Biometrics ID System being tested at Phuket Airport

By Kritsada Mueanhawong

 

 

A new Biometrics System is currently being installed and tested at the Phuket International Airport before going live this July.

 

The biometrics system, a machine for personal facial identification and finger prints is being installed and tested at the Phuket international Airport today. The system is being installed at 16 airports around Thailand and is about 70% completed.

 

Deputy police spokesman Kritsana Pattanacharoen says, “The system will be ready to use from July 1 this year where there will be more than 2,000 machine installed at Immigration checkpoints around Thailand.”

 

Full story: https://thethaiger.com/news/phuket/biometrics-id-system-being-tested-at-phuket-airport

 

 

-- © Copyright The Thaiger 2019-05-09

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Next months headline ''for sale 2000 Bio face recognition machines, like new condtion ,user manuals in English only '''..

July of which decade? Probably on schedule like the Chalong tunnel. 

A step in the right direction at least.

Right in cue.....didn't have to wait long for the first "knocker" to appear.

   What is it with these people?

What are the cameras they use at swampy for.i thought they were biometric type systems.i am pretty sure they have your Id and face clocked when u arrive.just a updated system for them to use

would it be nice to go to immigration and you got your 1 year visa, without photocopies, in 1 minute, naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

 

That will close the door once and for all on those who think they can change their name by deed poll and return to Thailand under a new name.

51 minutes ago, bristolgeoff said:

What are the cameras they use at swampy for.i thought they were biometric type systems.i am pretty sure they have your Id and face clocked when u arrive.just a updated system for them to use

They're cheap webcams and the current system is nothing more than a check to make sure the same person is leaving who arrived, AFAIK.

 

Some countries have the fingerprint scanner before you deal with the Immigration Officers as a time-saver but I doubt we'll see that here.

No more TM cards to fill in and no more queues for VISA holders ?

Same type of system has been in use now in Abu Dhabi for the past several years. System is a pleasure to use and makes the commute to/from work a walk in the park. Less than 1 minute on arrivals and on departures in AUH. It’s also a great system to control those who may be trying to hideout in T’land.

39 minutes ago, madmitch said:

 

Some countries have the fingerprint scanner before you deal with the Immigration Officers as a time-saver but I doubt we'll see that here.

Yup. For what they need here a scan of all 10 fingers like shown on pics?

1 finger each hand is enough like in malaysia.

No more TM6 would be perfect but i not believe it before i see it.

So all this will slow down the process to 3-4 min each pax. 

Anyone think this will make immigration any faster for foreigners, or is this just a nice earner for some?  Be nice if now IO's were told to just stamp passports and not look at every passport and study the pages for 5 minutes before stamping.

There is concern about privacy with such devices in the States. Haven't read the particulars.

3 hours ago, beechbum said:

A step in the right direction at least.

How dare you post here with a positive comment- this thread is for people who are not in Phuket and will not be affected by this in any way. Their sole purpose in life is to knock and criticize any attempts to improve things.

 

Go and sit in the corner for ten minutes. ????

Hopefully this is the first step to allowing those with Multi Entry Visa's to use automated gates. I use automated gates in the US, HK and Taiwan - it takes less than 30 seconds start to finish to get through.

Also the other day at Swampy I noticed that they had "interns" checking the TM6 cards before they would allow people to line up at the individual stations. This is a big improvement since everyone should have a filled out card before they get to the counter. 

2 hours ago, justin case said:

would it be nice to go to immigration and you got your 1 year visa, without photocopies, in 1 minute, naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

 

One year visa !!!! 

Since it's installation I've only managed to do my 90 days on-line 3 times.... that adds up to 40 trips to my local immigration office.

3 hours ago, madmitch said:

... current system is nothing more than a check to make sure the same person is leaving who arrived, AFAIK.

It will be used on exit too? I thought it's only for entry (like in China... where it makes entry process even slower than before, because 1st timers have no idea what to do and need officer to teach them, and also many times machine asks for fingerprints & photo again and again... "left hand again please, right hand again please, align your head again please"... while people in queue shaking heads . . .)

Wow, 70% complete after several years of preparations and they plan to start using it in July. Let's just say that sounds ambitious, they usually get much less done in much more time.

If you has a hand injury these systems not work properly. Spend 1 h in China currently

20 hours ago, webfact said:

The biometrics system, a machine for personal facial identification and finger prints is being installed and tested at the Phuket international Airport today.

Sounds wonderful.  Let me guess.  You pass through the biometric machine which checks you against a Interpol and domestic criminal database, then you are funneled into a line and then wait an hour to be processed by a human immigration officer.  If it's implemented at Suvarnabhumi, make that wait for an IO 2 hours unless you're a special class of traveler <cha-ching> who gets to bypass it all.  
Is that about right? 

20 hours ago, mok199 said:

Next months headline ''for sale 2000 Bio face recognition machines, like new condtion ,user manuals in English only '''..

 

I think it will be more like "for sale, a database with facial biometrics & fingerprints of 200,000 foreigners..."

4 hours ago, verticalift said:

Same type of system has been in use now in Abu Dhabi for the past several years. System is a pleasure to use and makes the commute to/from work a walk in the park. Less than 1 minute on arrivals and on departures in AUH. It’s also a great system to control those who may be trying to hideout in T’land.

Bad guys out good guys in ????

1 hour ago, connda said:

Sounds wonderful.  Let me guess.  You pass through the biometric machine which checks you against a Interpol and domestic criminal database, then you are funneled into a line and then wait an hour to be processed by a human immigration officer.  If it's implemented at Suvarnabhumi, make that wait for an IO 2 hours unless you're a special class of traveler <cha-ching> who gets to bypass it all.  
Is that about right? 

I travel via swampy frequently both as an economy and business class passenger. I think the last time i waited more than twenty minutes at passport control was three years ago.  My last half a dozen of so entries ( economy)  were less than ten minutes, some even walk up behind on person in the line.. 

.maybe three or four minutes. 

Not sure about the Cha Ching bit but when travelling business class I use the priority lane and don't pay anyone anything extra. 

 

FYI the fingerprint scanners were at departure three weeks ago at the IO desk but not in use at that time.  I don't recall seeing them at incoming pp control though. 

No tips signs were still there. 

Might not work for some fellow Danes, as the authorities a few weeks ago realized that left hand and right hand fingerprints, has been mismatched in hundred of thousands of the new biometric passports...

7 hours ago, Geonoise said:

No more TM cards to fill in and no more queues for VISA holders ?

Somehow I have the feeling you will still need to fill in a TM6 and go to a second desk to get your entry checked and a stamp in your passport. Otherwise if asked to show your passport later how do you prove that you're here legally.

I travel via swampy frequently both as an economy and business class passenger. I think the last time i waited more than twenty minutes at passport control was three years ago.  My last half a dozen of so entries ( economy)  were less than ten minutes, some even walk up behind on person in the line.. 
.maybe three or four minutes. 
Not sure about the Cha Ching bit but when travelling business class I use the priority lane and don't pay anyone anything extra. 
 
FYI the fingerprint scanners were at departure three weeks ago at the IO desk but not in use at that time.  I don't recall seeing them at incoming pp control though. 
No tips signs were still there. 

I came through Swampy a couple weeks ago and used the new system. The staff seemed to be pretty excited...

Incidentally, I came in on Thai business class, and the priority line was 10 deep, but no waiting in the main hall, I beat the first bag to the luggage area...

21 hours ago, elgenon said:

There is concern about privacy with such devices in the States. Haven't read the particulars.

You mean, "I don't want you to know where my fingers have been"

On 5/10/2019 at 8:42 AM, schlog said:

Yup. For what they need here a scan of all 10 fingers like shown on pics?

1 finger each hand is enough like in malaysia.

No more TM6 would be perfect but i not believe it before i see it.

So all this will slow down the process to 3-4 min each pax. 

Thais love their paperwork so if anything I see longer ques and an additional form to fill out.

On 5/10/2019 at 7:39 AM, mstevens said:

That will close the door once and for all on those who think they can change their name by deed poll and return to Thailand under a new name.

Can't be a whole lot of people that are willing willing to go to all that trouble (constantly getting new passport and new names) just to stay in a country that just isn't that good anymore.