Phuket Airport Director Under Investigation

[webfact]

Phuket Airport director under investigation

Former Phuket Airport Director Prathuang Sornkham (pictured) has

been transferred pending an investigation by Airports of Thailand.

PHUKET: -- The director of Phuket International Airport was transferred from his post yesterday amid a disciplinary investigation regarding a group of South American passengers who flew out of the airport without passports.

Airports of Thailand (AoT) told the Phuket Gazette today that Prathuang Sornkham was been transferred during the investigation and will become a "Senior Specialist 10" AoT executive.

AoT declined to comment on the location of Mr Prathuang’s new posting.

The action stems from an incident in October last year when nine Paraguayan passengers left Phuket International Airport aboard an Emirates Airline flight without passports, AoT president Serirat Prasutanond said after a meeting on the issue yesterday.

An initial investigation conducted by AoT found that five or six of its Phuket officers were involved in the ordeal, he said.

Narongchai Tanadchangsaeng, deputy director of Suvarnabhumi Airport, has been appointed president of the disciplinary investigation committee, which is expected to conclude its work within 15 days.

Flying Officer Passakorn Surapipith, a Senior Advisor 10 executive of AoT, will be acting director of Phuket International Airport until the results of the investigation are announced.

-- Phuket Gazette 2011-01-20

[Mario2008]

How did they get past immigration? Seems a serious breach of security.

[Thaddeus]

How did they get past immigration? Seems a serious breach of security.

Did you mean both in and out.... I agree.

[bino]

I always figured getting in would be easy - peel off the sticker and turn right with the domestic traffic instead of turning left to go to passport control.

[AleG]

I would expect someone in a cave in Northern Azzkrakistan is taking note of this shenanigans.

[geriatrickid]

Where are the passports? Who else was involved?

Curious.

[Buchholz]

Where did the nine Paraguayans fly to and what happened when they arrived there with no passports??

Is that how all this came to light?

What was the role of the Emirates Airline in this? I always show a passport upon initial check-in, long before Immigrations sees it, and every other swabbie at an airport it seems.

As said, a serious infraction to let any traveler depart without a passport, let alone nine.

[OzMick]

"An initial investigation conducted by AoT found that five or six of its Phuket officers were involved in the ordeal, he said."

Ordeal??? Deal sounds more like it. How did they imagine they would get away with it?

[WilliaminBKK]

There are details missing, no airline in the world would allow passengers on board without a passport or right to abode in the destination. When they hit the final destination they would be returned.

[housepainter]

First of all what are 9 people doing without passports?

Focus on that one as the rest of it is mere Thai bribery and corruption.

We know those stories as the papers are full of them year in and year out. What we don't get, especialy any reporting on, nine foreigners, one nationality, one destination all having no passport.

Peru, South America, massive drug smuggling. Then there are the terrorism aspects to this. I can imagine the US leaping up and down at the apparent lack of security and threat it poses. A threat to all of us. It's bad enough that the Pattaya run City Hall mafia allow the Russians to fly in via Utapoa with NO need for passport, thus allowing their whores and god only knows what else in. Victor Bout didn't come via Suwanapoom by the way. Under the radar he surely was.

Back to the Thais. So what do they do with him? Promotion of course. Cushy number 10 a Senior Advisor about what and to whom? How to avoid immigration procedures when carrying bombs on board: Thailand a trail run.

Can you imagine if the nationality had been ANYWHERE in the Arab world.

The guy must be an absolute nut case. Oh, I forgot. It's all about the money.

Edited January 20, 2011 by housepainter

[NanLaew]

Think outside the box; since it is inconceivable that 9 Paraguayans could have entered LOS by air without passports, it's safe to assume they arrived either by land or by sea. Now, since both those options also involve Thai Immigration Police somewhere, I think this investigation will be going deeper and wider than just the Phuket AoT Director. Maybe it was a simple irregularity of seamen with inadequate travel documents in transit; they had a crew change in Phuket (or nearby). The airline must have been happy to accept them as they left on the Emirates flight and weren't sent back... as far as we know.

Has anyone of you regulars departing LOS via Phuket ever had the AoT Director approve your departure? No, I didn't think so. It's the same police (different office) that handle foreigners coming in and foreigners leaving.

I think this guy is a patsy for someone in a khaki uniform way, way up the food chain who either didn't get his cut and is seeking redress or missed the whole thing and is covering his arse. So maybe the 'investigation' is indeed over.

Edited January 20, 2011 by NanLaew

[Flatouthruthefog]

<br />There are details missing, no airline in the world would allow passengers on board without a passport or right to abode in the destination. When they hit the final destination they would be returned.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

Yes and - well said - the understatement of the year! And we haven't hit February yet!!

Why ON EARTH put this particular man in the dock?

This is without doubt an Immigration challenge. Sweet FA to do with the airport director. He has rather more to do than check everyone's passports.

The infamous Lee Harvey Oswald term 'Patsy' is bang on!

Some hi-so more-on, quaking in his boots, has quite deliberately fingered the wrong man to keep himself and his buddies safe.

Analogy (with the emphasis on the first 4 letters): A traffic cop directing drivers at a major junction makes a mistake and some vehicles collide. So, ARREST the head of Land Transport for allowing them to be there on the roads!!

Gimme strength.........!

[AZBill]

How did they get past immigration? Seems a serious breach of security.

How does anybody get anything from the Thai government? Tea time in Phuket! Going to tick the mafia guys off who make their living selling fake passports if the security guys can be bought off so easily. I wonder what happens on the other end when they arrive wherever they are going? If not as corrupt as Thailand then could have some problems!

[powderpuff]

"An initial investigation conducted by AoT found that five or six of its Phuket officers were involved in the ordeal, he said."

Ordeal??? Deal sounds more like it. How did they imagine they would get away with it?

Yeah I think a better word is "scandal"

[sangfroid]

[The action stems from an incident in October last year when nine Paraguayan passengers left Phuket International Airport aboard an Emirates Airline flight without passports, AoT president Serirat Prasutanond said after a meeting on the issue yesterday.]

Does any sane person believe that Emirates would let 9 people board an international flight without passports??

Obviously the full facts haven't been disclosed.

This story is so full of holes that you could drive a truck through it.

Edited January 21, 2011 by sangfroid

[newermonkey]

This is only a guess, but I think that they were probably in a group with a tour group leader who took care of the passports for the tourists, when they go through immigration the passports are dealt with in a batch, the officer dealing with this or the tour group operator forgot to give them back!

Group passport control like this is illegal in Thailand as each person is meant to go through and be checked individually but the group leader probably had a deal with immigration to do this (as they do with VIPs)

As this is an infringement of immigration law that is why I guess he and his staff have been moved. As he and his staff relax security, everywhere else in the world is tightening up, that is an embarrassment.

Edited January 21, 2011 by newermonkey

[julemanden]

I always figured getting in would be easy - peel off the sticker and turn right with the domestic traffic instead of turning left to go to passport control.

If nothing goes right... Go left

[newermonkey]

[The action stems from an incident in October last year when nine Paraguayan passengers left Phuket International Airport aboard an Emirates Airline flight without passports, AoT president Serirat Prasutanond said after a meeting on the issue yesterday.]

Does any sane person believe that Emirates would let 9 people board an international flight without passports??

Obviously the full facts haven't been disclosed.

This story is so full of holes that you could drive a truck through it.

Yes... I have never had to show my passport on actually boarding the aircraft, only sometimes at the departure gate (But usually only the boarding pass) the group herding may have been going on all the way through the gate.

[mic6ard]

The Question is not how they get pass immigration, but should rather be "How MUCH did they have to pay..."

[newermonkey]

<br />There are details missing, no airline in the world would allow passengers on board without a passport or right to abode in the destination. When they hit the final destination they would be returned.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

Yes and - well said - the understatement of the year! And we haven't hit February yet!!

Why ON EARTH put this particular man in the dock?

This is without doubt an Immigration challenge. Sweet FA to do with the airport director. He has rather more to do than check everyone's passports.

The infamous Lee Harvey Oswald term 'Patsy' is bang on!

Some hi-so more-on, quaking in his boots, has quite deliberately fingered the wrong man to keep himself and his buddies safe.

Analogy (with the emphasis on the first 4 letters): A traffic cop directing drivers at a major junction makes a mistake and some vehicles collide. So, ARREST the head of Land Transport for allowing them to be there on the roads!!

Gimme strength.........!

The airport director is a highly paid civil service executive (SEO) who ultimately must take responsibility for everything that happens at the airport.

There is nothing "funny" about this, its just the Thais being cleaver and taking a wrong shortcut.

[conimex]

[The action stems from an incident in October last year when nine Paraguayan passengers left Phuket International Airport aboard an Emirates Airline flight without passports, AoT president Serirat Prasutanond said after a meeting on the issue yesterday.]

Does any sane person believe that Emirates would let 9 people board an international flight without passports??

Obviously the full facts haven't been disclosed.

This story is so full of holes that you could drive a truck through it.

It' s possible that the particular passengers, were seamen, they are allowed to travel on their seaman's book, any airline would accept them. Not sure if Thailand let someone travel on a seaman's book.

[keymaker]

This could be one of those cases where suspicious people are "allowed" to transit because there are back instructions.

Airport manager will have happy live so you guys don't worry about him.

As per the Phuket airport it was "well known" that in there it was so easy to pass through, I even one day witnessed at the security metal scan there was "nobody" checking passengers until around 8:30 - 9:30 am then finally a nice lady will full make up came and started her job.

What about previous people who passed without being checked?

[sirchai]

How did they get past immigration? Seems a serious breach of security.

Did you mean both in and out.... I agree.

:jap:With loads of cocaine for the Nigerians????

[Buchholz]

[The action stems from an incident in October last year when nine Paraguayan passengers left Phuket International Airport aboard an Emirates Airline flight without passports, AoT president Serirat Prasutanond said after a meeting on the issue yesterday.]

Does any sane person believe that Emirates would let 9 people board an international flight without passports??

Obviously the full facts haven't been disclosed.

This story is so full of holes that you could drive a truck through it.

It' s possible that the particular passengers, were seamen, they are allowed to travel on their seaman's book, any airline would accept them. Not sure if Thailand let someone travel on a seaman's book.

Paraguay is a land-locked country.

[notime]

But how do they know they were Paraguayans? Without passports? Did the Thai Immigration recognized their Paraguayan accent or what? :-)

[Dellboy218]

[The action stems from an incident in October last year when nine Paraguayan passengers left Phuket International Airport aboard an Emirates Airline flight without passports, AoT president Serirat Prasutanond said after a meeting on the issue yesterday.]

Does any sane person believe that Emirates would let 9 people board an international flight without passports??

Obviously the full facts haven't been disclosed.

This story is so full of holes that you could drive a truck through it.

It' s possible that the particular passengers, were seamen, they are allowed to travel on their seaman's book, any airline would accept them. Not sure if Thailand let someone travel on a seaman's book.

I have had a 'seamans' book for 40 years and in that time the only places I have been that accepted it for travelling has been the Middle East and the ex Soviet Union. I do not believe that it is acceptable anywhere these days. On most ships one has to hand your passport in to the ships master so that they are available for port authorities to inspect. No passport, no work. Without a passport they would not have been allowed to sign on the ship let alone allowed to pay off in Thailand. Yes there are dodgy outfits but to persuade port immigration to let you off, to persuade airport authorities to let you travel, to persuade an airline to let you travel and to persuade the authorities the other end to admit you. Nope, I think the answer lies elsewhere.

[yumidesign]

Where are the passports? Who else was involved?

Curious.

we are not getting the full and accurate story here, oh wait what country am i in. This 'ordeal' happened in october last year and only now is being reported. something smells like a rodent

Edited January 21, 2011 by yumidesign

[boggle]

"It' s possible that the particular passengers, were seamen, they are allowed to travel on their seaman's book, any airline would accept them. Not sure if Thailand let someone travel on a seaman's book. "

I am to sure outside of the EU or a special seamans passport issued from the Phillipines that a seamans book or discharge book can not be used in lieu of an official passport for international travel or visa arrangments. These seamans discharge books are mainly used for cheap airfares and to carry excess baggage.

All the various crews I have worked with on ships no matter what other documents they may have, have had to carry a valid passport went entering or exiting countries not affiliated with the crews country of origin.

I am very interested if this is not the case.

[Treborz]

[The action stems from an incident in October last year when nine Paraguayan passengers left Phuket International Airport aboard an Emirates Airline flight without passports, AoT president Serirat Prasutanond said after a meeting on the issue yesterday.]

Does any sane person believe that Emirates would let 9 people board an international flight without passports??

Obviously the full facts haven't been disclosed.

This story is so full of holes that you could drive a truck through it.

It' s possible that the particular passengers, were seamen, they are allowed to travel on their seaman's book, any airline would accept them. Not sure if Thailand let someone travel on a seaman's book.

Paraguay is a land-locked country.

I never knew there was a restriction preventing civilians from land locked countries working on ships. :\

[Buchholz]

It' s possible that the particular passengers, were seamen, they are allowed to travel on their seaman's book, any airline would accept them. Not sure if Thailand let someone travel on a seaman's book.

Paraguay is a land-locked country.

I never knew there was a restriction preventing civilians from land locked countries working on ships. :\

If you don't think it lowers the possibility to negligible probability, I have a good game with cards called 3-card Monte that might interest you.

.

Edited January 21, 2011 by Buchholz