Thai politicians are pressuring Suvarnabhumi Airport's security staff to drop some pre-boarding screening procedures, even though this would breach global aviation security standards.

The move to lift the requirement for passengers to put their jackets and belts through X-ray machines before they walk through metal detectors is being spearheaded by Pichet Panwichartkul, a Democrat MP.

Mr Pichet has called the procedures an inconvenience for passengers and he is attempting to use his position as an adviser to the House standing committee on banking and finance to ease airport security, which has left security and airline managers dumbfounded.

Industry sources said the committee recently summoned airport security chiefs to issue an ultimatum for the procedure to be waived from last Wednesday. The committee threatened to take further steps to enforce its demand if this order was ignored.

In a broadside at Suvarnabhumi management published in the Aug 19 edition of Naew Na newspaper, Mr Pichet questioned Suvarnabhumi security's inability to distinguish between suspicious belts and normal ones.

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Jackets through the x-ray seems pretty standard globally, the requirement for belts is much more random even at the same airport, same with laptops in / out of the bag.

I fly regularly through Suvarnabhumi and last week was the first time I've been asked to remove my belt there. Manila want your shoes through the machine as well

Just goes to show that politicans are the same the world over and Thailand is no exception. Once elected, they just don't seem to care how stupid they can come across when trying for an ill thought-out soundbite to keep themselves in the spotlight.

Khun Pitchet seems to be just a minor goverment beancounter sidlined into an obscure quango. He knows full well the implications of trying to downgrade any internationally agreed airport security guidelines. My guess is that some tourist p**sed him off somehow and he wants to make it inconvenient for foreigners to come to Thailand and shift any blame for the upcoming fiasco onto the carriers or the TSA while being the "good guy" for "recognising" that the current security measures are "too intrusive and unneccessary" for visitors to the LOS.

Personally, I'm just waiting for the TSA to make it mandatory that, until they've perfected the new full body x-ray scanner and it's installed at all international airports, all air passengers should remove all clothing upon arrival at the airport and travel naked and without any carry-on luggage so that airport security can see that they have nothing to hide. Like to see how politicans handle that since most of them have have something to hide.

Just goes to show that politicans are the same the world over and Thailand is no exception. Once elected, they just don't seem to care how stupid they can come across when trying for an ill thought-out soundbite to keep themselves in the spotlight.

Khun Pitchet seems to be just a minor goverment beancounter sidlined into an obscure quango. He knows full well the implications of trying to downgrade any internationally agreed airport security guidelines. My guess is that some tourist p**sed him off somehow and he wants to make it inconvenient for foreigners to come to Thailand and shift any blame for the upcoming fiasco onto the carriers or the TSA while being the "good guy" for "recognising" that the current security measures are "too intrusive and unneccessary" for visitors to the LOS.

Personally, I'm just waiting for the TSA to make it mandatory that, until they've perfected the new full body x-ray scanner and it's installed at all international airports, all air passengers should remove all clothing upon arrival at the airport and travel naked and without any carry-on luggage so that airport security can see that they have nothing to hide. Like to see how politicans handle that since most of them have have something to hide.

My thoughts:

1, How many Thai politicians actual travel abroad regularly? Hopefully very few, if they are travelling on masse regularly then I ask the question, WHY? The vast majority shoulde be in Thailand most of the time attending to their legislative and constituant responsibilites (for which they receive fairly high salaries and allowances).

2, Surely Thai politicians (all politicians) should be focused on bigger and more important things than actually spending time on this subject! Further, it takes an additional 2 or 3 minutes. Is that really a severe hindrance? It's alreday been explained that from time to time the belt examination reveals small knives.

3, Surely our politicians should be showing the example, in terms of supporting the work done to protect passengers from terrorist activities.

Then again, this is the country where an airport can operate for one whole day without its only metal detector - because it was borrowed for security measures at an university rock concert.

Mr Pichet questioned Suvarnabhumi security's inability to distinguish between suspicious belts and normal ones.

I suppose the suspicious ones would tick?

I question Mr Pichet's ability to get washed and dressed by himself in the morning.

I reckon the puu yai have a competition going to see who can say the dumbest thing and get away with it.

This is a great idea. It's good to hear that common sense isn't lost entirely. Just check Arabs with long beards and Indonesian counterparts.

I congratulate him and wish him all success if he can get these stupid and absolutely unnecessary security regulations back to a normal and less inconvenient setting. Although I have my doubts that he will succeed, in a world where stupidity and angst rules.

Sunny