Is It Really So Bad In Thailand ....

[Abandon]

There has been some complaining by foreigners having to present Work Permits to get phone lines and ADSL in Thailand. Similarly the 90 document presentation at the Immigration has brought out a few whinges (me included). Here is a recent blog about Italy. I know it is not directly Thai related, but might make us feel a bit better about our service in LOS. After all, Thailand is facing similar terrorist threats.

Anyone visiting Italy and wanting to use an internet point, or cafe, will need to take along their passport – and be prepared for a major invasion of their privacy.

Anti-terrorist legislation prompted by the London bombings in July imposes a string of new obligations on the managers of businesses offering the public access to communications. As of this week, they must obtain the identity documents of anyone wishing to access the internet, send a fax or make a telephone call.

Not only that. They must also supply the police with records of the times at which customers enter and leave the premises and which computers or telephones they use.

Owners now need a licence to run an internet point or call shop, and to get one they have to provide detailed information about their business, including a floor plan of the premises.

Andrew Pitt from Liverpool, who runs a combined call shop and internet cafe in Venice said his business had already been hit by the Italian law.

“The problem is that tourists come along without their passports. Today, we have lost at least 15 customers because they didn’t have any identification”, Mr Pitt said.

“About 70% of our customers are American or British and they’re just not used to this sort of thing. ”

An internet point manager in a part of Rome which has a large immigrant population told the daily Corriere della Sera that since the law came into effect about one in five of those entering the premises had refused to provide identification and left. At the city’s biggest internet point, a spokesman was quoted as saying he had lost Italian customers too.

But that was because they used the facilities to visit web sites that were “let us say a bit special  [    ] ”.

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/news/archives/...rt_to_surf.html

[bluebear]

bloody ######. no way in ###### am i going to carry my passport just in case i want to use an internet cafe!

isnt italy a schegen country where people from the other member states arent required to show their passports at borders? i can just imagine a jolly german crossing the border with no passport only to be told he cant make a phone call or log onto www.bossygermnburds.com without his passport!

[astral]

I don't think I even had to produce my passport to get my adsl link!

So why an internet cafe should want it is beyond me!!