Immigration Present Online Immigration System To Hoteliers

[george]

PATTAYA IMMIGRATION PRESENT ONLINE IMMIGRATION SYSTEM TO HOTELIERS.

PATTAYA: -- Pattaya Immigration is to install a centralised, online system linked to all the accommodation providers in the city to log the comings and goings of guests, especially foreigners.

This announcement was made at 2 pm on the 4th of April at a seminar given by the Pattaya Immigration, Tourism and Business Association for managers and proprietors of hotels, guesthouses and all other accommodation in Pattaya, presided over by Mr.Niran Wattanasartsathorn, the Mayor of Pattaya.

The seminar was extremely well attended by representatives of the accommodation industry and other interested individuals who will be tasked with feeding immigration information to the central computer. Delegates at the seminar were instructed in the use of the system by the technician and trainer from the Software tech. Thailand Company, who are responsible for the implementation of the system.This, essentially, is a registration program linked to the central immigration system.

The Immigration Office informed the delegates that they have been running the system, since September 2005, but there are many new hotel, apartments and guesthouses who do not or cannot use the program, effectively, which has to go via the internet.

The Immigration Police, also stipulated that this system is compulsory and specifies by law that all legally licensed accommodation premises must report to Immigration details of customers who check into their properties within 24 hours (according to the Immigrant Act, year 1979, clauses 38 and 77). The penalties for non-compliance by any hotel or accommodation operator is a fine of between 2000-10000 Baht.

-- Pattaya Daily News 2007-04-05

[gusG]

Do you think this scheme might be extended to other areas as well ,ie. Koh Samui? At the moment they have a fax service, but because of huge demand, the system gets overloaded and they advised us to just bring in the paperwork whenever we are passing,which isn't very often.

It sort of works,but I worry in case they have a crackdown by outside agents and this arrangement doesn't hold water.