Phuket Sandbox: All tourists to wear location tracking wristbands

[2long]

Hey come on you lot. It could be worse!

Does anyone remember this movie?

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103239/

[chalawaan]

They can take their tracker wristband and shove it wrist deep.

[PEE TEE]

Have lovely holidays oh by the way you cannot go in the water with the wrist band not waterproof 

[Funkymover]

They will probably ask for a deposit as well,, 

[aboctok]

9 hours ago, Excel said:

Well that should bring a smile to some faces. No doubt the vibrating alarm is operated remotely

The second you cross the county line.

Edited June 17, 2021 by aboctok

[monty1412]

9 hours ago, clivebaxter said:

They'll be made in China so won't work for 14 days anyhow ????

bet you they are not even waterproof .. Ist dip in the hotel pool and the person get registered as AWOL.. cant you just see it ....

 

[Peterphuket]

9 hours ago, Somtamnication said:

Can't get more Orwellian than that!

They don't know Orwell existed.

Western world??? What is that?

[Strongheart]

9 hours ago, colinneil said:

Have the clowns any idea of how bloody stupid that scheme is?

So they expect tourists  to flock to Phuket to be treated the same as criminals, dream on morons, it aint gonna happen.

Are these clowns determined to destroy Phuket tourism forever?

Certainly appears that way.

The money wasted on this project would be better spent on a psychological evaluation of those who dreamt up this pinnacle of idiocy.

[Dart12]

The articles about opening and tourists are for the people.  To keep hope alive. And prevent revolt.

The policies are clearly meant to keep people from coming.

They are getting both the responses they want:  

What's thailand had?  1500 dead over 1..5 years with population of 72,000,000.

None of this extreme has been necessary.  It's now blatant tyranny (by all countries still operating in this manner).

Just a little Theon Greyjoy treatment to the population.

Edited June 17, 2021 by Dart12

[WhatupThailand]

Why not just have them wear a Yellow Patch, in the form of a star ?

Land Of Smiles, indeed.

Now becoming LO3M, land of 3 monkeys

 

[Peterphuket]

10 minutes ago, WhatupThailand said:

Why not just have them wear a Yellow Patch, in the form of a star ?

Land Of Smiles, indeed.

Now becoming LO3M, land of 3 monkeys

 

It is sad, but i agree with what you say.

[1duckyboy]

The next pronouncement may be that foreign tourists will have to continue to wear the tracking devices for their entire length of stay anywhere Thailand. I think this is the end goal of the Thai government. 

[2long]

Just now, 1duckyboy said:

The next pronouncement may be that foreign tourists will have to continue to wear the tracking devices for their entire length of stay anywhere Thailand. I think this is the end goal of the Thai government. 

But come on. Let's face it... they can't make any system work. Look at the data breaches, and the TM30 and TM47 c*ck ups! And even if they could make it work, the staff would be either asleep or playing Cookie run instead of following those dirty farang.

[The Now Factor]

8 hours ago, ChipButty said:

My wife thinks all farang should be made to wear one all the time

 Who wears the pants

Edited June 17, 2021 by The Now Factor
Grammar/punctuation correction

[chalawaan]

16 minutes ago, Peterphuket said:

They don't know Orwell existed.

Western world??? What is that?

Oh they know all right. Orwells other masterpiece "1984" is banned here, and activists were arrested in BKK for defiantly reading it in public just a few years ago. 

They also think Nazis are kind of cool, they have a Stuka dive bomber hung from the rafters of Don Muang Airport, the one aircraft above all others famed for strafing civilians. And they do share that love of civil servant uniforms and the cops wear those peaked caps in identical SS style.

[AllanA]

Who would want a holiday like that ? ? being tracked like a criminal, how can anyone enjoy actually enjoy being there under those conditions 

[ThaiWai]

Are they actually sitting on their brains? You don't bite the hands that feed you. Or put prison bracelets on them.

[Raphael Hythlodaeus]

4 hours ago, Mai mee said:

Before getting TOO twisted up about this story, I would make the observation that this Thai Visa News story is so far uncorroborated, with NO other news sources in Thailand reporting it as far as i can tell after doing my best internet searching... Not the Bangkok Post, not the Phuket News, not Thaiger, and not anybody else that I can find.

The news story notably cites ONLY unnamed "government officials". I think that's a little bit "thin" for a news story this incendiary.

 

A call to a friend who is a respected long time journalist for a significant Thai newspaper who stays pretty much up to the minute on these matters reveals that he has heard nothing about this from other journalists, government sources, or in editorial meetings.

 

Maybe Thai Visa News has scooped every other news group in Thailand.... maybe... But I'm going to wait until I see something a little more substantial before I get too worked up about it. If anybody reading has found any confirming reports, especially any with named sources, I would love to see it because if this story is in fact accurate... well... light the torches

 

Edit to add: FWIW, the only international stories I can find (yes I have a VPN) relating to a tracking bracelet are from Oct and Nov. of 2020 when such devices were approved. As far as I know the only use of them has been for tourists arriving yacht-borne which has been well documented.

 

Still waiting....

 

 

 

A quick Google search found this from a well-known Thai news outlet 2 days ago -- "While staying in Phuket during the mandatory 14-day period, their precise locations will be tracked via the global positioning system (GPS) feature on an English version of Mor Chana, as well as a location-tracking wristband."

 

[ChipButty]

11 minutes ago, The Now Factor said:

 Who wears the pants

She does but I dont care

[Charlie Halliday]

The only visitors who will tolerate this nonsense are the long stayers who own property in Thailand and need to get back. Maybe 2 to 400 people tops. Chinese, Koreans Japanese Europeans indeed any westerners are not that desperate. There are way better options.. This Govt should be so proud of themselves. Absolute geniuses. 

[Polaky]

A better approach would have been to impose a fine and the threat of jail if anyone tries to leave, wristbands will be easily hacked, manipulated and destroyed when one has an ale or two.

[nglodnig]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

Officials said they expect approximately 129,000 foreigners to visit Phuket under the Sandbox scheme. 

I've heard there are similar schemes like "be a jailbird in Alcatraz for two weeks!" and "try life in a Gulag!" - should appeal to people who like being treated like criminals.

 

Think I'll give it a miss.

[orchidfan]

4 hours ago, BusyB said:

Just what are the requirements for getting into Vietnam,  Cambodia or Laos right now. Bali? What are the alternatives, anyone know? Malaysia?

Are they even letting anyone in?

Vaccinated friends of mine in Hong Kong have just gone to Bali.

Had to do 7 days in a Q hotel in Jakarta first, then free to go to Bali with no further restrictions  .

[zzzzz]

regarding the wrist band

richard Barrow on twitter
 "What about the wristband? This is still being discussed. At the moment it will only be for people who don’t own a smartphone or only have an old style phone. People with a smartphone must agree to be tracked through an app. More details soon"

[Bundooman]

9 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

the actual models used are a suppository device.

 

not wristbands.  

In that case, they can shove it up their RRrs!

[NeoDinosaw]

35 minutes ago, chalawaan said:

Oh they know all right. Orwells other masterpiece "1984" is banned here, and activists were arrested in BKK for defiantly reading it in public just a few years ago. 

They also think Nazis are kind of cool, they have a Stuka dive bomber hung from the rafters of Don Muang Airport, the one aircraft above all others famed for strafing civilians. And they do share that love of civil servant uniforms and the cops wear those peaked caps in identical SS style.

 Is it true that 1984 is banned ?

[Ebumbu]

Microwave on low for 60 seconds, as if warming up some tea. 

[peterdarby]

The first time in history that all thaivisa readers agree on anything.

[Raphael Hythlodaeus]

15 minutes ago, zzzzz said:

regarding the wrist band

richard Barrow on twitter
 "What about the wristband? This is still being discussed. At the moment it will only be for people who don’t own a smartphone or only have an old style phone. People with a smartphone must agree to be tracked through an app. More details soon"

Perhaps the reporting is inaccurate, but a well-known Thai news outlet reported ""While staying in Phuket during the mandatory 14-day period, their precise locations will be tracked via the global positioning system (GPS) feature on an English version of Mor Chana, as well as a location-tracking wristband."

[Chris.B]

I suspect, what will happen is, the recipient will tie the wristband around their suitcase handle much like a luggage label and forgotten about until they return home.