Immigration Chief Cracks Down On Unwanted Foreigners

[ozzydom]

Speaking about the 54 Burmese who suffocated in a refrigeration truck en route to Phuket on April 9, Gen Chatchawan said, "By law, this incident cannot be classified as human trafficking as there was no employer identified as being involved, meaning that it was simply a violation of entering without passing a checkpoint.

I feel... like vomiting.

Of course, if they aren't looking for an "employer"... then it's easier.

As for the rest, it's like a sci-fi movie scenario, like Enemy of the State, with super databases and satellites tracking... foreigners ("including satellite pictures with details of where foreigners live") !

Mixed with wonderful concepts ("national stability") and a few good ideas, and some classic thai weirdness.

I mean consider this sentence : "Also, informers who prove themselves as having excellent powers of observation, good memories and a concise, accurate reporting style are now issued an ID card that enables them to quickly report a suspicious foreigner and have the case taken seriously by Immigration."

??? What does it mean ???

Eventually, a rather very strange cocktail.

A snitch card. "I'd like to report a bad farang..here's my rat fink card, see I'm a good guy".

Certified, card carrying snitch.

McCarthyism revisited .

[Naam]

In addition, details of where foreigners reside, including satellite pictures with details of where foreigners live, are now stored on a centralized database and monitored for irregularities, he said.

beam me up Scotty!

[snowflake]

I feel like leaving Thailand now.

Its just getting stupid to be here. I know that I will not leave but the lust is there. I would like to not think about corrupt police, mean imigration, strange work permit rules and and all the contradicting idea's

[hansnl]

Wow, nearly 1,800 readers on this topic just minutes after the email from ThaiVisa was in the inbox. A lot of foreigners who are worried if they are still wanted here, it seems.

Makes me wonder when in other threads people are going on and on how foreigners in this country are guests, I am sure none of those is reading this right now

Of course, a lot of foreigners are worried if they are still wanted here.

A lot of them invested quite some money to live here, do want to live here very much, spend a lot of money over here, are every year very worried what new rules will be there again, and so on, and so on, ad infinitum, ad absurdum.

Every time some imm policeman opens his mouth, some rule tends to be changed.

That is why so many visitors for this item.

[phetpeter]

Theres some wrong doin farangs around, Wot the hel_l is a farang doin in Phechabun driving a brand new hummer on red Pattaya plates!

Even us farang here don't want that!

It would have been nicer if he used that money on a childrens wing at the hospital!

We should crack down on prats like that! You don't need that to get a gal!

Sure a bit of me is green? LOL But, the rest of me isn't stupid!

Edited July 29, 2008 by peterandcat

[Sturbuc]

... steal them from a free service like Google Earth...

Well, maybe you've been looking up those free pic's and you'll find out some are rather old and never updated (for years).

BTW: Will umbrellas be prohibited then? And what about the roofs ? And who will be checking all that data? Sounds like former GDR and means a lot of staff...

Edited July 29, 2008 by Sturbuc

[The Philosopher]

I think the penultimate paragraph will be well received by foreigners such as myself, who spend many hours each year queuing up for re-entry procedures. Only last month another 45 minutes queuing. Entry into Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and Brazil over the past few months have shown the efficiencies with which immigration can be achieved - with a smile too, and in the case of Singapore, even a boiled sweet!

If it is actually put into operation, I welcome the new immigration move.

Paul

Hopefully the same as Dubai (smart card and FP check and your through but I think not)

[rken]

Wah, Wah, Wah is that all you guys do is p$ss, gripe, moan and complain. Oh, look out the shy is falling.

You think immigration is tight in this country. Thy getting your wife into the US. Getting a green card is another story. How about at least a 12 month wait. Visa runs forget about it. Even with a 10 year US visa they threaten to take away if you come to often or don't stay away long enough. Oh you poor soul you have to take a trip out every ninty days. Wah Wah Wah. You must be living in the land of OZ if you think any of these reforms are going to affect you anytime soon. Like in this lifetime. Have fun, get real worked up and b$tch, B$tch, B$tch lol I love it. You provide me with more amusement than you can imagine. Thanks aloha Rick

[Hawkup2000]

In addition, details of where foreigners reside, including satellite pictures with details of where foreigners live, are now stored on a centralized database and monitored for irregularities, he said.

That is like admitting that you don´t know you own back yard. For example: why on earth would they need pictures of central Bangkok and Pattaya?

But as always: it dosen´t matter if something works, as long as it sounds and look good from the outside .

Everytime something like this happens I think "Ohh look, how sweet! They are so cute. They actully trying " Like a baby trying to walk

Edited July 29, 2008 by Hawkup2000

[innovator]

And, to add even more value to this new initiative, local farang agents are building a powerful computer database to track all of the local Thai, long stay criminals. However, experts have complained that the memory is insufficient to store all of the names, images, prints, etc....

Farang bar owners are handing out spy camera phones to snap photos and call police automatically when seeing a crime.

[barry51]

This is big brother at his worst. Think of the possibilities you get a speeding fine in your home country but fail to pay it because you were on the way to the airport and now living in Thailand eventually an arrest warrant is issued and your biometric passport is marked as such and hey presto no need for extradition treaties you are refused re-entry to Thailand for a very small offence or am I just being pessimistic

[whatsoever]

I feel like leaving Thailand now.

Its just getting stupid to be here. I know that I will not leave but the lust is there. I would like to not think about corrupt police, mean imigration, strange work permit rules and and all the contradicting idea's

Dont forget the latest proposal from the health minister to make retailers of alcohol turn bottles around on shelves so lables cant be seen - in order to prevent over consumption due to temptation!

The next logical step would be to remove all of the display pictures from fast food outlets (Mcdonalds e.g.) so that customers would have to guess what is on sale!

Is there mercury in the water supply

[astral]

Probably the best system at present is the E-Gate system in Dubai (and being rolled out throughout the UAE). Eligibility is residents and a certain list of other nationalities (including UK, US and most of EU). It takes about 30 mins to register with photo and then to have a digital set of fingerprints taken. From then on all you do on arrival or departure is to touch the card to the entry pad at immigration and gate A oprns. You then put the chosen finger on the scanner and as long as the system recognises it, gate B opens and you are through - no passport stamp. If system acts up, the immigration officer at the E-Gate handles it manually - no need to join the general queue

Yes Thailand still has a great deal to learn from the rest of the world.

Recently I have entered Bahrain, Dubai, and Malaysia, all without the hassle of immigration cards,

and my entry handled within 5 minutes at each location.

[bob6023]

Mabe its like Ray23 said.... Every "House" has its own rules for the game. If you can't play the game with these rules find another house. "cause you ain't going to change anything here.

Some times I think its not so good here , then I think of all the reasons I want to live here and not the USA. We all know theres a lot of BS to put up with to live there. Sometimes I think its easy to forget why we chose to live here.

They don't all hate us....................relax enjoy the ride.

[leopoldo]

Speaking about the 54 Burmese who suffocated in a refrigeration truck en route to Phuket on April 9, Gen Chatchawan said, "By law, this incident cannot be classified as human trafficking as there was no employer identified as being involved, meaning that it was simply a violation of entering without passing a checkpoint.

I feel... like vomiting.

Of course, if they aren't looking for an "employer"... then it's easier.

As for the rest, it's like a sci-fi movie scenario, like Enemy of the State, with super databases and satellites tracking... foreigners ("including satellite pictures with details of where foreigners live") !

Mixed with wonderful concepts ("national stability") and a few good ideas, and some classic thai weirdness.

I mean consider this sentence : "Also, informers who prove themselves as having excellent powers of observation, good memories and a concise, accurate reporting style are now issued an ID card that enables them to quickly report a suspicious foreigner and have the case taken seriously by Immigration."

??? What does it mean ???

Eventually, a rather very strange cocktail.

It means "Stasi"

[geovalin]

... steal them from a free service like Google Earth...

Well, maybe you've been looking up those free pic's and you'll find out some are rather old and never updated (for years).

BTW: Will umbrellas be prohibited then? And what about the roofs ?

You should know that all of us produce the famous "farang halo", so it's easy to spot us from a satellite. I'm right now in the garden saluting the small guy taking the pictures from the sky. He has an old Instamatic Kodak with a 36 poses film (probably out-of-date) that he'll develop next week.

[Old Man River]

I can't believe you guys posting here in favour of this crap. Talk about sleepwalking into a surviellance society, this is complete big brotherism. You welcome authorities like the thai police and immigration officials keeping networks of informers and ammassing lots of information on individuals?

If you're not doing anything woring - you've nothing to fear? Oh yeah? So you wouldn't mind if the police hooked up a cctv camera in your living room? Well, if you're not doing anything wrong, why would you object? You think a general who describes the deaths of 54 burmese illegal immigrants as a traffic offence, to be a breath of fresh air in proposing more efficient immigration processing? And at the same time, he says we need illegal labourers because they work for lower wages? And of course he pays the peadophile card - out of how many million tourists a year who come to thailand? Is any single male to be targetted as a potential kiddy fiddler? Given the track record on coups, the war on drugs and behaviour of the security forces in the south [remember Tak Bai - did you see the images on youtube?], you reckon increased surveillance and information gathering is a good thing?

If Thailand could be changed into one giant Singapore, with its concommitant low crime, green and clean land and air, disciplined authorities and population, then it might be fine, but thailand ain't like that.... waken up and wait for the bootsteps in the middle of the night.

When you talk to international immigration and customs enforcement people in Thailand you know they are frustrated when they point out potential criminals to Thai authorities and nothing happens. At least one of the Thai authorities is saying they will get serious about alleged offenders. Besides pedophiles, the main fear is that international terrorists will come to Thailand. This is a real fear. It has been shown that the planning of the first bombing in Bali was done in Bangkok. Seriously, do you support pedophiles and terrorists? No, I didn't think so. Neither do I.

[intumult]

Good initiative, but.....

They can't even make the IT systems at the Immigration Offices work.

Do they honestly believe that this will improve investments?

We need more 'Advanced' in those names for them to work at all

This is yet another offensive from a Thai official who need to bring himself in focus for a few days.

I doubt it will ever happen.

Then they should enlist the help of computer literate Farang to help out. In return they could give free WP and special visas and also special, speedy immigration entry. Maybe even pay the odd satong

[JetsetBkk]

...Speaking about the 54 Burmese who suffocated in a refrigeration truck en route to Phuket on April 9, Gen Chatchawan said, “By law, this incident cannot be classified as human trafficking as there was no employer identified as being involved, meaning that it was simply a violation of entering without passing a checkpoint....

It took 20 posts before anyone commented on this nonsense. This shows the intellectual calibre of the man and indicates that the rest of his ramblings should also be disregarded.

[meelousee]

As usual over reaction to a non problem problem of the problem.

They did nothing will do nothing and nothing will get done.

Simply put, they are there to make sure the misunderstanding gets misunderstood, understand?

[Don Aleman]

Virtually, if not literally, every day I hear or read about some new initative, by some high ranking official of one of the seemingly thousands of government departments. Every one promises improvement and "smooth sailing" from now on and, never, have we seen completion.

TAT promises - blah,blah,blah

The Airport Commission promises - blah,blah, blah

The Mayor promises - blah, blah, blah

The Chief Of Police promises - blah, blah, blah

Next follows a series of high level meetings, seminars, site visits, surveys, ( all including free lunch or, dinner or, both ), and then the issue, like old soldiers just "Fades away". No one ever says "starting today we will" - but always planning, studying, soon, all of which translates to "never", I just wanted the boss to remember who I am and that I, supposedly, am doing something. No better way to "toot your own horn" then to make a major annnouncement and then, ????????

Just once it would be refreshing to hear someone,anyone, in government sa he, himself, had a great idea of........ it starts today and here is my email address to contact me directly to report any deficiencey. Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, Mickey Mouse, and on, and on, and on.

[NinjaGladiator]

"Also, informers who prove themselves as having excellent powers of observation, good memories and a concise, accurate reporting style are now issued an ID card that enables them to quickly report a suspicious foreigner and have the case taken seriously by Immigration".

A typically racist move/statement, why can't they just be...

"informers who prove themselves as having excellent powers of observation, good memories and a concise, accurate reporting style are now issued an ID card that enables them to quickly report a suspicious person".

After all, are foreigners the cause of the main problems of this country? NO. Try looking at your own road users, education system, law enforcement, gun/knife packing youths, gold muggers, prostitution/pimps, which may I add is big business here with or without foreigners.

Sort this out, join all the western countries that allow foreigners to buy houses/land/cars as easy as their own citizens, then you might see foreign investment returning. They should stop treating us like second class citizens, Thais are not treated this way on arrival in Oz, USA, UK or any other part of Europe.

My wife arrived in UK, got a licence, car, house in her name all within weeks, once we were married she applied for NI number and started work. Beat that Thailand!!

[Galong]

To me, helping clean up Phuket's image would include a working police force that actually patrols the road. Police seem to come out of the woodwork when a VIP is in town... most of the time they seem to not exist...

Not a day goes by that I don't see someone (or more like many someones) blatantly running red lights. Saphan Hin is a perfect example of where teenagers can do pretty-much anything they want... run lights, run away from police (see it a few times), race, try to pop wheelies, throw trash all over the place, drive recklessly, etc, etc. I kinda get the impression that they don't care. Oh well, so be it. It's a nice place and it could be nicer is all I'm saying.

I don't disagree with what the good Lt Gen is saying, but there are some internal problems with locals that should be addressed as well. If they can do all they're saying here, well done! I hope they carry on with cleaning up the problems with teenagers too.

[haltes]

Wah, Wah, Wah is that all you guys do is p$ss, gripe, moan and complain. Oh, look out the shy is falling.

You think immigration is tight in this country. Thy getting your wife into the US. Getting a green card is another story. How about at least a 12 month wait. Visa runs forget about it. Even with a 10 year US visa they threaten to take away if you come to often or don't stay away long enough. Oh you poor soul you have to take a trip out every ninty days. Wah Wah Wah. You must be living in the land of OZ if you think any of these reforms are going to affect you anytime soon. Like in this lifetime. Have fun, get real worked up and b$tch, B$tch, B$tch lol I love it. You provide me with more amusement than you can imagine. Thanks aloha Rick

Strange that all the Thai wives and girlfriends of friends of mine have never had a problem getting a visa for anywhere. Maybe you have had problems because of the type of Thai woman you associate with?

[ray23]

Second class ciizen that would be a step up from visitor

[chiang mai]

Wah, Wah, Wah is that all you guys do is p$ss, gripe, moan and complain. Oh, look out the shy is falling.

You think immigration is tight in this country. Thy getting your wife into the US. Getting a green card is another story. How about at least a 12 month wait. Visa runs forget about it. Even with a 10 year US visa they threaten to take away if you come to often or don't stay away long enough. Oh you poor soul you have to take a trip out every ninty days. Wah Wah Wah. You must be living in the land of OZ if you think any of these reforms are going to affect you anytime soon. Like in this lifetime. Have fun, get real worked up and b$tch, B$tch, B$tch lol I love it. You provide me with more amusement than you can imagine. Thanks aloha Rick

Strange that all the Thai wives and girlfriends of friends of mine have never had a problem getting a visa for anywhere. Maybe you have had problems because of the type of Thai woman you associate with?

Don't be too hard on Rick, he's from Hawaii and has been using too much of his own product.

Also, is it just me or is leopoldo becoming an annoyance.

[Briggsy]

3 shorts points.

This piece has more buzzwords per square inch than a meeting of risk management 'specialists'. Lots of fancy names but a bit short on specifics.

Some of the points he makes would require a change in the law. He is a police officer not a parliamentarian and cannot change the law only the enforcement of it.

I would like to be 'an informer'. Where can I sign up? Is it a salaried position?

[mgjackson69]

Don't be too hard on Rick, he's from Hawaii and has been using too much of his own product.

Also, is it just me or is leopoldo becoming an annoyance.

Point #1: Possible...up to him

Point #2: No shit!

[Chaimai]

Also, is it just me or is leopoldo becoming an annoyance.

Probably thinks he's posting on the "Change a letter" thread but hasn't got the wit to actually chage a letter

[hansnl]

I'm not real happy about turning people in because about half of them are old timers who are retired and have regular but limited funds. The other half are a different story. Bums who lie, steal and scam to be able to live here. Good riddance to that bunch.

I BEG YOUR BLOODY PARDON???????????

I am an old age pensioner, and have very sufficient funds and a a very nice pension.

Thank you.

However, following your classification I am retired, so I have regular but limited funds.

Or, I am a bum who lies, steals and scam to be able to live here.

Please, leave the country.

Good riddance to both bunches.

And you sir, I guess you are one of the last bunch, the bummy type?

You must be, because you talk, or in this case, you write before switching on your brains, if any thinking cells are available.

And I guess there are some people in Thailand who like to think along the lines:

Farang? Only old dodderers with little money or bums with no money at all.

Let's get them out a.s.a.p.