Phuket Airport Director Under Investigation

[NanLaew]

"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.

A Seaman's card is alot more than cheap airfares and free excess baggage... although those are the most obvious perks.

I was on a flight from Paris to Douala, Cameroun to join a ship. The bad weather at the destination resulted in diversion to Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. We didn't have visas in our passports or an agent in Abidjan so we were looking forward to sleeping in the baggage claim since they were still building the new passenger halls. On a wild guess, I asked if they would accept a Seaman's card to let us in and they said yes! So a couple of hours later, the five of us with our Seaman's cards were already checked-in to a hotel, showered, changed and down the street having cold beer while the rest, including my boss, roughed it in the baggage claim.

Note to Buchholz; not only to land locked countries have seamen, they also have some flagged and registered tonnage floating around the world. Where's the Mongolian merchant marine when you need it?!

Edited January 21, 2011 by NanLaew

[sydneyjed]

What an absolute disgrace!!Do we wonder why...Do we wonder how..Does ANYONE in the Thai Immigration/Foreign Affaires Department even care?Go to the top of the class if you answered No to every question!!!Absolute joke and they issue crap on hardline punishment for OverStayers!!!!I9????9???9???Pathetic!!!

[Thongkorn]

How did they board the plane , because the Airline is responsible for checking passports. usually they stand at the boarding gate and check your ticket and passport.

[KeyserSoze01]

Peru, South America, massive drug smuggling.

And just where did that come from?

The people were from Paraguay, not Peru.

You know about those big shiny things called maps? You should probably refer to one seeing that you geographically challenged.

And just <deleted> do you know about Peruvian drug smuggling anyway. Have you ever been there, speak the language, eat , drink, party with the locals? The bulk of drugs smuggled out of SA are from Colombia or Venezuela. I thought not, just another TV blowhard who is bored and thinks he has something to say.

Edited January 21, 2011 by KeyserSoze01

[swerver]

[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’m with you.

Never seen Paraguay people on group tour in Thailand. Paraguay is too far south to be involved in the narcotic trade. They were seamen on a crew change; all they need is their valid Seaman Book. I know, having relatives who were in maritime employment and didn’t have a passport.

What happen is someone got her/his knickers in a twist and fingered the Airport Director about something not having any knowledge about seaman travelling on a Seaman Book.instead of passport. This being Thailand s/he may turn up with a rock tied to the feet in a fisherman’s net, or a garbage pile with some holes in her/him.

[surangw]

any follow up on how they fared once the plane landed ( what was the flight number, destination ?)

\

sound like the fix was in in at least 4 directions

Edited January 21, 2011 by surangw

[newermonkey]

How did they board the plane , because the Airline is responsible for checking passports. usually they stand at the boarding gate and check your ticket and passport.

My earlier quotes answer this I think, why not read other previous posts before raising a question?

[Schlanbusch]

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

Officer: "Hello sir. Where are you from?"

Passenger: "I`m from Paraguay"

[geriatrickid]

What is this nonsense about landlocked nations not being able to provide personnel? It is annoyingly ignorant to say that a landlocked nation wouldn't or couldn't have a maritime industry. There are such things as rivers and lakes that support marine traffic.

Oh Look at that will you? Paraguay has a navy. Oh my.

I don't suppose anyone wants to know about the maritime industry and personnel services of some EU nations?. Austria, the Czech Repblic, Hungary &Luxembourg are landlocked and actually have some shipbuilding. They even have registered vessels, e.g. Austria with 8 vessels. The landlocked EU nations combined supply several thousand seafarers. Maybe some people need to travel or umm I dunno, pick up a book?

Edited January 23, 2011 by geriatrickid

[Naam]

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.

i have flown, leaving the U.S. of A., many times without showing my passport. not sure what the procedure is now but when i was living in the U.S. (15 years from 1989 till 2004) international passengers did not go through U.S. immigration.

[Buchholz]

What is this nonsense about landlocked nations not being able to provide personnel?

What is this nonsense about misreading what others have posted and then twisting it to definitive conclusions that were never stated?

[Credo]

Many years ago when I was quite young, the "Sound of Music' movie came out. I never could get my head around Christopher Plummer being an Austrian Naval Officer. I was pretty sure the whole move was a fake.

But the initial story here seemed quite odd, since the Director of an Airport would have to be very powerful and influential to get an airline to put a passenger on illegally. The airlines pay dearly for these situations, even if it's beyond their control.

[Thaddeus]

What is this nonsense about landlocked nations not being able to provide personnel?

What is this nonsense about misreading what others have posted and then twisting it to definitive conclusions that were never stated?

Indeed, the first comment about possibly arriving by sea was in post number 11, and is just pure speculation (TVF, no surprise)

The only fact that this topic has anything to do with a nation being land locked or not is that the whole thing smells fishy.

[chuang]

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

In LOS as long as you have the money you can get away with murder....getting in and out of airports without proper papers is chicken feed...

Edited January 23, 2011 by chuang

[Naam]

Peru, South America, massive drug smuggling.

And just where did that come from? The people were from Paraguay, not Peru.

You know about those big shiny things called maps? You should probably refer to one seeing that you geographically challenged.

And just <deleted> do you know about Peruvian drug smuggling anyway. Have you ever been there, speak the language, eat , drink, party with the locals? The bulk of drugs smuggled out of SA are from Colombia or Venezuela. I thought not, just another TV blowhard who is bored and thinks he has something to say.

[Seismic]

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.

Perhaps they were travelling on their seamans books and didnt hold/show regular passports.

To the best of my knowledge it is still possible to travel without a passport but with a seamans book.

I know I left dubai where I was signed on a ship and immigration didnt even look at my passport (British), they only required that I show my seamans book which was stamped on exit.

[Seismic]

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.

Perhaps they were travelling on their seamans books and didnt hold/show regular passports.

To the best of my knowledge it is still possible to travel without a passport but with a seamans book.

I know I left dubai where I was signed on a ship and immigration didnt even look at my passport (British), they only required that I show my seamans book which was stamped on exit.

[Seismic]

"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.

I have worked on ships for 30 years, and I can tell you that a seamans discharge book is accepted by all nations under international treaty. The only stipulations are that the person is being flown directly (by best route) back to his own country.

As a seaman you are not required to produce a passport, only show your discharge papers (ie seamans book) and you can fly, Tickets are one way only and luggage allowance is 40 Kgs. All airlines provide a certain number of seats that are designated for seamen,

so if you get bumped on your next flight, its maybe because the airline had to give seat to a seaman. Try google, its free and it stops you making embarassing statements that you later find are wrong.

regards

[Thaddeus]

As a seaman you are not required to produce a passport, only show your discharge papers

Perhaps they were performers in a travelling circus, aren't they similarly exempt.

They decided to leave Thailand when they realised there were enough clowns here already.