Incoming baggage to be x-rayed at Suvarnabhumi by next year: Customs

[tjo o tjim]

Isn’t the baggage equipment above baggage claim just for outbound bags?  Inbound screening would need to be done on level 0/1.  It has been a very long time, but I thought the mezzanine had staging carousels for early check-in and all the outbound sorting, and any inbound xray would need to be installed in the mezzanine above the receiving carousels.

[Number 6]

Sort of funny. With all the dangerous things brought into the country they are only concerned about retail goods that are already overpriced here.

 

Just another reason to leave.

[clancy]

17 hours ago, RotMahKid said:

Also for politicians and high rank officers etc or private planes?

Good one.

[clancy]

17 hours ago, RotMahKid said:

Also for politicians and high rank officers etc or private planes?

Good one.

[helloagain]

17 hours ago, kotsak said:

Should we expect an increase in luggage theft? ????

I think so

[Just Weird]

16 hours ago, Jacob Ree Smog said:

Sounds like a nice little earner for the MOF. Expect more queues and irate foreigners at airports across the country. 'Cough up or go home' should be their motto.

You condone illegal smuggling, then?

Edited September 7, 2019 by Just Weird

[Just Weird]

13 hours ago, trainman34014 said:

Yet another cash collecting scam !

But smuggling illegal items in your luggage is ok?  How is enforcing the law a "scam"?

[shavedPotter]

I guess the x-ray equipment at the other end of the flight in other countries must be defective.

[Just Weird]

2 hours ago, CaptainJack said:

From the country that brought us "Magic Cards". At least we can find our luggage if the lights go out and it's dark. Lol

 

https://thethaiger.com/news/north-east/magic-cards-contain-dangerous-radioactive-materials

"Thailand" did not "bring us magic cards", some individual crooks did that.

[masuk]

On a brief visit to China last year, I stayed at a small hotel, and the first thing I had to do was place my luggage onto an x-ray machine, opposite the check-in desk.

That's a first for me.  Never had a hotel do this before.

Having passed the test, I was then allowed to check in.  ????

[Just Weird]

1 hour ago, Number 6 said:

Sort of funny. With all the dangerous things brought into the country they are only concerned about retail goods that are already overpriced here.

Where did it say that "retail goods" [sic] was all Customs are concerned about and what has their price in Thailand got to do with stopping smuggling?

[RBOP]

What a waste money and resources. At the other end we get scanned, x-ray, questioned, probed and patted at departures before getting on a plane. 

[Jacob Ree Smog]

26 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

You condone illegal smuggling, then?

Morning Sir. The problem here is that the definition of 'illegal smuggling' is far to broad once it is applied in a country like Thailand. We all know that Thai authorities like to stretch the law to benefit themselves financially. It seems to me that this is just another money maker for customs who will abuse the law as they see fit. Take cigarettes & alcohol for example. Now I agree that everyone should be aware beforehand of the rules when bringing in either one of these (200 ciggies & 1 bottle of spirits each), the problem is when someone accidentally goes over this threshold, the Thai authorities are allowed to charge 10 times the duty required for either product (and they are doing this hundreds of times a day). This is outright extortion & my fear is that the new x-ray machine will be used in exactly the same way. Maybe 1 in 50,000 will catch illegal drugs, the rest will be arbitrary fines levied on unsuspecting foreigners who are just about to start their holiday. I once carried an extra bottle of gin through customs at Geneva international airport in Switzerland, customs pulled me to one side, told me I had carried more than is allowed and made me pay the extra duty on the bottle (a grand total of 12 euros). I paid and didn't feel violated by the authorities. This is how things should be done, but we all know in Thailand that this is not the case. Customs wait for foreigners at the exit gate, scanning for people who have duty free bags on their trolley. They then proceed to take them to one side and slap the 10 times fine on each item that is brought in (this usually equates to hundreds of pounds for the individual, if not thousands). This is not protecting Thailand against 'illegal smuggling' (I do not consider accidentally bringing in an extra bottle or carton of fags to be so), this is an abuse of power by customs who have been ordered to do so by those right at the top of government. 

Edited September 7, 2019 by Jacob Ree Smog

[xerostar]

Another nail in the Thai tourist industry coffin ! 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

14 minutes ago, RBOP said:

What a waste money and resources. At the other end we get scanned, x-ray, questioned, probed and patted at departures before getting on a plane. 

 

Because on the incoming luggage end of things, they're not really concerned about security issues.

 

They're concerned about MONEY issues, as in, increasing the customs duty/tax that they can extract from arriving passengers bringing home retail goods purchased abroad.

 

[legend49]

Shows the lack of any intelligence with this mob. All bags are screened from the originating countries for contraband or dangerous goods. The way they are going here they wont need 23 xray machines, 2 will be enough as there will be a lack of travelers departing in Thailand. It will become the HUB of other changing aircraft for other countries.

[Just Weird]

5 minutes ago, Jacob Ree Smog said:

Morning Sir. The problem here is that the definition of 'illegal smuggling' is far to broad once it is applied in a country like Thailand. We all know that Thai authorities like to stretch the law to benefit themselves financially. It seems to me that this is just another money maker for customs who will abuse the law as they see fit. Take cigarettes & alcohol for example. Now I agree that everyone should be aware beforehand of the rules when bringing in either one of these (200 ciggies & 1 bottle of spirits each), the problem is when someone accidentally goes over this threshold, the Thai authorities are allowed to charge 10 times the duty required for either product (and they are doing this hundreds of times a day). This is outright extortion & my fear is that the new x-ray machine will be used in exactly the same way. Maybe 1 in 50,000 will catch illegal drugs, the rest will be arbitrary fines levied on unsuspecting foreigners who are just about to start their holiday. I once carried an extra bottle of gin through customs at Geneva international airport in Switzerland, customs pulled me to one side, told me I had carried more than is allowed and made me pay the extra duty on the bottle (a grand total of 12 euros). I paid and didn't feel violated by the authorities. This is how things should be done, but we all know in Thailand that this is not the case. Customs wait for foreigners at the exit gate, scanning for people who have duty free bags on their trolley. They then proceed to take them to one side and slap the 10 times fine on each item that is brought in (this usually equates to hundreds of pounds for the individual, if not thousands). This is not protecting Thailand against 'illegal smuggling' (I do not consider accidentally bringing in an extra bottle or carton of fags to be so), this is an abuse of power by customs who have been ordered to do so by those right at the top of government. 

"The problem here is that the definition of 'illegal smuggling' is far to broad..."

It's not broad, it's black or white, you've either got items with unpaid duty that you're bringing in or you haven't.

 

"It seems to me that this is just another money maker for customs who will abuse the law as they see fit".

That's just your speculative opinion for which you have no empirical evidence.

 

"Thai authorities are allowed to charge 10 times the duty required for either product (and they are doing this hundreds of times a day). This is outright extortion..."

If that is the law, it is not extortion.  There is a way around it, though, declare the items or don't risk hiding them.

 

[Chassa]

Welcome to the 21st century. You are now the same as Australia.

 

[findlay13]

18 hours ago, RotMahKid said:

Also for politicians and high rank officers etc or private planes?

Do you know who I am?!

[Just Weird]

6 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Because on the incoming luggage end of things, they're not really concerned about security issues.

 

They're concerned about MONEY issues, as in, increasing the customs duty/tax that they can extract from arriving passengers bringing home retail goods purchased abroad.

 

They're concerned about MONEY issues, as in, increasing the customs duty/tax that they can extract from arriving passengers bringing home retail goods purchased abroad that they're trying to avoid paying duty on, illegally, just as is done in every other country and that includes yours.

[ThePioneer]

5 minutes ago, legend49 said:

Shows the lack of any intelligence with this mob. All bags are screened from the originating countries for contraband or dangerous goods.

 

I would say it rather shows the lack of intelligence of the mob posting on this forum, since x-ray arriving luggage is done at many airports around the world

 

https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/130009/do-airports-x-ray-checked-in-baggage-on-arrival

 

Yes, many airports around the world X-ray bags on arrival.

In some countries, check-in bags are X-rayed before you collect them - sometimes for all flights, sometimes just for select flights. This is the case in the USA for example, and you will generally not be aware whether your bags have been X-Ray'ed or not.

[Just Weird]

It's odd how so many Thaivisa posters are quick to indignantly condemn the police when they are perceived as not enforcing the law, yet when another law enforcement agency does enforce the law they get condemned for it!

[topt]

5 minutes ago, poohy said:

So bringing food from home country is illegal  are you mad??

 

ah just read your name sounds  

Possibly -

same as bringing certain items into the UK -

Meat and dairy products from outside the EU You are not allowed to bring in any meat or dairy products to the UK. However, if you are travelling from the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Iceland, you are allowed up to 10kg combined weight per person.

 

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/531649/Bringing_food_into_the_UK_leaflet.pdf

[reargunnerph3]

51 minutes ago, masuk said:

On a brief visit to China last year, I stayed at a small hotel, and the first thing I had to do was place my luggage onto an x-ray machine, opposite the check-in desk.

That's a first for me.  Never had a hotel do this before.

Having passed the test, I was then allowed to check in.  ????

E-ray machines at hotels in Manila and Jakarta also as they are targets of moslem terrorists

[ThePioneer]

8 minutes ago, poohy said:

So bringing food from home country is illegal  are you mad??

Try taking Thai food to Europe and see what happens when your luggage get checked

[soistalker]

Your luggage takes longer to come out on the carosel, but you will have been waiting 90 minutes behind middle of nowhere mainland Chinese who cant get through immigration because they didnt full in the required form, are too obtuse to use the fingerprint scanners, and need to be told to take off their hats.

[ellathai]

10 minutes ago, poohy said:

So bringing food from home country is illegal  are you mad??

 

ah just read your name sounds very apt! 

Hope l can get my 5 kg of cheese in ????????

[PatOngo]

22 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

It's odd how so many Thaivisa posters are quick to indignantly condemn the police when they are perceived as not enforcing the law, yet when another law enforcement agency does enforce the law they get condemned for it!

Some of them are just weird!

[SMEinBangkok]

"Thailand customs allows visitors to enter Thailand with personal effects, the value of which does not exceed 80,000 Baht, without paying import fees as long as: 1) the items are specifically for personal or professional use; 2) the amount of goods are reasonable; and 3) the items are not subject to restriction or prohibition."

 

This is the next TM30-style debacle.  Personal effects means clothing, toiletries, phones, tablets, computers, etc.  80,000 baht is $2700 USD, roughly.  And notice the wording....essentially every single person they stop for a 'customs' inspection will end up owing money for bringing in their used computers, suits, etc. for use while visiting Thailand.

[Just Weird]

13 minutes ago, poohy said:

So bringing food from home country is illegal  are you mad??

 

ah just read your name sounds very apt! 

No, I'm not mad but obviously you didn't read my comments. I have said nothing about bringing in food, but, now that you mention it, there are food items that cannot be legally imported!

 

Ah, (to quote you, for the benefit of the mods) just read your name, sounds very apt!