Missing plane highlights Phuket's stolen passport trade

[david555]

last time on my return flight BKK>AMS>BKK (so return to BKK from Amsterdam) by boarding i asked the KLM stewardess "you do not check passport or visa anymore ? she answerd me that checkin did that already ..... my answer and situation ; i did checkin online and did automatic bagage deposit ( boarding print machine )and allowed so to go direct to gate ..... nobody saw my passport or visa , only she checked my boarding pass ....she was surprised and look worried and go ask a higher one about it ...

he whole flight she was very friendly but worried .... probably she tought i was from quality control or so (bad man i am i took regular times a paper and make notices )

, but this prouves controles are not waterproof Always ....

PS; remember that English kickboxer Lee Althouse who killed that US marine in Phuket ..... he als could reach the UK from Phuket too even when thai BIB looked for him ....UK where he be arrested (and now in Thai prison after extradition )

Edited March 9, 2014 by david555

[paz]

I'm surprised there isn't an international system for national authorities to inform airlines about stolen passports and prevent people using them from buying tickets.

There is, but it can be used by immigation / police only, not private companies.

http://www.interpol.int/News-and-media/News/2014/N2014-028

[15Peter20]

When is the last time any good news at all came out of Thailand?

2008..thaksin left..never to return

Utterly obsessed. Take up a hobby.

[Tomtomtom69]

Passport Scams are a normal occurance in All of Thailand. Not just Phuket or other Tourist destinations and cities.

Local Police do little if anything at all to resolve these Passport Scams.

Car and Motorcycle Rental Agents many times "Require" you to leave your passport to give them what they deem as a Security Insurance for the Rental and Refuse to accept a photocopy. If you ask the local Police for help, they will tell you to "Either Leave Your Passport with the Agency, or Not Rent the Car or Motorcycle". So enforcement of your rights to retain possession of your Passport are ignored by the Thai Police, thus letting Passport Scams to continue unabated. Not to say most or all Rental Agents are Scammers, but this non-enforcement and practice lets Scammers Steal Passports at will for the Black Market or other purposes.

By leaving your Passport as "Security" you are in danger of your Passport being Compromised and/or Lost or Stolen.

The Agency then just tells the Passport holder that their Passport was either Lost or Stolen while in their care.

As is the case in at least one of the persons whose Passport was used by an unidentified person on this Missing Plane.

The Original Post says that that person had his Passport Stolen at a Car Rental Agency and the other person had his stolen in the same area of Phuket (no details given in the OP other than these comments).

Foreign Passports are of Value on the Black Market and for other purposes. A few years back, I witnessed a proclaimed local Tour Agent attempt to Steal the Passport of a person from the EU by pickpocketing the foreigner while the foreigner was intoxicated.

Always protect your Passport and Never Surrender it as a Guarantee. Pay a Security deposit instead, or not do business with Agents that Require you to surrender your Passport. Hopefully there will be a day in the future when the Police will Enforce the Law that another person can not detain your Passport.

I agree that certain types of businesses in Thailand are a bit too obsessed with passports however in all my years of renting cars in Thailand, not once has any rental car company attempted to hold onto my passport. Only fly by night unscrupulous rental agencies would make such demands. I can't understand why anyone would rent or attempt to rent a car from a company that makes such demands. Please name and shame these companies. However neither Avis, Budget, Hertz, nor Thai rent-a-car or even Lanna car rental (the latter two are local companies) hold onto your passport, they merely take a copy and then return your passport to you.

[Tomtomtom69]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

When is the last time any good news at all came out of Thailand?

The Hub announcements, but we haven't had many of those of late either

This is it - Pukhet - the hub of stolen passports.

Steve Vickers said on a Channel News Asia interview that Bangkok is the hub of stolen passports (and other documents) in Asia. So let's just say that Thailand is the hub of stolen passports.

[geriatrickid]

"Hundreds of passports are lost or stolen on Phuket each year, raising fears they could fall into the hands of criminal or terrorist networks."

Thousands of passports are lost or stolen all over the world each year.

Why single out Phuket?

Where there is concentration of tourists, crime and thieving is very common.

Stop, bashing Pucket.

Phuket is the hub of corruption and crime against foreigners in Thailand with the nexus in the Kamala to Katha strip.

If you have ever lived there you would understand. The culture is one of thievery and crimes of opportunity, from the jet ski and tuk tuk rip offs, to the improper land development, to the outright extortion of foreign business operators. The local government, the local police, and the local population are all considered to be dishonest and corrupt. One need only look at the trafficking of the Rohingya to see how extensive the disease is.

It is not bashing Phuket to speak of the reality. What we see in Phuket does not occur on the same scale anywhere else in Thailand. Not in Koh Samui, not in Krabi, not in Cha Am-Hua Hin, not in Chonburi, not in Chiang Rai, etc. etc.

[geriatrickid]

Steve Vickers said on a Channel News Asia interview that Bangkok is the hub of stolen passports (and other documents) in Asia. So let's just say that Thailand is the hub of stolen passports.

The passports are stolen all over Thailand, and obiously more frequently in tourist venues where tourists willingly give up their passports when renting a motorbike, or jets ski. They are also stolen off tourists at hotels by cleaning staff. The passports then are sold to dealers in Bangkok where they are in turn sold on.

[geriatrickid]

The stolen passports were on the Interpol database, would have had red lights flashing at the KL immigration...... officer ignored it?..... in on a people smuggling racket perhaps.....

Only one was. Immigration information systems are not all connected to the Interpol network.

The systems who wish to connect to confidential information must meet some basic security criteria and agree to the terms and conditions of access.

Do you know if the Malaysian immigration data network had such access?

[forgetit]

last time on my return flight BKK>AMS>BKK (so return to BKK from Amsterdam) by boarding i asked the KLM stewardess "you do not check passport or visa anymore ? she answerd me that checkin did that already ..... my answer and situation ; i did checkin online and did automatic bagage deposit ( boarding print machine )and allowed so to go direct to gate ..... nobody saw my passport or visa , only she checked my boarding pass ....she was surprised and look worried and go ask a higher one about it ...

he whole flight she was very friendly but worried .... probably she tought i was from quality control or so (bad man i am i took regular times a paper and make notices )

, but this prouves controles are not waterproof Always ....

PS; remember that English kickboxer Lee Althouse who killed that US marine in Phuket ..... he als could reach the UK from Phuket too even when thai BIB looked for him ....UK where he be arrested (and now in Thai prison after extradition )

How did you get through immigration in AMS before boarding the flight? AFAIK Thailand is no yet in the Schengen area...

(I admit the PP should have been checked again before boarding the plane).

[david555]

last time on my return flight BKK>AMS>BKK (so return to BKK from Amsterdam) by boarding i asked the KLM stewardess "you do not check passport or visa anymore ? she answerd me that checkin did that already ..... my answer and situation ; i did checkin online and did automatic bagage deposit ( boarding print machine )and allowed so to go direct to gate ..... nobody saw my passport or visa , only she checked my boarding pass ....she was surprised and look worried and go ask a higher one about it ...

he whole flight she was very friendly but worried .... probably she tought i was from quality control or so (bad man i am i took regular times a paper and make notices )

, but this prouves controles are not waterproof Always ....

PS; remember that English kickboxer Lee Althouse who killed that US marine in Phuket ..... he als could reach the UK from Phuket too even when thai BIB looked for him ....UK where he be arrested (and now in Thai prison after extradition )

How did you get through immigration in AMS before boarding the flight? AFAIK Thailand is no yet in the Schengen area...

(I admit the PP should have been checked again before boarding the plane).

i mean here that nobody from the airline saw my passport , ofcourse i passed the border controle to go to the airside .... but on airside changing persons with the boarding pass could be possible , so by this way some could go on board who is not the real one .... even i am not a Thai but a Schengen i have to show my passport .. , i only point to the responsability from the airline ...

And in the Malaysia case those 2 also haved to pass border controle ....seems ..so why could it eventually not anyware elses (last time 2 journalists switched passports and passed border controle for a test , was on TV in Belgium )

Edited March 9, 2014 by david555

[surangw]

interesting, If I report my credit card stolen, it is voided in minutes.

maybe the passport system needs to get the same software.

[EyesWideOpen]

Steve Vickers said on a Channel News Asia interview that Bangkok is the hub of stolen passports (and other documents) in Asia. So let's just say that Thailand is the hub of stolen passports.

The passports are stolen all over Thailand, and obiously more frequently in tourist venues where tourists willingly give up their passports when renting a motorbike, or jets ski. They are also stolen off tourists at hotels by cleaning staff. The passports then are sold to dealers in Bangkok where they are in turn sold on.

With the bit of bad press Thailand is getting from this passport issue, will be curious if

there is some sort of instant response perhaps in the form of not allowing a rental

company to keep your passport, making it a serious crime to steal a passport, and

eliminating the stupid law requiring you to carry around your passport. Be forced to

carry your passport with you in the land of pickpockets is inviting a problem...

[david555]

Steve Vickers said on a Channel News Asia interview that Bangkok is the hub of stolen passports (and other documents) in Asia. So let's just say that Thailand is the hub of stolen passports.

The passports are stolen all over Thailand, and obiously more frequently in tourist venues where tourists willingly give up their passports when renting a motorbike, or jets ski. They are also stolen off tourists at hotels by cleaning staff. The passports then are sold to dealers in Bangkok where they are in turn sold on.

With the bit of bad press Thailand is getting from this passport issue, will be curious if

there is some sort of instant response perhaps in the form of not allowing a rental

company to keep your passport, making it a serious crime to steal a passport, and

eliminating the stupid law requiring you to carry around your passport. Be forced to

carry your passport with you in the land of pickpockets is inviting a problem...

i carry always only a laminated copy from my passport& visapage & copy departure card togheter with my 5 years Thai driving licence ..,.only for official purposes i carry genuine passport, if not enough for the authority's they can fine or arrest me for a little time untill i call some to go get my passport an d bring to me....it is Always less problem than loosing it ...!!

Edited March 9, 2014 by david555

[Fat Haggis]

Mossad used the stolen Identities/fake passports of Foreigners, including some Brits to kill a HAMAS member in Dubai a few years back, it's not just a Thai thing.

The latest theory being reported is that the plane disintegrated at 35,000 and that's why there's no major wreckage been located yet

[Thai at Heart]

...

I was told that technically photocopying a passport is illegal and can be refused.

What you were told is wrong.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I can't remember who told me. At the end.of the day it belongs to a foreign govt.

[stiggy]

Back in 2003, Thailand was under scrutiny following a high profile terrorist, that had acquired a dodgy passport and then used it to fly around Asia. (Hannibal? if memory serves me right)

The result was a crackdown, that caused lots of repercussions for expats here at the time. It was popular to use visa agents to (illegally) just take your passport for a run over the border, normally Sadao. These services where advertised freely and openly, to my knowledge some still advertise a similar service now.

The ensuing fracas was hundreds if not thousands, had been using these services for years stamp (B131 amongst others) was a firm favourite showing up in passports.The governments response eventually was to state that all that had that stamp, had committed fraud

Some had a genuine stamp showing the wanted numbers, some not, it didn't seem to matter after a while as all where grilled, some deported as a result and others locked up for a while, it all depended on what border post you where presenting to and if you could show it was all credible.

I expect there will be a similar crackdown this time after this latest tragic incident.

Edited March 9, 2014 by stiggy

[3NUMBAS]

if it disintegrated at 35,000 there may be little left to find as pieces to small

[Blackmirage2013]

The passports were stolen from Phuket but the tickets for the flight were recently bought from a travel agency in Pattaya.

That is why Thailand is being connected to the missing plane.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/malaysia-airlines-plane-no-sign-abnormality-022614993.html?vp=1#A7lARAE

That's a dramatic article. It says "the vast waters of the Gulf of Thailand"... in actuality, the gulf is neither wide nor deep. If the plane was lost in the Pacific Ocean, it could sink several thousand meters, the Gulf at this point however would be several hundred meters at most, (being a depression in the land mass). This more specifically highlights a poor level of tracking. In fact, it's hard to believe they haven't found it yet.

I thought that too... but I guess the China Sea is bigger than my hand, when I look at in on Google Maps...Still we all the equipment and satellite you'd think they would be able to detect large swathes of metal... but maybe not... I am not an expert!

[forgetit]

last time on my return flight BKK>AMS>BKK (so return to BKK from Amsterdam) by boarding i asked the KLM stewardess "you do not check passport or visa anymore ? she answerd me that checkin did that already ..... my answer and situation ; i did checkin online and did automatic bagage deposit ( boarding print machine )and allowed so to go direct to gate ..... nobody saw my passport or visa , only she checked my boarding pass ....she was surprised and look worried and go ask a higher one about it ...

he whole flight she was very friendly but worried .... probably she tought i was from quality control or so (bad man i am i took regular times a paper and make notices )

, but this prouves controles are not waterproof Always ....

PS; remember that English kickboxer Lee Althouse who killed that US marine in Phuket ..... he als could reach the UK from Phuket too even when thai BIB looked for him ....UK where he be arrested (and now in Thai prison after extradition )

How did you get through immigration in AMS before boarding the flight? AFAIK Thailand is no yet in the Schengen area...

(I admit the PP should have been checked again before boarding the plane).

i mean here that nobody from the airline saw my passport , ofcourse i passed the border controle to go to the airside .... but on airside changing persons with the boarding pass could be possible , so by this way some could go on board who is not the real one .... even i am not a Thai but a Schengen i have to show my passport .. , i only point to the responsability from the airline ...

And in the Malaysia case those 2 also haved to pass border controle ....seems ..so why could it eventually not anyware elses (last time 2 journalists switched passports and passed border controle for a test , was on TV in Belgium )

IMHO the first line of defence in this case is the immigration point. No gate agent from an airline is trained enough to find those whom have put enough effort in their bad behaviour. The exchange of passports could have happened in pretty much every airport. Because the only thing they can check if the passport is stolen. they only check if name is matching on boarding card.

Most of the times when I arrive at an european airport my ID card or passport is only looked upon, even in my own home country.

I would be the first one to volunteer to have travel documents checked at check-in, immigration and boarding gate against a database with all stolen PP if they would ease the liquid limitation on the other hand.

[forgetit]

The passports were stolen from Phuket but the tickets for the flight were recently bought from a travel agency in Pattaya.

That is why Thailand is being connected to the missing plane.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/malaysia-airlines-plane-no-sign-abnormality-022614993.html?vp=1#A7lARAE

That's a dramatic article. It says "the vast waters of the Gulf of Thailand"... in actuality, the gulf is neither wide nor deep. If the plane was lost in the Pacific Ocean, it could sink several thousand meters, the Gulf at this point however would be several hundred meters at most, (being a depression in the land mass). This more specifically highlights a poor level of tracking. In fact, it's hard to believe they haven't found it yet.

I thought that too... but I guess the China Sea is bigger than my hand, when I look at in on Google Maps...Still we all the equipment and satellite you'd think they would be able to detect large swathes of metal... but maybe not... I am not an expert!

It took 2 years to find AF447 in roughly 4.000 meter deep water in 2011. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_France_Flight_447)

We could talk about many things why it wasn't spotted by one of the satellites, ships or other airplanes. But I assume it would be better to wait until they found something than can be used as evidence. Be it either debris or an almost intact plane.

[JRSoul]

Back in 2003, Thailand was under scrutiny following a high profile terrorist, that had acquired a dodgy passport and then used it to fly around Asia. (Hannibal? if memory serves me right)

The result was a crackdown, that caused lots of repercussions for expats here at the time. It was popular to use visa agents to (illegally) just take your passport for a run over the border, normally Sadao. These services where advertised freely and openly, to my knowledge some still advertise a similar service now.

The ensuing fracas was hundreds if not thousands, had been using these services for years stamp (B131 amongst others) was a firm favourite showing up in passports.The governments response eventually was to state that all that had that stamp, had committed fraud

Some had a genuine stamp showing the wanted numbers, some not, it didn't seem to matter after a while as all where grilled, some deported as a result and others locked up for a while, it all depended on what border post you where presenting to and if you could show it was all credible.

I expect there will be a similar crackdown this time after this latest tragic incident.

Close - his name was Hambali

[JRSoul]

My new electronic passport was stolen, I believe by my BIL who had left for BKK in the 3 day gap between when I last used it to buy an airfare and when it was noted missing. I reported it as stolen to Samui police, that it had been taken from my well-secured house, and my suspicions as to had taken it. Their only action was to issue a report, and give me erroneous directions as to what further steps were now necessary.

For the next 12 months, every time I left or re-entered Thailand there were minor delays, nothing serious. No problems experienced entering Malaysia, Cambodia, or Australia (passport issuer).

It's great that you've got honest, upstanding relatives... must be awesome to know that you've got them behind you in times of need...

Thank you for your concern, but as my wife has since died I only have contact with those members of her family who were both honest and good friends - that is, most of them.

[noitom]

Two passports stolen in Thailand during the last two years. Two people book and pay for this flight in Thai baht in Phuket and receive separate and consecutive ticket sequence numbers. Everyone knows that when you book an international flight you must submit your passport

They manage to board flights some time later with those tickets heading to Kuala Lumpur. By this time the Thais never had a clue that "stolen" passports were used to purchase the tickets. After the release of the names by Malaysia airlines the Thais never put two and two together to check the names against stolen passports in Thailand.

Leave it to the Thais to announce a crackdown on "stolen" passports any moment now. Thais are always doing something behind things happening never in front. Thais cannot be counted on to be an international partner. In fact the whole South East Asia group of countries participating in the search is a joke. After all this time, Thais are just now being asked to assist by searching the Gulf on its western shore by the Malaysian government. And the Chinese can't do anything to help. At least nothing is being reported on this in the Thai press.

It will be interesting to see the outcome when they start to find evidence.

[larsjohnsson]

"Hundreds of passports are lost or stolen on Phuket each year, raising fears they could fall into the hands of criminal or terrorist networks."

Thousands of passports are lost or stolen all over the world each year.

Why single out Phuket?

Where there is concentration of tourists, crime and thieving is very common.

Stop, bashing Pucket.

Because both the stolen passports that was used to fly with the Malaysisan air where stolen in Phuket.

Sent from my GT-I9152 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[webfact]

Thai police target 'passport ring' in vanished flight probe

BANGKOK, March 10, 2014 (AFP) - Thai police said Sunday they were investigating a "passport ring" as details emerged of bookings made in Thailand with stolen European passports for the vanished Malaysia Airlines flight.

Two European names -- Christian Kozel, an Austrian, and Luigi Maraldi of Italy -- were listed on the passenger manifest of the flight MH370, but neither man boarded the plane, officials said.

Both had their passports stolen in Thailand over the past two years.

Malaysia has launched a terror probe investigating the suspect passengers and the United States has sent in the FBI to assist.

Flight information seen by AFP shows that tickets were booked in Maraldi and Kozel's names on March 6, 2014, and issued in the Thai city of Pattaya, a popular beach resort south of the capital Bangkok.

The e-ticket numbers for their flights are consecutive and both were paid for in Thai baht Each ticket cost THB 20,215 (US$625).

Kozel was booked to travel from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777, then on to Amsterdam and Frankfurt while Maraldi was booked on the same flights until Amsterdam, where he was to continue to Copenhagen.

Interpol confirmed that "at least two passports" recorded in its Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database were used by passengers on board the flight, which was carrying 239 people.

"The Austrian and Italian passports were added to Interpol's SLTD database after their theft in Thailand in 2012 and 2013 respectively," it said in a statement. "Interpol is also conducting checks on all other passports used to board flight MH370 which may have been reported stolen."

A senior Thai police official told AFP that authorities were probing a passport racket on the resort island of Phuket, where Maraldi's passport was stolen.

"A police team combined with local police and immigration are working to track down a passport ring," southern police commander Panya Mamen said.

A district official in Phuket said that Maraldi had presented himself to police there on Sunday.

"An Italian tourist, Luigi Maraldi, has met (the) southern police commander today in Phuket to say he was not on the plane and his passport had been stolen since last year," district police lieutenant colonel Akanit Danpitaksart told AFP.

He said they had no information on Kozel's passport but Austrian foreign ministry spokesman, Martin Weiss, said Sunday that it had been stolen on a flight from Phuket to Bangkok.

- 'Too soon to speculate' -

The Interpol statement said no checks of the stolen Austrian and Italian passports were made by any country between the time they were entered into Interpol's database and the departure of the flight.

"Whilst it is too soon to speculate about any connection between these stolen passports and the missing plane, it is clearly of great concern that any passenger was able to board an international flight using a stolen passport listed in Interpol's databases," said secretary general Ronald Noble.

"This is a situation we had hoped never to see," he added. "For years Interpol has asked why should countries wait for a tragedy to put prudent security measures in place at borders and boarding gates."

Last year, passengers were able to board planes more than a billion times without having their passports screened against Interpol's databases. The SLTD database, created after the 9/11 attacks in the United States in 2001, now has more than 40 million entries.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-03-10

[takkatan in the land]

"Hundreds of passports are lost or stolen on Phuket each year, raising fears they could fall into the hands of criminal or terrorist networks."

Thousands of passports are lost or stolen all over the world each year.

Why single out Phuket?

Where there is concentration of tourists, crime and thieving is very common.

Stop, bashing Pucket.

there is nothing wrong with phuket, is a wonderfull place phuket like many other places in thailand

the problem is some of the peoples who live in phuket, not only in phuket of course

in the whole thailand there are lots of cheaters and gangs trying to make money from ilegal activities

Not only in thailand, this happen in the everywhere, you can say

yes, you are agree

but anywhere else in the world almost every single cop is corrupt as well

[chooka]

Thailand a Hotbed for Fake and Stolen Passports

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTwdVLQFHfQ&feature=player_detailpage

[chooka]

The BIB never waste a photo op

Malaysia Flight Stolen Passport Luigi Maraldi Comes Forward

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puzVjdEdonI&feature=player_detailpage

[Thai at Heart]

Thai police target 'passport ring' in vanished flight probe

BANGKOK, March 10, 2014 (AFP) - Thai police said Sunday they were investigating a "passport ring" as details emerged of bookings made in Thailand with stolen European passports for the vanished Malaysia Airlines flight.

Two European names -- Christian Kozel, an Austrian, and Luigi Maraldi of Italy -- were listed on the passenger manifest of the flight MH370, but neither man boarded the plane, officials said.

Both had their passports stolen in Thailand over the past two years.

Malaysia has launched a terror probe investigating the suspect passengers and the United States has sent in the FBI to assist.

Flight information seen by AFP shows that tickets were booked in Maraldi and Kozel's names on March 6, 2014, and issued in the Thai city of Pattaya, a popular beach resort south of the capital Bangkok.

The e-ticket numbers for their flights are consecutive and both were paid for in Thai baht Each ticket cost THB 20,215 (US$625).

Kozel was booked to travel from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777, then on to Amsterdam and Frankfurt while Maraldi was booked on the same flights until Amsterdam, where he was to continue to Copenhagen.

Interpol confirmed that "at least two passports" recorded in its Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database were used by passengers on board the flight, which was carrying 239 people.

"The Austrian and Italian passports were added to Interpol's SLTD database after their theft in Thailand in 2012 and 2013 respectively," it said in a statement. "Interpol is also conducting checks on all other passports used to board flight MH370 which may have been reported stolen."

A senior Thai police official told AFP that authorities were probing a passport racket on the resort island of Phuket, where Maraldi's passport was stolen.

"A police team combined with local police and immigration are working to track down a passport ring," southern police commander Panya Mamen said.

A district official in Phuket said that Maraldi had presented himself to police there on Sunday.

"An Italian tourist, Luigi Maraldi, has met (the) southern police commander today in Phuket to say he was not on the plane and his passport had been stolen since last year," district police lieutenant colonel Akanit Danpitaksart told AFP.

He said they had no information on Kozel's passport but Austrian foreign ministry spokesman, Martin Weiss, said Sunday that it had been stolen on a flight from Phuket to Bangkok.

- 'Too soon to speculate' -

The Interpol statement said no checks of the stolen Austrian and Italian passports were made by any country between the time they were entered into Interpol's database and the departure of the flight.

"Whilst it is too soon to speculate about any connection between these stolen passports and the missing plane, it is clearly of great concern that any passenger was able to board an international flight using a stolen passport listed in Interpol's databases," said secretary general Ronald Noble.

"This is a situation we had hoped never to see," he added. "For years Interpol has asked why should countries wait for a tragedy to put prudent security measures in place at borders and boarding gates."

Last year, passengers were able to board planes more than a billion times without having their passports screened against Interpol's databases. The SLTD database, created after the 9/11 attacks in the United States in 2001, now has more than 40 million entries.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-03-10

Right on cue. And of course they will round up this previously unknown gang in a trice.

[webfact]

MISSING MAS FLIGHT
I'm still at the beach, says owner of stolen Italian passport
Nnicholas Cheng
The Star
KUALA LUMPUR

BANGKOK: -- Luigi Maraldi, the Italian citizen, whose passport went missing while he was in Phuket last year, is surprised that his name turned up in the flight manifest of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

Speaking to The Star, the 37-year-old, who is currently in Phuket for a vacation, said he had met with the Thai police and immigration department, as well as the Italian embassy, following the discovery that his identity may had been stolen by an individual aboard the flight which went off the radar at 1.30am Saturday.

Owner of stolen Italian passport Luigi Maraldi, 37.

"I’m okay. I’m still fine and going to the beach. I don’t know when all this began, everyone has been trying to call me including reporters from Italy and I think I would like to just have my privacy," he said.

Maraldi reported his passport missing on August 1, 2013 when he deposited it with a rental car agency and was told it had gone missing when he came to return his vehicle, according to The Washington Post.

He was able to obtain a temporary travel document back to Italy where he obtained a new passport. The report of his missing document was inserted into the Interpol database.

It was reported that a second passenger on flight MH370 had also used a stolen passport, this time that of Austrian national Christan Kozel, who was confirmed to be alive and well by authorities.

Kozel told Austrian newspaper De Standard that his passport was stolen when he visited Thailand in 2012.

It is learnt that the two imposters had bought tickets together at the same time from MAS code sharing partner China Southern Airlines in Thai Baht.

Civil Aviation Department (DCA) director-general said the two imposters were captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV) at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and were working on establishing who they are.

The use of the stolen passports has sparked fears of a terror plot aboard MH370, triggering several investigations by anti-terrorism agencies, including the FBI.


-- The Nation 2014-03-10