Sim Card Registration In Deep South Not Effective

[george]

SIM card registration in deep South not 100% effective

BANGKOK: -- More than 90 per cent of cell phone owners in Thailand's three troubled southern border provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani have registered their SIM cards with the authorities within the November 15 deadline, but the government's order aimed at stemming violence in the region has not proven very successful, as mobile phone signals from a neighboring country could be received clearly in Thailand as well.

Sora-at Klinpratoom, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Minister, said here on Saturday that he was satisfied that more than nine out of ten cell phone owners in the three southernmost provinces had registered their mobile tepehone SIM cards within the government deadline.

Most of those remaining who did not register the SIM cards for their mobile phones had either stopped using cell phone services, their SIM card had expired, or the owners had left the area, he said.

However, Mr. Sora-at admitted that SIM card registration plan still could not resolve the use of cellular phones to detonate bombs in the region because "cell phone signals from a neighboring country could be received very well in the three provinces."

He said he had ordered the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) to help solve the problem, and that a positive response had been received from the neighboring country.

--TNA 2005-11-26

[Maejo Man]

SIM card registration in deep South not 100% effective

the government's order aimed at stemming violence in the region has not proven very successful, as mobile phone signals from a neighboring country could be received clearly in Thailand as well.

However, Mr. Sora-at admitted that SIM card registration plan still could not resolve the use of cellular phones to detonate bombs in the region because "cell phone signals from a neighboring country could be received very well in the three provinces."

He said he had ordered the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) to help solve the problem, and that a positive response had been received from the neighboring country.

--TNA 2005-11-26

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They were well aware of this prior to the laughable registration fiasco. All that it has succeeded in doing is creating quite a nice little data base of pre paid phone users, which can be used or abused as the whim takes them.

[britmaveric]

Common sense says this was a waste of time, but I think the resistration wasnt for the stated purpose.

[Khun Bob]

....and in malaysia sim cards are plentiful and cheap and dont require registration

yep you can get one for 4RM with on card credit too...

[Sturbuc]

http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=5772

Thai authorities seek Malaysian support to curb misuse of SIM cards

BANGKOK, Jan 9 (TNA) -- Governor of Thailand's southernmost Narathiwat Province Pracha Terat has proposed that the Thai government seek cooperation from neighbouring Malaysia to control usage of mobile phones and SIM cards manufactured in Malaysia in the country's deep South.

Mr. Pracha has ordered all stores in the province to stop selling the Malaysia-produced mobile phones and SIM cards for more than 30 days.

"It's necessary to control the registration and usage of Malaysia's mobile phones after a SIM card from Malaysia was used to detonate a bomb in Narathiwat last Saturday morning," a news report of BERNAMA News Agency, disseminated to TNA on Monday, quoted him as saying.

Insurgents who used Thai phone lines to set off explosives in the past could no longer use them now after the government ordered all prepaid phone users to register last year before they could use them in the three troubed southernmost provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani, he noted.

The governor said, however, that militants had turned to Malaysian SIM cards since signals from the Malaysian telephone companies could be accessed within about one kilometre along the border.

On Saturday, three people, including a Malaysian, were injured after insurgents detonated a bomb at a teashop in Narathiwat's Su-ngai Kolok District near the Thai-Malaysian border, using a SIM card from Malaysia.

More than 1,000 people have died in the violent unrest in Thailand's deep South since the beginning of 2004. (TNA)--E002

[ovenman]

However, Mr. Sora-at admitted that SIM card registration plan still could not resolve the use of cellular phones to detonate bombs in the region because "cell phone signals from a neighboring country could be received very well in the three provinces."

He said he had ordered the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) to help solve the problem, and that a positive response had been received from the neighboring country.

Are these people as naive as they let on to be? Any foreign SIM card that allows for international roaming could be used anywhere in Thailand as part of the detonator for a bomb. A cell phone tower from a conveniently-located neighboring country need not be used. Any AIS tower would suffice.

[JimsKnight]

However, Mr. Sora-at admitted that SIM card registration plan still could not resolve the use of cellular phones to detonate bombs in the region because "cell phone signals from a neighboring country could be received very well in the three provinces."

He said he had ordered the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) to help solve the problem, and that a positive response had been received from the neighboring country.

Are these people as naive as they let on to be? Any foreign SIM card that allows for international roaming could be used anywhere in Thailand as part of the detonator for a bomb. A cell phone tower from a conveniently-located neighboring country need not be used. Any AIS tower would suffice.

It gets even better, I recall some jack-ass on this forum who was just adamant that my phone WOULD definately be blocked by the government if I didn't nod my head like a gimp and go along with the registration process.

Well guess what jack-ass, my phone is still working! And other people I know well that never registered their SIM card who guess what... they still have full access to their phone!

Typical Toxin government &lt;deleted&gt;!

The government is just doing it for anti-terrorism measures guys.

[TAWP]

Yet again the law-abiding citicens are herded around like sheeps, and the only ones not affected are the..*drumroll*..criminals.

When is this madness gonna end?

I know, how about forcing every foreigner to do visa-runs every 48h, that would surely remove any overstayers, right?

Edited January 24, 2006 by TAWP

[ovenman]

Another hole that exists in most prepaid SIM registration programs (both in Thailand and elsewhere): one has a fifteen-day grace period from the first instance a new number is used to get that new number registered. In other words, it's not the case that a number becomes active only after the registration occurs. Plausible scenario: the baddies steal a new SIM card. After testing it once, they only need to use that new number once more within the initial fifteen-day window for it to suit their purposes...