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

[Thaifriends]

Incoming and outgoing bags are checked by a screen machine so whats new in this ????

[essox essox]

if there is such a thing as lead foil....then goods could be wrapped in this.....THE X Ray machines can not identify LEAD !!!

I know having worked in company that had xray machines.....

[ujayujay]

20 hours ago, overherebc said:

Palm oil in your suitcase?

..and Fuel Oil????????????

[emptypockets]

9 minutes ago, soidog99 said:

That is carry on, they are talking about checked in luggage.

If it is anything like Myanmar, you get your checked bags and walk to the machine. Both checked and carry on bags go through the machine You are there when it happens. Some posters allude that the bags may be x-rayed before the carousel. Unlikely in my opinion as it would be a major exercise in man power to watch the progress of a suspect bag all the way until a passenger removes it from the carousel.

[essox essox]

3 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

You are allowed 1 litre of alcohol, so yes if you declare it you may be charged duty. if you don't declare it and get caught you are looking at up to 10 times the dutiable rate and possibly prison time. I doubt if they'll lock you up but that's he law as it stands. Big signs all over the arrivals hall.

could be confiscated too....

[emptypockets]

4 minutes ago, flyingtlger said:

Thailand is becoming more and more unattractive come to...

Customs and Immigration sometimes takes 2 hours to pass through and now they'll try to nickel and dime you for gifts you're bringing in for relatives and friends.  I get it that they may be trying to stop illegal drugs and such but that's a very small percentage of visitors..

Sacrifice the whole for the few?  

Time to look for greener pastures.....

And many times less than ten minutes. Take this from someone who travels into Thailand every 3 or 4 weeks. Exiting is the longest time waster.

[emptypockets]

1 minute ago, essox essox said:

could be confiscated too....

Very likely as well as the duty/fine.

[emptypockets]

4 minutes ago, essox essox said:

if there is such a thing as lead foil....then goods could be wrapped in this.....THE X Ray machines can not identify LEAD !!!

I know having worked in company that had xray machines.....

I would think a large lump of lead would trigger warning signs everywhere within customs. I wonder if importing lead is duty free? Be prepared for the excess weight penalty too at the departing airport.

[Moti24]

20 hours ago, kotsak said:

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

Definitely, plus an increased waiting time to collect your luggage.

[poohy]

1 hour ago, ellathai said:

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

Seems people are taking this  too seriously

ok i go to UK return maybe 6kg cheese (s) salamis black pudding etc 

Its  like i smuggling in 100 of items and they are all for personal use and as far as i ware there is no restrictions on them entering Thailand

And to the one person who think of the trouble taking Thai food to Europe WHY on earth would you? food variations are infinitely better there

[wormdrive]

18 minutes ago, Jaxxper said:

If they are scanning baggage then there should be no need to open it. I agree locked bags are no real deterrent but I’ve found that if you put a small cable tie in addition to the lock it’s impossible to open the bag without cutting the tie and thus leaving the evidence that the bag was tampered with. Just one more deterrent.

You are sadly mistaken. It is not "impossible" to open a bag without cutting the tie.  I suggest you search on YouTube "using a pen to open suitcase" and educate yourself before you go dispensing incorrect information.  When all you do is spend your time refuting people - I suggest you make damn sure you are educated in the area.

[poohy]

1 hour ago, Just Weird said:

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! 

I dont think it will effect my cheese black pudding chorizo snuggling runs  

 

Oh and another on the ignore list life is so much easier that way

[Just Weird]

5 minutes ago, poohy said:

Oh and another on the ignore list life is so much easier that way

The feeling is reciprocated.

[berrec]

The government aims to establish the National Single Window (NSW), a comprehensive network of import-export database that connects all related departments nationwide and with those of neighbouring countries,” he said.

 

“The system is scheduled to be up and running in three months and we only have two countries left to connect with – and that should also be finished by year-end.”

 

OMG It's another Thailand 4.0 initiative; I suspect more unreliable and ineffective software that promises the world and delivers SFA....................just like the nationwide Thai immigration department's databases that are all synced up NOT............................ NSW (No Software Working) in 2563.  55555555555555

[hotchilli]

20 hours ago, webfact said:

Krisada noted that with the x-ray machines, customs officials can see what is in the luggage and immediately prompt the passengers to pay the Customs duty before leaving the airport.

Ahhhh now I understand.

[essox essox]

8 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

No need for childish name calling

so read what i wrote then there would have been no need for your silly reply regarding "a large lump of lead"

[overherebc]

1 hour ago, madmitch said:

It was quite sensible until that last sentence!

Maybe they were thinking 20,000,000 tourists at 100cc each is 2,000,000 litres smuggled in every year.

[elaxjt]

31 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

You are allowed 1 litre of alcohol, so yes if you declare it you may be charged duty. if you don't declare it and get caught you are looking at up to 10 times the dutiable rate and possibly prison time. I doubt if they'll lock you up but that's he law as it stands. Big signs all over the arrivals hall.

If the X-ray scanners are going to be on the baggage belts BEFORE customs how do you declare that you have more than you are allowed?  Another question what about something like Robinsons Cordial/squash? (Sunquick is far to syrupy and sweet for me) 

[PatOngo]

1 hour ago, SMEinBangkok said:

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.

Serious question, What about my Rolex?

[overherebc]

25 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

I would think a large lump of lead would trigger warning signs everywhere within customs. I wonder if importing lead is duty free? Be prepared for the excess weight penalty too at the departing airport.

???? Wrapping your private bits in kitchen foil???

Would that hide them.????

????????????

[Grumpy John]

Just told the wife our palm oil import scam is a non starter. She had a surprised look on her face as she always does when I hit the sarcasm button!  To the Thailand newbies on the forum....never forget,  money number one....everytime. 

[emptypockets]

3 minutes ago, elaxjt said:

If the X-ray scanners are going to be on the baggage belts BEFORE customs how do you declare that you have more than you are allowed?  Another question what about something like Robinsons Cordial/squash? (Sunquick is far to syrupy and sweet for me) 

Read my other post about how it works in Myanmar. YOU take your bags to the machine - the machine is manned by customs staff. You give them your declaration (or did, that has been dropped along with arrival cards). There is no other customs area. I guess the days of declaring goods are over there. You are either legal or not and will get busted if you are not.

No idea how cordial/squash has any relevance.

[high plane drifter]

so many time I had nice stuff stolen in my luggages,

 

[Percy P]

20 hours ago, Crossy said:

 

Or fuel oil for that matter ????

 

PO is cheaper in Malaysia then T/L so i bring two,three bottles back, I come back overland though. 

[shy coconut]

20 hours ago, 4675636b596f75 said:

As they don't allow my wife to bring her small bottle of contact lens cleaner, just how much fuel oil would one be able to smuggle?

I'm pretty sure your wife could have a small bottle of lens cleaner in her checked baggage.

[wombat]

the hub of un-xrayed baggage.
I'm surprised to be honest.

[glennb6]

20 hours ago, 4675636b596f75 said:

Most lemmings and that includes most travelers allow them to full body xray them.

 

XRAY.

 

I always opt out.  But then I also travel with a child. They don't let you get go through the full body scanner with a child.  

 

Do you know why?

I think those are 'back scatter scanners' not xrays. In other words, they are 5G scanners. Interesting that the tsa SS at the ussa airports have stopped them because the operators seemed to be coming down with cancers at a high rate. 

[spidermike007]

This is good news. Half the time I come through they ask me to take my stuff off of the cart, and feed them into the X-ray machines. It is a real pain in the butt. I often take in boxes of supplies, and that is what triggers their curiosity. So now, hopefully this will not happen anymore. 

 

This is just another example of the militarization of tourism, and life here in Thailand. It is what you would describe as a natural reflex for an army, that is trained for something, of which we do not know, and has never been in battle. They are itchy, and taking it out on tourism and tourists, and in the process, killing the Golden Calf. Immigration woes, traffic and public safety woes, long lines at the airport, random police checks, scammers galore, police scams on tourists, what next? If you were making a deliberate effort to discourage tourists and ex-pats from being here, you could not possibly do a better job. 

 

A message to the government, and especially the hapless and incredibly annoying army. You are not above the laws of the universe. You think you are. But, you reap what you sow. Now, live with the tragic consequences of your ridiculous and inane actions. You are despised to no end.

[bizboi]

The starting date for the x ray machines set to coincide with the day after the tourist minister returns from his jolly bar tour in Italy.????

 

YET ANOTHER reason to simply not come to thailand!!!

[Surasak]

One more nail in the coffin for the tourist trade.