Immigration's "Smart Car" is back! Chinese overstaying woman arrested in Surat crackdown

[webfact]

Picture: Naew Na

 

It's been a while but now Thai immigration's famous "Smart Patrol Car" (SPC) is back in the news.

 

The cars - usually BMWs - are fitted with the latest gizmos including something called an "internet connection" to the IB's database.

 

Surat Thani immigration were using one in a crackdown from December 1st to 10th, reported Naew Na, a media well known for their pro-IB rhetoric.

 

They found a 31 year old Chinese woman in a house on the Chalokrat Road in Muang district of Surat Thani, southern Thailand.

 

She was detained on 19 days overstay. 

 

When the cars first came into service Thaivisa, ASEAN NOW's previous name, featured many stories from the Thai media about their actions in catching overstaying foreigners though such news had gone quiet in more recent times. 

 

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[soi3eddie]

There has to be a back story to this. Either tip-off by suspicious neighbours, or she was encroaching on someone's business, or she had stolen a Thai lady's boyfriend/husband. No way was this "smart-car" the reason for her being detected. Sure the car has a data terminal with internet connection to check the database but that's all.

 

[Geoffggi]

34 minutes ago, soi3eddie said:

There has to be a back story to this. Either tip-off by suspicious neighbours, or she was encroaching on someone's business, or she had stolen a Thai lady's boyfriend/husband. No way was this "smart-car" the reason for her being detected. Sure the car has a data terminal with internet connection to check the database but that's all.

 

Absolutely correct, in fact apart from transporting the police to the subject, the car did nothing that could not have been achieved in an office somewhere. ....................LOL

[Smokey and the Bandit]

"The cars - usually BMWs - are fitted with the latest gizmos including something called an "internet connection" to the IB's database."

 

This infers that an "internet connection'' is somehow the latest technology? Its been out over 35 years?

[webfact]

Chinese woman arrested in Surat Thani for overstay, Five people arrested for overstay in Chiang Mai
By Goongnang Suksawat 

 

 

Surat Thani –  A 31-year-old Chinese woman was arrested in Surat Thani for 19 days of overstaying while five others were arrested in Chiang Mai in what Royal Thai Immigration is calling a national crackdown for the start of December.

The Surat Thani Immigration Office told the Phuket Express that yesterday (December 4th) a team of Surat Thani Immigration officers arrested Miss Hu Yanqiu, 31 a Chinese national, at a house in the Makham Tia sub-district in Mueang Surat Thani district.

 

She is now at 19 days of overstaying. She was taken to a police Station to face overstaying charges and is waiting to be deported.

 

The arrest follows after Surat Thani Immigration officers were patrolling in the Smart Patrol Car that has advanced facial recognition technology.

 

Full story: https://thephuketexpress.com/2022/12/05/chinese-woman-arrested-in-surat-thani-for-overstay-five-people-arrested-for-overstay-in-chiang-mai/

 

-- © Copyright The Phuket Express 2022-12-05

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

Monthly car subscription with first-class insurance, 24x7 assistance and more in one price - click here to find out more!

[sixlegs]

Promotion is under way for the heroic efforts of all the officers involved in attaining of this dangerous criminal who committed the henious crime of...

 

overstaying 19 days in Thailand.

[LeeTheCelt]

Wow, a 19 day overstay, public enemy number 1 

[AsiaCheese]

I'm proud to announce that I drive a STC (Special Tour Car), which unbelievably enough is fitted with the (not really) latest gizmo from Samsung, which in turn enables me to be always-Internet-connected and to drive to the outmost corners of the sticksboondocksbooniesbush with a constant eye on Google Maps. 

 

I know. I'm one of a kind. Always have been.  ????????????

[Neeranam]

40 minutes ago, sixlegs said:

Promotion is under way for the heroic efforts of all the officers involved in attaining of this dangerous criminal who committed the henious crime of...

 

overstaying 19 days in Thailand.

Are you suggesting that illegal immigrants are not serious?

 

Hopefully, next will be the ones that use agents to bypass immigration requirements. 

[Neeranam]

Love how the Chinese Thais keep their NY decorations up all year to save money.

[timendres]

20 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Hopefully, next will be the ones that use agents to bypass immigration requirements. 

Immigration? Going after shady agents?

[Neeranam]

1 minute ago, timendres said:

Immigration? Going after shady agents?

Good point, maybe this Chinese refused help from an agent!!

[mikeymike100]

34 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Are you suggesting that illegal immigrants are not serious?

 

Hopefully, next will be the ones that use agents to bypass immigration requirements. 

This is off topic, but the agents do not do anything illegal, they are merely middlemen/women, between the customer and immigration.

There are shady agents who rip people off however.

[mjakob007]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai immigration's famous "Smart Patrol Car" (SPC) is back in the news

moots the need for another 250 of these cars, at 3 per province & few envelopes for the procurement orders

[Neeranam]

Just now, mikeymike100 said:

This is off topic, but the agents do not do anything illegal, they are merely middlemen/women, between the customer and immigration.

The agents give over 10k baht to the bent Immigration Officer -  of course it is illegal!! 

[Surasak]

'Smart Cars', I thought these were about a few years back as a two seater 3 wheeler. Or am I bit behind the times?

[mikeymike100]

1 minute ago, Neeranam said:

The agents give over 10k baht to the bent Immigration Officer -  of course it is illegal!! 

I dont know how much the IO gets, but I am sure you are in the right ball park. If its illegal surely they would be arrested?????

[Surasak]

15 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Good point, maybe this Chinese refused help from an agent!!

Not sure an agent could help with 19 days overstay?

[thecyclist]

Wow, what a really newsworthy feat, arresting a woman on a 19 day (not month, not year) overstay. Only 4 officers and BMW needed to catch this dangerous felon. This will make LOS a much safer place. 

[mikeymike100]

"The arrest follows after Surat Thani Immigration officers were patrolling in the Smart Patrol Car that has advanced facial recognition technology."

 

So one would assume that this technology is available in Bangkok, Pattaya etc and yet they???? still raid venues and ask foreigners for passports?

[ChaiyaTH]

Would be great if the chinese tourists now come back, as immigration and government seem to have turned victims from being western foreigners to asians and chinese lol.

[ChaiyaTH]

So what exactly has the smart car to do with this by the way? They found her at her house? So they had intel already.

[ChaiyaTH]

3 hours ago, soi3eddie said:

Sure the car has a data terminal with internet connection to check the database but that's all.

 

Actually they have apps on their smartphones to even check for that nowadays, so the car is not needed. That's how they often check during nightclub raids too, never seen BMW.

[mikeymike100]

2 minutes ago, ChaiyaTH said:

So what exactly has the smart car to do with this by the way? They found her at her house? So they had intel already.

Yes it seems that way, but the 'smart car' obviously has a camera that takes a picture and is attached to the database that Immigration has?

[Jonathan Swift]

1 hour ago, Neeranam said:

Are you suggesting that illegal immigrants are not serious?

 

Hopefully, next will be the ones that use agents to bypass immigration requirements. 

If you read carefully, he is suggesting that SPECIFICALLY a 19 day overstay is not a major crime wave or massive threat to the public. You might want to go back and read it a few more times. 

[ChaiyaTH]

1 minute ago, mikeymike100 said:

Yes it seems that way, but the 'smart car' obviously has a camera that takes a picture and is attached to the database that Immigration has?

Yeah true, in theory they could even use the face recognisation from all the public CCTV and malls in Thailand, and realtime get a notification if the visa status is in overstay. This is how life looks in around 10-15 years from now.

[Jonathan Swift]

1 minute ago, mikeymike100 said:

Yes it seems that way, but the 'smart car' obviously has a camera that takes a picture and is attached to the database that Immigration has?

You have to hold the writer of the story responsible for omitting important details. the only logical conclusion is that it has a camera and facial recognition software, along with state of the art neighborhood informants

[Jonathan Swift]

3 hours ago, soi3eddie said:

There has to be a back story to this. Either tip-off by suspicious neighbours, or she was encroaching on someone's business, or she had stolen a Thai lady's boyfriend/husband. No way was this "smart-car" the reason for her being detected. Sure the car has a data terminal with internet connection to check the database but that's all.

 

Unfortunately this story was poorly written and lacking in necessary facts. I think it's safe to assume that the car is used to investigate pre existing information wherever it may come from. Once engaged, the car probably uses a camera and facial recognition software which can use a cellular internet uplink  to search out faces online or in immigration databases. 

[soi3eddie]

5 minutes ago, ChaiyaTH said:

Yeah true, in theory they could even use the face recognisation from all the public CCTV and malls in Thailand, and realtime get a notification if the visa status is in overstay. This is how life looks in around 10-15 years from now.

Not that far in the future. Virtually all new cameras, nearly all Chinese brands, can easily be used for facial (or even gait) recognition when attached to the correct server and software. Expect they are already quietly using this in places in Thailand now. 

 

 

[ChaiyaTH]

8 minutes ago, soi3eddie said:

Not that far in the future. Virtually all new cameras, nearly all Chinese brands, can easily be used for facial (or even gait) recognition when attached to the correct server and software. Expect they are already quietly using this in places in Thailand now.

It is not about software or technology, it is about bureaucracy, politics, costs, laws and enforcement. Same reason they still have XX,XXX accountant graduates per year here.

 

They can simply track you on the phone numbers, this is why they now require ID and limit it to 5 sim cards per carrier. For real things they have pegasus, one blank sms can penetrate (imagine how many spam sms we receive on thai sims).

Normal levels, where you usually always remain, deal with low tech.