OPINION

Thailand worries mass tourism is bringing terrorism troubles

Easier visa system poses national security challenge

Kavi Chongkittavorn

 

11 million Chinese tourists are expected to visit Thailand this year//FILE photo © Reuters

 

Thailand, popularly known as the "Land of Smiles," is no longer smiling so much as fears grow that the rapidly rising inflow of tourists may be undermining the country's national security.

 

Even as Thailand hit a record 38.3 million visitors last year, the issue has taken on added urgency following recent proposals to grant visa-free access to tourists from China and India, which together accounted for almost a third of the country's visitors in 2018.

 

Since 2013, when the annual influx of tourists nearly topped 30 million -- mainly due to a meteoric rise in the number of Chinese visitors -- Thai authorities have been struggling to monitor the whereabouts of foreigners, largely because of the shortcomings of the country's traditional, paper-based system for registering entries.

 

A biometric identification system was recently introduced at major entry points to improve data collection. But the country's immigration bureau remains understaffed, and would have faced significant increased pressure as a result of the visa-free regime for Chinese and Indian visitors, which was proposed by the Ministry of Tourism and Sport in July.

 

Full story: https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Thailand-worries-mass-tourism-is-bringing-terrorism-troubles

 

-- NIKKEI ASIAN REVIEW 2019-09-10

Sometimes you get what you wish for. 

Take the rough with the smooth.

You can't have your cake and eat it too.

Deal with it.

Ah yes what we need is  more TM30's  how  about a  weekly Tm30 which can be  updated to daily..............of  course seeing older people who have been on extensions for years with no problems  caused is  too easy to select these out of the "all falang" mentality.

34 minutes ago, webfact said:

Thailand, popularly known as the "Land of Smiles," is no longer smiling so much as fears grow that the rapidly rising inflow of tourists may be undermining the country's national security.

what ?

 

TM30 

 

If I was coming to Thailand to do bad things I will of course fill in my TM30

 

what a pile of complete hogwash 

 

The most embarrassing thing I have ever seen in Thailand was when a senior IO was trying to explain and justify the need for TM30

 

 

And how many of the terrorists in the past were western farang??

 

Right, we need to make it harder for them to visit Thailand...

Thai authorities have been struggling to monitor the whereabouts of foreigners.

 

Really!  Maybe they can make a case for GPS tracking devices for each foreigner...

 

Went to immigration yesterday...they have installed facial recognition for visa applicants...probably tied to a world's fugitive database...be advised if you have outstanding warrants in your home country.

 

Visa process for extension of stay at Udon Thani took about 20 min from time I handed over documents until I received back my passport with new 1 year extension...kudos to Thai lady who did my paperwork...????

They wants the money, statistics and prestige associated with big tourism but not the hassle of actual people. Perhaps everyone should just send money and stay home. Would that help? ????

 

Any threat to Thailand is already there or close by.

It's becoming more surreal and farcical by the day!

"But it must also keep its own house in order by adopting an effective and efficient system to manage the influx."

 

And therein lies the problem , nothing much in Thailand is effective and efficient.

Seems like the Thais are REALLY trying to justify the TM30/TM28 nonsense ...

May I suggest for every tourist entering ,a full body cavity search, a brain scan and a rectal probe followed by the most dreaded of all the TM-3O, The Thai way or the Hiway....

48 minutes ago, Puchaiyank said:

Thai authorities have been struggling to monitor the whereabouts of foreigners.

 

Really!  Maybe they can make a case for GPS tracking devices for each foreigner...

 

Went to immigration yesterday...they have installed facial recognition for visa applicants...probably tied to a world's fugitive database...be advised if you have outstanding warrants in your home country.

 

Visa process for extension of stay at Udon Thani took about 20 min from time I handed over documents until I received back my passport with new 1 year extension...kudos to Thai lady who did my paperwork...????

Really....?

 

I was in Udon immigration about 10 days ago, & didn't see this. They've got a new fingerprint scanner though.

 

What does device look like, where in the office is it?

WUtter claptrap. Thailand's terrorism is entirely domestic. The bombs and murders in the southern three provinces are not carried out by a family of 4 from Dorset upset with the price of pad thai. 

 

Thailand needs to monitor its own people first before it points accusing fingers at foreigners. 

Perhaps they should prioritize. Maybe draw a pyramid and draw horizontal lines representing the likelihood of various groups being terrorists, based on prior stats of course. I'm certain that they would realize the farang occupies the space at the base of the pyramid.

With the project complete, relax their stringent rules for those in the bottom half of the pyramid and tighten it at the top.

Funny, they don’t seem to care about their drug-dealing agriculture minister because his crime wasn’t in Thailand. So if everyone visiting Thailand has a clean Thai police record, what’s the problem? 

1 hour ago, cyril sneer said:

Islam is coming

Islam has always been there in the south of Thailand. Thanks to mistreatment and discrimination by the "Buddhist" majority, some of the Muslim minority turned to separatism and terrorism, with prople being killed down there daily since 2004, and bombs occasionally even detonating in Bangkok. These insurgents have all a Thai passport, so can't be asked to file TM30 or TM28 reports. - Forcing tourists to tell their whereabouts all the time is only a scapegoat...

Edited September 9, 20196 yr by StayinThailand2much

1 hour ago, smedly said:

what ?

 

TM30 

 

If I was coming to Thailand to do bad things I will of course fill in my TM30

 

what a pile of complete hogwash 

 

The most embarrassing thing I have ever seen in Thailand was when a senior IO was trying to explain and justify the need for TM30

 

 

Falsely known as land of smiles 

29 minutes ago, faraday said:

Really....?

 

I was in Udon immigration about 10 days ago, & didn't see this. They've got a new fingerprint scanner though.

 

What does device look like, where in the office is it?

Each visa position has a camera that looks like a big round black eye...part of the process is to get your pic even though you bring pictures...what could this possibly mean?   ????

terrorists... lol... I’ll sacrifice my safety for liberty.

35 minutes ago, jonclark said:

WUtter claptrap. Thailand's terrorism is entirely domestic. The bombs and murders in the southern three provinces are not carried out by a family of 4 from Dorset upset with the price of pad thai. 

 

Thailand needs to monitor its own people first before it points accusing fingers at foreigners. 

Exactly, it seems that the Generals are suffering from delusions of Grandeur and paranoia, Thailand is not on top of the world stage as far as international terrorism and never will be, pretty much all of the terrorism seen in Thailand is domestic and limited to the South.

So immigration is under staffed. Why? Funding? No problem they have just purchased tanks,armoured assault vehicles and submarines. Thailand is now safe. So let the flood gates open to max tourism by 2021. The country is safe.

Should be really  careful about letting non-native Europeans with European passport in, if you look at France,Germany,Sweden and Belgium etc etc , you will understand why.

14 minutes ago, Puchaiyank said:

Each visa position has a camera that looks like a big round black eye...part of the process is to get your pic even though you bring pictures...what could this possibly mean?   ????

This is the same system as when you enter at a border point, I'd imagine it checks the facial image against the original one, having said that, I don't recall whether or not my picture was taken last time I came in to BKK airport, fingerprints were taken, just don't remember if the IO took an image as well.

2 hours ago, smedly said:

what ?

 

TM30 

 

If I was coming to Thailand to do bad things I will of course fill in my TM30

 

what a pile of complete hogwash 

 

The most embarrassing thing I have ever seen in Thailand was when a senior IO was trying to explain and justify the need for TM30

 

 

You mean the guy that kept repeating "I am not stupid" convincing nobody, not even himself. 555

surely not from all those Indians

Each visa position has a camera that looks like a big round black eye...part of the process is to get your pic even though you bring pictures...what could this possibly mean?   [emoji848]

They have had these cameras at Khon Kaen Immigration for the last 6 years, but I guess the software may now have changed to link them to a National Crime database!


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

I vote for daily check-ins for everyone.   In fact, I’m going to email immigration and suggest it. 
 

It’s the only way to secure the nation.

OHHHHH PLEASE! What is this... A Face thing and trying to convince the world about their terrorist problem backing up the B.S TM 30 need? Keep it up Thailand. You gonna have everyone hating you very quick. I just hope every other country considers Thai's a potential terrorist and does more extreme than the TM 30. For my kids I don't care, they have USA citizenship and passports so can travel free to most all countries in the world that they want to go to. 

The biggest threat to Thailand was elected in March.

As far as I'm aware the recent "terrorism" is homegrown. I can't imagine those poxy bombs around Bangkok the other week were the actions of disgruntled farang. Also, most farang terrorists are into mass shootings not bombs, see the US and New Zealand. 

Edited September 10, 20196 yr by ZeVonderBearz