Biometrics is good! But if there's no warrant we can't do anything, says Thai immigration

[webfact]

Biometrics is good! But if there's no warrant we can't do anything, says Thai immigration

 

Thai caption: No conspiracy

 

A senior policeman at Thai immigration has defended the much vaunted biometrics system.

 

And he has said there is no conspiracy after a serial fraudster was allowed to leave the country and go to Hong Kong. 

 

The case involves a man known as "Sia Top" or "Sia Kamalor" who ripped off a 'pretty' in a 3.5 million baht marriage scam. He has also been involved in other cases and changed his name frequently.

 

Commenting as a spokesman for Thai immigration Pol Maj-Gen Itthiphon Itthisanronchai defended the two billion baht biometrics system that recognizes facial features and fingerprints. 

 

He said that it works well but if a suspect is not named in a warrant then immigration can't stop them. 

 

No such warrant was out for "Sia Top" and he was free to travel.

 

And there was no conspiracy in allowing him to leave. 

 

He can stay in Hong Kong for 30 days, he said, if in the meantime a warrant is issued and he attempts to come back to Thailand then he will be arrested, said the Maj-Gen echoing comments made by immigration chief Lt-Gen Sompong Chingduang earlier. 

 

The biometrics issue was flagged up by Thaivisa yesterday and also picked up by the Thai media. 

 

Source: Sanook

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-10-09

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[ezzra]

Sure make a lot of sense, top criminal is not in the system but someone who say, traveled too many times to Thailand IS in the system, and barred from entry, make sense to me...

[sweatalot]

So it is not the biometric system but again the officers who do not understand how to use it appropriately. The best system is useless when it is used by ignorants

[rkidlad]

18 minutes ago, webfact said:

No such warrant was out for "Sia Top" and he was free to travel

Yes, the police were busy reading posts on Twitter trying to infer criticism. 

[zhounan]

The point that I don't understand is: why Immigration Bureau officials speak about Face Recognition and not the ordinary police? This snooping, surveillance, control technology will be implemented only for foreigners? 

, 

[Katipo]

So once again we see the tools are only as effective as the people who use them.

[Peter Aherne]

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

Sure make a lot of sense, top criminal is not in the system but someone who say, traveled too many times to Thailand IS in the system, and barred from entry, make sense to me...

It does make perfect sense no? There should probably be an arrest warrant, trial and conviction before he can be called a "Top criminal" though why at least the first has not happened with suspicions he's done this before is a different question, but a criminal police matter not immigration or bio-metrics. So, a Thai citizen with no arrest warrants went to HK, seems reasonable enough to me, I'm often allowed into and out of Ireland as a citizen who's not done anything wrong. Now, someone who say, traveled too many times into Thailand (I assume you are talking about on visa exempt or tourist visa's) are flagged in the system as it seems unlikely that they are Tourists spending this much time in the country, therefore, they are detained, questioned and likely refused entry. Again, seems perfectly reasonable.....if you're living here and using visa exempt/tourist visa entries they are perfectly in their rights to refuse entry....

[DrTuner]

Yeah yeah, now where are they getting the biometrics comparison data from? Only those that have recently entered got fingerprinted, photos they've been taking for a while but I doubt their fragmented system can use any of them. Interpol? They have to dig up a photo from the Thai civil system if it's Thais, then scan the warrant sent via fax from Nakhon Nowhere?

 

"Biometrics" are mere sensors. They are only as good as the backing system, which Thais do not have. Immigration IT is a mess.

[Vacuum]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

No such warrant was out for "Sia Top" and he was free to travel.

Why was that, brown envelopes delivered?

 

Quote

The case involves a man known as "Sia Top" or "Sia Kamalor" who ripped off a 'pretty' in a 3.5 million baht marriage scam. He has also been involved in other cases

 

[Puchaiyank]

But if there's no warrant we can't do anything!

 

I hate it when that happens...????

[balo]

This must be good news for all the petty criminals arriving Thailand. 

[RichardColeman]

4 hours ago, Katipo said:

So once again we see the tools are only as effective as the people who use them.

[Oziex1]

I believe the face recognition in this case involves many, many faces on paper bills. 

[Srikcir]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

if a suspect is not named in a warrant then immigration can't stop them. 

This was the same situation with Red Bull heir Vorayuth "Boss'' Yoovidhya. He was wanted for a fatal hit-and-run and left the country just three days before a warrant was issued for his arrest. He passed through Immigration without an issue.

• “There was no request from the prosecutors to detain him,” Maj. Gen. Natthorn Prosunthorn said. “Immigration can only stop someone from traveling if there are requests from state agencies, or if there were court warrants. We had neither. If we stopped him, it would have violated his constitutional right to travel,” http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/2017/05/02/boss-red-bull-allowed-leave-3-days-warrant-issued/

It is not however, Immigration's authority to decide what is constitutional. Let the courts decide and in the interim issue the warrant.

But Immigration does have authority to detain a suspect (I believe) without a warrant. For example:

• "A suspect arrested in Thailand can be detained for up to 48 hours in the Police Station for investigation. The Arresting Officers must present a Warrant of Arrest or have informed the suspect of his offense." https://magnacarta.co.th/faq-section-2/getting-arrested-in-thailand/

Following circumstances one can be arrested without a warrant:

https://gam-legalalliance.com/criminal-law/arrest-warrants/

• Where the offence was a flagrant offence and the person having been pursued physically;
• A person at the scene of the crime who still has an object/weapon or visible traces of guilt;
• Where the person has been found with tools or weapons with reasonable cause to suspect the person is going to commit a crime;
• Where there is justifiable evidence supporting an arrest warrant under Section 66 but due to urgency there is no time to apply for the warrant;
• Where the person has escaped or is going to escape after being released on bail.