEngBKK]

Why not just require RFID implants  for all people ........ 

[Regyai]

When will these draconian control freaks realise

 

that great swathes of the developed world  have none of this ID card, registered address etc nonsense

 

and its people find the concept of a proposal such as this to be anathema

[Dmaxdan]

Good idea. The next step should be to micro chip all long term expats.

[shady86]

Another round of joke. Remember the news every tourist need to get Sim for tracking purpose?

[CGW]

The naivety here is surprising! were all tracked anyway! computer, smart phone, bank cards, convenience cards, cctv, etc - probably worse in your own country, the Thais have the same technology, they just don't know how to use it so they come up with crap like this!

[DeeMak9]

If Thailand is so concerned with their tourism image, they better fire this guy a.s.a.p.

[evadgib]

57 minutes ago, KneeDeep said:

Dodgy. Selling our data.

They're already giving it away via all the immigration offices. They call it 'recycling'.

[Valentine]

Today is the 17th March, right?

[Bluespunk]

1 hour ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

The province may also develop an electronic wristband system for foreign tourists so their identity and location would be known

Develop all you want, I won’t wear one. 

[Valentine]

Be a good contract for some wristband maker

[Bluespunk]

1 hour ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

its ambition to turn the island into a “smart city”, the digital economy minister said.

 

The province may also develop an electronic wristband system for foreign tourists so their identity and location would be known in case of untoward incidents, said Digital Economy and Society Minister Pichet Durongkaveroj.

Smart city, dumb plans. 

[Xaos]

Never give up freedom over security

[madmitch]

So a wristband will make tourists safer when they venture into the sea at Karon in low season, when they venture onto the roads during Songkran, when the boat they are on sinks,

when they fall from a parasailer or when they happen to be walking past an exploding transformer.

 

Must get one!

 

It won't happen but the fact they are even thinking about this should be a worry.

[jak2002003]

Why do they seem to have this irrational fear / phobia about other nationalities.  They treat us like we are another species sometimes.... the alien on the immigration forms... we are not from outer space!!  

 

 

[xylophone]

12 minutes ago, madmitch said:

It won't happen but the fact they are even thinking about this should be a worry.

That's the problem MM, they DON'T think, they just say stupid things...........but then that's always been the case here: the light is on, but there's no-one home (not even sure the light IS on!).

[kannot]

1 hour ago, Luckysilk said:

And let's track Thais in our home country's and see how they feel.

 

 

I think they are  pretty accepting of this  kind  of nonsense.

[scottiejohn]

1 hour ago, madmitch said:

So a wristband will make tourists

It would make tourists as opposed to resident Farangs stand out even more as dumb tourists and even more open to all the abuse/cons etc.

It will also stop all tourism in its tracks.  What if the next "logical" step is to not just to stop at "tourists" but add in all Farang (or even all inmates-sorry people living in Thailand) and have everyone to ware one!  1984 would have arrived and cause an incredible backlash.

Edited March 17, 2018 by scottiejohn

[YetAnother]

3 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

The province may also develop an electronic wristband system for foreign tourists so their identity and location would be known in case of untoward incidents,

it is now 100 percent  sure that the intelligence of the average tourist is greater than that of the nitwits that thought this up and really 'think' it can work;

tourists that come to a place like phuket will NOT like this idea and will see thru it easily and will aggressively resist it;

i can see Lots of arguments and 'incidents' at the point the thais try and force this on the far smarter tourists; imagine if you traveled somewhere and that place, unannounced, tried to make you wear something you very much did Not want to....

[YetAnother]

45 minutes ago, scottiejohn said:

It would make tourists as opposed to resident Farangs stand out even more as dumb tourists and even more open to all the abuse/cons etc.

It will also stop all tourism in its tracks.  What if the next "logical" step is to not just to stop at "tourists" but add in all Farang (or even all inmates-sorry people living in Thailand) and have everyone to ware one!  1984 would have arrived and cause an incredible backlash.

the large majority of thais cannot tell real tourists from us longstay expats; to those thai, anyone not thai is a tourist

[sweatalot]

so they want electronic handcuffs for tourists?

 

If I wouldn't know I better would doubt their common sense as well as their intelligence.

 

No need for doubt.