Thai woman found with fake Certificate of Entry at Bangkok airport

[webfact]

Picture: Naew Na

 

Thailand's immigration chief Lt-Gen Sompong Chingduang and officers from Region 2 announced that a Thai woman arriving from Germany had been found in possession of a fake Certificate of Entry. 

 

It purported to have been issued at the Thai embassy in Munich.

 

The woman had downloaded it from a Thai government website (coethailand.mfa.go.th) and simply added her name, surname and passport number.

 

Checks made with the embassy  and Thai foreign ministry and in Berlin indicated the woman was not on a list of those with CoE.

 

She was charged with presenting and using false documentation and detained. 

 

She had arrived on Lufthansa flight LH722 from Germany. 

 

She also had two other downloaded CoEs in her possession, reported Naew Na yesterday. 

 

This was all part of Thai immigration keeping the country safe on the orders of PM Prayuth Chan-ocha, said Naew Na repeating their standard rhetoric. 

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2021-04-08

 

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[kotsak]

 

35 minutes ago, webfact said:

This was all part of Thai immigration keeping the country safe on the orders of PM Prayuth Chan-ocha, said Naew Na repeating their standard rhetoric. 

 

That sounded very dictatorial.. ????

[TommyUK1960]

No help from embassy on how to do all these requirements for people who are not computer literate. When getting our documents ready from UK it was impossible to call London Embassy for assistance. I can understand how this mistake occurred.

[scorecard]

Whether she had a negative test report is not mentioned. 

Seems to me that ultimately (soon) the world needs a secure database of test results and vaccinations which appropriate authorities have digital/instant access to. 

 

Edited April 8, 2021 by scorecard

[Wiggy]

5 minutes ago, scorecard said:

Whether she had a negative test report is not mentioned. 

Thais don't need a Covid test to return.

[petedk]

1 hour ago, Wiggy said:

Thais don't need a Covid test to return.

They are tested 2 times while in quarantine.

[pixelaoffy]

Why does it need the 'orders of the PM'

 To keep country safe ... Isn't that their job anyway ?  Hmm ... how indoctrinated officials have become 

[Chelseafan]

2 hours ago, Wiggy said:

Thais don't need a Covid test to return.

 

True but try getting onto a plane without one...

 

[ttkeric]

Would it be a possibility that she thought it was all she had to do? Download and fill in the form?

[RichardColeman]

1 hour ago, ttkeric said:

Would it be a possibility that she thought it was all she had to do? Download and fill in the form?

Pretty sure most Thai websites and instructions are in Thai. No excuse. 

[PETERTHEEATER]

1 hour ago, ttkeric said:

Would it be a possibility that she thought it was all she had to do? Download and fill in the form?

Yes. Absolutely.

[natway09]

I am surprised it took the forgers so long.

On a related topic, all the talk  12 months ago , agreed by 163 countries  on a non forgeable International Covid vaccination Certificate all came to nothing

[klauskunkel]

3 hours ago, pixelaoffy said:

Why does it need the 'orders of the PM'

 To keep country safe ... Isn't that their job anyway ?

short attention span

[EricTh]

That's why I said earlier that COE can be faked or bought but people here didn't believe me. 

[Dave0206]

48 minutes ago, EricTh said:

That's why I said earlier that COE can be faked or bought but people here didn't believe me. 

Since there is little over 100 Thai embassies and consulates in whole world I should assume each is given individual starting ref number followed by you,re given COE number identifying that person it probably passport number would not take much checking considering airports are not exactly running at 100%

[hotchilli]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand's immigration chief Lt-Gen Sompong Chingduang and officers from Region 2 announced that a Thai woman arriving from Germany had been found in possession of a fake Certificate of Entry

Tut tut.

[DefaultName]

Wow, dodgy certs.  There's a first for Thailand.  ????

[fvw53]

QUOTE

It purported to have been issued at the Thai embassy in Munich.

UNQUOTE

The embassies are always in the capital of a country...this does suggest Bavaria has become independent again ????

[scorecard]

4 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Pretty sure most Thai websites and instructions are in Thai. No excuse. 

 

OK, but there's plenty of Thai people who are not at all familiar with government forms / filling in government forms.

 

Some members of my own extended family:

 

- Are illiterate.

 

- Don't ever read newspapers, and some have grown up being told 'don't think about things, your pouyai baan etc., will do the thinking/make the plans/take care of everything'.

 

- If they do get documents in their hands they take it immediately to a 'senior' because the language is too complex for them to understand (if they can read). And it frightens them.

 

- My Thai son has a couple of times been present when an old aunty has asked 'what does this documents etc., say?'

 

And our family loud know-all / desperate for attention / praise mid aged ladyboy has said 'it says............', and my son has intervened and said 'not true, it says.......'

 

Then my son has fronted the family lady boy and said 'why did you say...........?'  Answer from lady boy 'Yes but I think it would be better if ........ .'

 

It can be complex.

 

 

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, Dave0206 said:

2 hours ago, EricTh said:

That's why I said earlier that COE can be faked or bought but people here didn't believe me. 

Since there is little over 100 Thai embassies and consulates in whole world I should assume each is given individual starting ref number followed by you,re given COE number identifying that person it probably passport number would not take much checking considering airports are not exactly running at 100%

 

I’m quite sure the CoE’s are cross checked against a list provided by the Embassies.

Thus a Fake CoE will be found as soon as someone lands. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bangkok Barry]

3 hours ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

5 hours ago, ttkeric said:

Would it be a possibility that she thought it was all she had to do? Download and fill in the form?

Yes. Absolutely.

 

She might well have thought that, if that is all she and everyone else had to do, then what is the point? But then, Thais (and us) are so used to filling in pointless forms that she could well have thought it was normal to do so.

[richard_smith237]

3 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

She might well have thought that, if that is all she and everyone else had to do, then what is the point? But then, Thais (and us) are so used to filling in pointless forms that she could well have thought it was normal to do so.

 

What the point for the CoE for Thai’s anyway ?

 

The only one point I can see is that so that sufficient places in State Quarantine can be allocated - maybe it's just that. 

 

 

 

 

[Gandtee]

11 hours ago, kotsak said:

 

 

That sounded very dictatorial.. ????

PR stunt?

[thailand49]

They caught one?  ???? 

[Joinaman]

8 hours ago, Chelseafan said:

 

True but try getting onto a plane without one...

 

seems to work for incoming and outgoing Thais

Friend flew from Dubai before xmas, no test prior to flying, only quarantine on arrival

Just flew back to Dubai last week, again no testing prior to flying, only tested at Dubai with 1 day quarantine 

[Jumbo1968]

13 hours ago, Wiggy said:

Thais don't need a Covid test to return.

Most airlines require a test, only Thai Air don’t.

[Jumbo1968]

14 hours ago, TommyUK1960 said:

No help from embassy on how to do all these requirements for people who are not computer literate. When getting our documents ready from UK it was impossible to call London Embassy for assistance. I can understand how this mistake occurred.

I found it very daunting being a silver surfer using an iPad and made a few mistakes on my initial application forgetting to upload the documents once which resulted in a rejection.
TheThai COE was easier as there were fewer documents to unload, I can imagine there are quite few people not computer literate stuck in the U.K.

With the easing on the criteria required on visas etc. surely all the documents could be checked at the airport prior to boarding doing away with the COE. .

[Chelseafan]

1 hour ago, Jumbo1968 said:

Most airlines require a test, only Thai Air don’t.

 

What about Qatar, my Thai wife is flying back with them, we have a COE and have booked an ASQ hotel. According to the website she doesn't need one but I don't want to get to Heathrow only to find that's not the case.

 

[Letseng]

15 hours ago, Wiggy said:

Thais don't need a Covid test to return.

But they go into quarantine and get tested. 10 days quarantine is too short for British mutant.

[scorecard]

10 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

She might well have thought that, if that is all she and everyone else had to do, then what is the point? But then, Thais (and us) are so used to filling in pointless forms that she could well have thought it was normal to do so.

 

And I wonder how many farang (and Thais) have presented fake/doctored/photoshopped documents at immigration and countless other agencies, shops etc?

 

Answer - beyond counting.

 

Edited April 8, 2021 by scorecard