Luggage to be X-rayed at airports by year-end, used-car imports to be banned: Customs

[webfact]

Luggage to be X-rayed at airports by year-end, used-car imports to be banned: Customs

By The Nation

 

 

The Customs Department will get conveyor belt X-ray machines up and running by the end of this year, enabling it to scan all luggage in search of illegal items and brand-name items smuggled in to avoid paying taxes and to resell.

 

Customs Department director-general Krissada Jinawicharana said on Friday that his agency had just received and installed 23 conveyor belt X-ray machines at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport, which would be in use later this year.

 

The machines can scan all checked-in luggage and help officials detect illegal items such as narcotics or goods being smuggled in to avoid paying taxes. Until now, luggage has been randomly opened and searched, he said.

 

The agency will also develop an artificial intelligence system to link X-ray images with those from their counterparts in Asean countries in a move to boost effectiveness, he added.

 

In a separate measure, Krissada said Thai authorities will ban the import of second-hand cars from other countries into Thailand in a bid to reduce air pollution and to plug the loophole in which some people avoid paying proper taxes when bringing in luxury cars.

 

He said that the Customs Department and related agencies were discussing an action plan before the ban soon takes effect. Some 1,000 second-hand cars are now under its custody and must be processed and auctioned. 

 

If the Department of Land Transport refused to register these cars, the agency might have to refund the successful bidders, donate the respective cars, sell them for parts or destroy them. A solution will have to be discussed and determined with related agencies later, he said.

 

Source: http://www.nationthailand.com/news/30372350

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand  2019-07-05

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[NCC1701A]

yes and I started a topic on this "how many watches can I bring in" and everybody assured me "no problem you will walk right through" NOT.

 

this is the first time i saw the scanner in operation and everybody got checked. I had a 10,000 Mega Big Boy condoms with me. 

 

I was sweating bullets.

 

 

 

[kotsak]

18 minutes ago, webfact said:

The agency will also develop an artificial intelligence system to link X-ray images with those from their counterparts in Asean countries in a move to boost effectiveness, he added.

Almost barfed my coffee reading this..

 

[NCC1701A]

5 minutes ago, kotsak said:

Almost barfed my coffee reading this..

 

Thailand is the first place Skynet will get a foothold.

[overherebc]

7 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

Thailand is the first place Skynet will get a foothold.

Memory tells me the phrase 'self aware'  is part of that concept.

No further comment.

[wreckingcountry]

Luggage to be X-rayed at airports by year-end, used-car imports to be banned: Customs
By The Nation
 

 
In a separate measure, Krissada said Thai authorities will ban the import of second-hand cars from other countries into Thailand in a bid to reduce air pollution and to plug the loophole in which some people avoid paying proper taxes when bringing in
 
Source: http://www.nationthailand.com/news/30372350
 

-- [emoji767] Copyright The Nation Thailand  2019-07-05 Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

Ah ban imported car parts to solve the pollution problem, why didn’t they think of that before ...! You couldn’t make up this junk !


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[sammieuk1]

Wonder if the brand names include cheese namely Cathedral ???? 

[ezzra]

If memory serves me correctly, this is the norm about couple of years ago where they had those machines in front of the check in counters and then they were gone, so now they're making a comeback together with the dead and forgotten and now resurrected the dredded TM30, what next i wonder? body's cavities searches on the in and out?...

[dcnx]

Welcome to 2019, Thailand.

[DrTuner]

1 hour ago, kotsak said:

Almost barfed my coffee reading this..

Well they have to do artificial intelligence. There's no real intelligence available.

[DrTuner]

1 hour ago, NCC1701A said:

Thailand is the first place Skynet will get a foothold.

That's a relief. Then all we have to do is wait for the robots to break due to no maintenance. 

[scotinsiam]

No doubt this will add more delays to the wonderful airport experience, I am currently in the lounge in Swampy having endured the immigration exit process at passport control - I was 45 minutes in a crowd of Asians who were behaving like children - shouting, jumping queues and eventually the immigration stopped fingerprints being taken - it was a <deleted> joke. One prick asked to get in front of me when I was almost at the front of the line - "I think my flight left already" he said I told him no point in rushing then - asshat.

I hope I am fully done with this place in the coming few months, I have enjoyed living here but I don't  want to live on a military base anymore.

[overherebc]

3 minutes ago, scotinsiam said:

No doubt this will add more delays to the wonderful airport experience, I am currently in the lounge in Swampy having endured the immigration exit process at passport control - I was 45 minutes in a crowd of Asians who were behaving like children - shouting, jumping queues and eventually the immigration stopped fingerprints being taken - it was a <deleted> joke. One prick asked to get in front of me when I was almost at the front of the line - "I think my flight left already" he said I told him no point in rushing then - asshat.

I hope I am fully done with this place in the coming few months, I have enjoyed living here but I don't  want to live on a military base anymore.

Did once have a guy tap me on the shoulder in the Q who said those are my friends ( 4 ) in front of you. I just said good, I'll ask them to join you behind me.

[madmitch]

GThey've been x-raying nearly all luggage at Phuket Airport for a long time. It doesn't cause that much of a delay in leaving the airport. Stopped once when I brought in an electric waffle maker. As soon as I told them it only cost about 1000 baht I was on my way.

[overherebc]

Just now, madmitch said:

GThey've been x-raying nearly all luggage at Phuket Airport for a long time. It doesn't cause that much of a delay in leaving the airport. Stopped once when I brought in an electric waffle maker. As soon as I told them it only cost about 1000 baht I was on my way.

Malaysia does it as well and a couple of other places. As you say it's not that much of a hassle.

[worgeordie]

Looks like it could take four or five hours to clear customs ,immigration,

especially when some of these machines break down,on a busy day its 

going to be mayhem. welcome to Thailand

regards worgeordie

[Pilotman]

14 minutes ago, madmitch said:

GThey've been x-raying nearly all luggage at Phuket Airport for a long time. It doesn't cause that much of a delay in leaving the airport. Stopped once when I brought in an electric waffle maker. As soon as I told them it only cost about 1000 baht I was on my way.

same at UTP and Udon, I don't know what all the fuss is about.  Some people just take any excuse to knock the country. 

[Samuel Smith]

4 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

same at UTP and Udon, I don't know what all the fuss is about.  Some people just take any excuse to knock the country. 

Same at Chiang Mai for several years.

[ThomasThBKK]

Because it's all rubbish, just look how changi in singapore does it, super efficient...the stuff gets xrayed when u check in anyway??? why double xray...

[RJRS1301]

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

If memory serves me correctly, this is the norm about couple of years ago where they had those machines in front of the check in counters and then they were gone, so now they're making a comeback together with the dead and forgotten and now resurrected the dredded TM30, what next i wonder? body's cavities searches on the in and out?...

US and Australia have body scanners at security .

Interestingly they can see  mesh inserted during surgical procedures

[Traubert]

They're going to end up with a very large collection of 'bedroom enhancement appliances' unless they make them legal.

[RJRS1301]

19 minutes ago, ThomasThBKK said:

Because it's all rubbish, just look how changi in singapore does it, super efficient...the stuff gets xrayed when u check in anyway??? why double xray...

Looking for car parts and top end designer things , not illegal I guess to export from Singapore

[Oziex1]

Aside from the story, I am so privileged as I cannot participate in the complaints of long delays in immigration and security checks. I dont travel business or have any extra elite card or like.

 

Interested to know any Aussies particularly travelling from Perth have similar experiences, just about always on Thai Airways and have had no reason to complain when arriving in Swampy or Phuket. So many complaints from other travellers on this forum.

[ThomasThBKK]

22 minutes ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

Singapore Customs randomly pick people. They don't do everyone as they know that will irritate passengers and be too much work. 

 

It's enough of a deterrent for most as you know there's a good chance they will scan you and enforcement is non-negotiable, unlike Thailand. 

 

So do Thai customs, having a bunch of xray scanners to annoy everyone doesn't mean they will stop accepting bribes. They prolly install them to get more bribes.

 

4 minutes ago, RJRS1301 said:

Looking for car parts and top end designer things , not illegal I guess to export from Singapore

Nor is it illegal to export from Thailand.

 

Did you mean import? scanning with an xray my bags wont tell them where i bought my clothes anyway...

I wasn't aware people smuggle car parts like  tires and rims or engine in their checked in luggage.

 

 

Whole setup will just be used to skrew over tourists and thais and get more tmoney.

Phuket scamport makes a boatload of cash from tourist bribes for vapes and co, thai business 4.0

[edwinchester]

2 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

yes and I started a topic on this "how many watches can I bring in" and everybody assured me "no problem you will walk right through" NOT.

 

this is the first time i saw the scanner in operation and everybody got checked. I had a 10,000 Mega Big Boy condoms with me. 

 

I was sweating bullets.

 

 

 

You'd have been in serious trouble as the Mega Big Boy condoms are obviously not for personal use.

[30la]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

In a separate measure, Krissada said Thai authorities will ban the import of second-hand cars from other countries into Thailand in a bid to reduce air pollution and to plug the loophole in which some people avoid paying proper taxes when bringing in luxury cars.

??? Air pollution? Why don't you persecute all the criminals who burn waste, fields and forests? The success would certainly be greater.
And then the factories that infest the air throughout the country without limits?

Edited July 5, 2019 by 30la

[Pilotman]

Some years ago, well before 9/11, I was the CEO of a UK Regional International Airport, we were X Raying all bags, both hand and hold then. Dare I say that was 20 years ago.  This is not at all new, just Thailand catching up.  

Edited July 5, 2019 by Pilotman

[ocddave]

I just send things thru the mail, they seem to be oblivious to the contents....LOL

[RJRS1301]

5 minutes ago, ThomasThBKK said:

 

So do Thai customs, having a bunch of xray scanners to annoy everyone doesn't mean they will stop accepting bribes. They prolly install them to get more bribes.

 

Nor is it illegal to export from Thailand.

 

Did you mean import? scanning with an xray my bags wont tell them where i bought my clothes anyway...

I wasn't aware people smuggle car parts like  tires and rims or engine in their checked in luggage.

 

 

Whole setup will just be used to skrew over tourists and thais and get more tmoney.

Phuket scamport makes a boatload of cash from tourist bribes for vapes and co, thai business 4.0

I meant as said, export from Singapore, {legal)as per the post I replied to.

That would mean importing to Thailand (to be illegal)

[PatOngo]

2 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

yes and I started a topic on this "how many watches can I bring in" and everybody assured me "no problem you will walk right through" NOT.

 

this is the first time i saw the scanner in operation and everybody got checked. I had a 10,000 Mega Big Boy condoms with me. 

 

I was sweating bullets.

 

 

 

Last time I visited Hua Hin the place smelt like burning rubber, now I know the source!