Bangkok's Residents Now Have 'smart Cards'

Bangkok's residents now have 'Smart Cards'

BANGKOK: -- The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is now issuing new electronic identity cards, known as 'Smart Cards' to the capital's residents.

The city's six districts, including Phranakorn, Bang Plad, Bang Khen, Dusit, Sai Mai and Min Buri, began to issue the 'Smart Cards' to Bangkok's residents on Thursday.

The residents could receive their new electronic IDs within 10 minutes.

Only a Bt20 fee is required for the issue of the new 'Smart Cards'.

However, the city's Smard Cards issuing system linking all the six districts was interrupted by a technical problem in the afternoon.

The system has been fixed, forcing the six districts to temporarily suspend the service until Friday.

Deputy Bangkok Governor Samart Ratchapolsitte told journalists when inspecting the issue of the 'Smart Cards' at Phranakorn District that the service would be expanded to cover all the city's 50 districts by January 2006.

--TNA 2005-11-24