No place to hide: Immigration’s new biometric system nabs 45,000 overstaying foreigners in Thailand

 

Picture: Naew Na

 

Thailand's immigration chief has hailed the new biometrics system that has been installed in the country saying that the international standard system is making Thailand look good. 

 

It has resulted in thousands of arrests and also in millions of baht in fines to help pay for the 2 billion baht system. 

 

At a press conference at the weekend there were several vinyl boards to add to the hype and the word "biometrics" was everywhere along with "jeng eek laew" - referring to it as a "cool" system that strikes again.

 

As evidence of this Lt-Gen Sompong "Big Oud" Chingduang announced the arrests of eight foreigners using Thailand as an intermediate country to travel to destinations like asylum in the UK and work in South Korea. 

 

Picture: Naew Na

 

In the first case on September 11th three Iranians - father and children - were stopped in Thailand on fake Greek passports they had bought for 50,000 Euros (1.7 million baht) in Turkey. They were heading to the UK via Thailand.

 

Later the same day another Iranian using the same route was stopped. In these two cases two of the passports showed up via biometrics as having been on an Interpol stolen list. 

 

On the 12th a Syrian man and two Palestinian women used Thailand as a third country to travel via Abu Dhabi using fake Swedish passports bought at a cost of 12,500 Euros or 375,000 baht each. 

 

Friday the 13th proved unlucky for a Nigerian who was no match for the biometrics system. Mentioning his skin color as "black" Naew Na said that he was travelling on a fake South African passport he had got from a South African agent in Turkey. 

 

The Nigerian had gone to Qatar and was travelling through Thailand on his way to work in South Korea when he was stopped. 

 

Lt-Gen Sompong said that the biometrics system had checked a total of 17 million people so far finding 1,123 on blacklists, 45,669 overstaying in Thailand and resulted in immigration coffers being swelled by 81 million baht in fines. 

 

He said that the new system was of an international standard and had brought Thailand recognition from authorities around the world as a place with international standards. 

 

Source: Naew Na

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-09-16

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15 minutes ago, webfact said:

immigration coffers being swelled by 81 million baht in fines. 

That's the bottom line.  All laws in Thailand are for the benefit of the enforcers not the country.

12 minutes ago, webfact said:

They were heading to the UK via Thailand.

 

Seems like most of the recent "successes" have been people LEAVING Thailand.

 

All eight of them. And now what? Keep them? Deport them? Bad guys in, bad guys stay.

 

Didn't seem to prevent them from entering Thailand, with a real or fake passport, spending time here, procuring fake passports locally.

 

The cynic in me assumes the local document producer, or thief, then rats out the client, making a bit of dosh on both ends? 

 

 

So do away with the damn TM 30 and use  biometrics if it so good.  

15 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

How long before we all get a chip inserted into us ?

This is just a start. Been to China lately, and considered that China waives the scepter in Thailand

On the 'down side', criminals and other dodgy people will now be aware that Thailand is not the easy transit point that it once was and so will be using somewhere else.

 

This will surely affect the 'tourist' numbers as TAT count all the passengers, even those in transit.

 

Numbers should fall which I am sure, TAT will be concerned about as they can no longer BS about the numbers. ???? 

 

32 minutes ago, webfact said:

Big Oud says new system is making Thailand look good

 

tell that to the 300 people queueing up at the airport

 

 

40 minutes ago, webfact said:

resulted in immigration coffers being swelled by 81 million baht in fines. 

 

More BMWs for all involved!!!

 

4 minutes ago, thequietman said:

On the 'down side', criminals and other dodgy people will now be aware that Thailand is not the easy transit point that it once was and so will be using somewhere else.

 

This will surely affect the 'tourist' numbers as TAT count all the passengers, even those in transit.

 

Numbers should fall which I am sure, TAT will be concerned about as they can no longer BS about the numbers. ???? 

TAT will just find another way to BS the numbers.

I fail to see how being the HUB of biometrics will bring " Thailand recognition from authorities around the world as a place with international standards". A drop in the bucket in the overall big picture.

Seems that the problems arise with just a couple of countries. Might want to make entry from those places extraordinarily difficult.

25 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

Didn't seem to prevent them from entering Thailand, with a real or fake passport, spending time here, procuring fake passports locally.

 

Of the arrests cited in the OP article, at least several of them specifically say the fake passports were purchased abroad (outside Thailand). And in the other couple cases, the article doesn't clearly say where.

 

49 minutes ago, webfact said:

He said that the new system was of an international standard and had brought Thailand recognition from authorities around the world as a place with international standards. 

Please name 3 of them!

Quote

As evidence of this Lt-Gen Sompong "Big Oud" Chingduang announced the arrests of eight foreigners 

On Sept 11th 5 were arrested

Sept 12th 3 arrested

Sept 13 1 arrest

 

Long long way to the 45,000 arrests.

 

4 hours ago, petedk said:

On Sept 11th 5 were arrested

Sept 12th 3 arrested

Sept 13 1 arrest

 

Long long way to the 45,000 arrests.

 

Not if TAT are involved!

25 minutes ago, GeorgeCross said:

 

 

tell that to the 300 people queueing up at the airport

 

 

... at each passport control counter.

8 arrested as evidence for 45.000 arrested? How is that evidence. just asking.

Any Farang caught?

What does an overstay have to do with biometrics at the airport? Absolutely nothing? It's totally unrelated to each other....

They just made these numbers up...

The only thing I see in the making Thailand look good is the now fully automated vinyl board assembly line the general pontificates over daily????

Hey, anything that takes the silly heat and the attention of us the good guys gets my blessing whether the numbers are 45,000 or fewer...

So 45,000 have been nabbed with the 1st lot on Sept 11.  Today is only Sept 16 so they are averaging  7,500 per day.  Excellent figures.

So the percentage of blacklisters so far has been 0.0000661% of the 17 million people checked.

Overstayers at 0.002686% with an average overstay payment of a tick under 1800 baht per person.

 

But the percentages don't tell the true picture. There are a lot of people doing the wrong thing. But the average overstay fine seems to demonstrate that it is likely tourists who have decided to stay a couple of extra days and not worrying about an extension.

 

I don't imagine too many long term overstayers would be looking to leave via airports too often.

 

The blacklisters certainly seem to want to come back to Thailand.

10 minutes ago, Farangwithaplan said:

So the percentage of blacklisters so far has been 0.0000661% of the 17 million people checked.

Overstayers at 0.002686% with an average overstay payment of a tick under 1800 baht per person.

 

But the percentages don't tell the true picture. There are a lot of people doing the wrong thing. But the average overstay fine seems to demonstrate that it is likely tourists who have decided to stay a couple of extra days and not worrying about an extension.

 

I don't imagine too many long term overstayers would be looking to leave via airports too often.

 

The blacklisters certainly seem to want to come back to Thailand.

I would  agree. They have highlighted the  false passport  catches in isolation to those being snapped for various degrees of overstay possibly  because the associated  software  brings up the fact more readily than an individual scanning a computer screen.

 Unfortunately for those in a queue 45000 events could represent a longer delay as each  drama unfolds !

50 minutes ago, petedk said:

On Sept 11th 5 were arrested

Sept 12th 3 arrested

Sept 13 1 arrest

 

Long long way to the 45,000 arrests.

 

And all of these 9 were transit no threat to Los at all

It seems the airport cases were detected using the Interpol lost and stolen passport alerts system, not local biometrics.

21 minutes ago, Thechook said:

So 45,000 have been nabbed with the 1st lot on Sept 11.  Today is only Sept 16 so they are averaging  7,500 per day.  Excellent figures.

7500 a day International recognition for sure

People on this site are always bashing Thailand, yes it's not perfect by far but it has some good points. You talk as if it's the worst country in the world lol I don't understand this constant flaming of Thailand or anything it does. I think this scanner is a good thing so stop bad mouthing it. It helps keep the doggy people out and that is a good thing. But you people constantly ridicule and make fun of Thailand, sure it's funny to start with but please change the the record everything you say is a so negative. I would judge from some of the ridiculous comments posted, people making the posts don't even live in Thailand, you just use this site to sound off your bigoted ignorant views that are so toxic. YOU ARE NOT FUNNY GET A LIFE

1 hour ago, thequietman said:

On the 'down side', criminals and other dodgy people will now be aware that Thailand is not the easy transit point that it once was and so will be using somewhere else.

 

This will surely affect the 'tourist' numbers as TAT count all the passengers, even those in transit.

 

Numbers should fall which I am sure, TAT will be concerned about as they can no longer BS about the numbers. ???? 

You forget that Thailand is the Hub of Bull<deleted>ters and Liars and will make up whatever numbers they think will make them look 'clever' !

7 minutes ago, PattayaGuy2019 said:

People on this site are always bashing Thailand, yes it's not perfect by far but it has some good points. You talk as if it's the worst country in the world lol I don't understand this constant flaming of Thailand or anything it does. I think this scanner is a good thing so stop bad mouthing it. It helps keep the doggy people out and that is a good thing. But you people constantly ridicule and make fun of Thailand, sure it's funny to start with but please change the the record everything you say is a so negative. I would judge from some of the ridiculous comments posted, people making the posts don't even live in Thailand, you just use this site to sound off your bigoted ignorant views that are so toxic. YOU ARE NOT FUNNY GET A LIFE

give it a few months as the real criminals will figure out a way around all of this and it will be back to square one...

2 hours ago, webfact said:

nabs 45,000 overstaying foreigners in Thailand

that's a huge number and IMO has bad history with (fake) numbers....