Fingerprint scans to debut at Thai Immigration to catch known criminals

[Torrens54]

God knows what the real tourism figures will be after they finish their crackdown. Every single tourist?

Damn that will take a while to process. Standing behind a queue of Chinese arrivals is going to be even more joyous.

In fact, it may encourage MORE normal, law abiding people to come here knowing that our authorities are taking measures to ensure their safety.

Anyhow, I doubt the delay, whatever length, will be as long as the delay experienced by those folk on a certain Malaysia Airlines Flight.

[cronus]

Invest the same amount of money in the education of your own people... which would help this country much much more in the long run then avoiding foreign "criminals"... What's the crime rate here and how many percent of all crimes are commited from foreigners vs thais?

[Mr Brown]

Where else in the region do they fingerprint tourist arrivals like this?

Presumably going to be checked against biometrics?

Do they even have automated readers yet? Doesn't Somchai still key the data in by hand. At least, once its done the whole system will be automated and less open to abuse.

They might even catch a few Thai criminals . kamnan po only hung out in his own house for 10 years. I am sure the other major criminals will just get caught at a border post.

Cambodia and Malaysia at least.

Do they fingerprint in Malaysia? All arrivals?

I don't remember that.

Yes they do fingerprint in and out of Malaysia. I was there three weeks back.

[Chalard]

Do they fingerprint in Malaysia? All arrivals?

I don't remember that.

Nope ... when through the LCCC at KL 2 weeks ago.

The machines are there at KLIA, but not being used when i was there in July. Maybe broken or to many people complained..!!!

Edited May 15, 2014 by Chalard

[Evolare]

Yeah feels a little bit like overkill and i think lots of people will get spooked over this. I think this will hurt Thai tourism more than it will do good. Big brother is watching...

[transam]

Perhaps this is toooooooooooooo simple, why don't local immigration guys go to venues where farang guys and gals are working, check their visa status. It is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo simple that I cannot see a problem, BUT, are local folk on a "payroll" the problem...?

[RJJ]

Silicone finger pads.

Design yourself a new print and that's it.

All the billions of baht invested and the 4 hour delays will be wasted.

[terryp]

Where may I go to be fingerprinted ? Glad to see this and thing they should use Facial or Eye Scanners. Whatever it takes to keep or maker Thailand a harder place from Drugs, Human Trafficing and Terrorist to transit. Only problem is they have no data base for Kenya, Nigeria maybe even Malaysia.

I think you get the idea, Jerry

Amazing …I will say only one thing and please try to use you few remaining brain cells to understand it.

Once your privacy and liberties are taken YOU NEVER GET THEM BACK … and that included the dipsticks that say “ I have nothing to hide” ……wakeup

[Benmart]

I am sure they will be up to the usual high standard of every other high tech facility purchased and operated by this country.

I'm not sure of something that is in the future since it hasn't happened. I will reserve my criticism once it is in place.

[Chalard]

Maybe best to do Retina scans if silicon finger pads can be used.

But next time that person enters Thailand, i presume the finger pads have the same print so to speak..

[Muggi1968]

I visit Malaysia recently.

The fingerprint system in KL worked fine and I was wondering:

Why do TH not do the same ???

[Mudcrab]

Is Thaksin Shinawatra's prints on file ...

I think you mean. "Are Thaksin Shinawatra's prints on file."

Sorry, I'm a picky old bugger but don't worry, I have even had to correct a couple of Prime Ministers on issues of singular and plural.

Picky maybe....but why the fullstop after mean? And no questionmark after file?

[Chicog]

I have no problem with this if they do it *properly*.

The eGate system at Dubai uses only a card, so you don't need stamps in your passport. It's a very quick process. You tap the card, walk into an "airlock" type arrangement, press the finger they request and you're through in 15-20 seconds.

If they try and do it manually with a bunch of Somchais squinting at a screen trying to work out what it means, then I'm going to start flying somewhere else for the short trips, bugger spending half my holidays standing in a frigging airport waiting for that lot to acquire double digit IQs.

[Chicog]

Where may I go to be fingerprinted ? Glad to see this and thing they should use Facial or Eye Scanners. Whatever it takes to keep or maker Thailand a harder place from Drugs, Human Trafficing and Terrorist to transit. Only problem is they have no data base for Kenya, Nigeria maybe even Malaysia.

I think you get the idea, Jerry

Amazing …I will say only one thing and please try to use you few remaining brain cells to understand it.

Once your privacy and liberties are taken YOU NEVER GET THEM BACK … and that included the dipsticks that say “ I have nothing to hide” ……wakeup

You're frankly delusional if you think you have either.

[wayne hoskins]

Great idea,get rid of all <deleted> thailand does not need these types, hope it is successful,

[Sydebolle]

I get the feeling that this whole exercise goes much deeper than one thinks and has little to do with the "Alien Farang" crown - except serving as the jumping board for a much bigger thing.
We all know that Thailand is - quite clearly - not ready for AEC2015; unlike some neighbouring countries. I was always wondering what the Thais would do to avoid getting steamrollered by other ASEAN citizens with higher qualifications and better language skills as of January 1st, 2016.

Make it mandatory for those ASEAN citizens to manage written and spoken Thai? Would not fly as countermeasures in Singapore could retaliate in getting Khun Thai to manage Mandarin

So, how to keep as many Philippine citizens away from hospitality and nightlife?
How to keep Cambodians and Burmese from the construction- and other sites?
How to keep Indonesian cooks from all those poorly staffed hospitality kitchens?

It is clear, that Thailand would offer a seven-digit employment facility as all those unqualified and untrained Thais would eventually get replaced by more qualified, more dedicated and more disciplined non-Thais from ASEAN. Latter would also erode local Thai voters base which is so important for the plutocratic oligarchy of running this country (which is brittling already).

The barriers and blockades would have to be politically correct hence why not start with the Farang-crowds.
Over time Thailand could possibly introduce an ASEAN work visa (presently a difficult to get visa type "L") to be granted in the passport holders home country. This only would be issued against presentation of qualifications and job contract and the issuance of the latter remains a diplomatic affair of internal-political nature of Thailand. Like this hundred thousands would be locked as they would not qualify for their ASEAN employment pass.

With fingerprinting and stopping border runners all those ASEAN workers could not border-run either (and at the Friendship Bridge in Nongkhai you find hundreds of Vietnamese border runners every day now already ).

So, no visa in a Philippine passport issued by the Thai Embassy in Manila means that Carlota Almanera from Boracay is entering once and upon leaving will not return again. If she is lucky to find a job during that initial visit - fine, otherwise nothing will change anytime soon here in Prathet Thai!

We will see but, apart from the above theory the entire idea and expense does not make real sense (latter not a pre-condition to get anything done here, I know)

[Mudcrab]

The sale of fine course sandpaper will increase..

Fine course sandpaper is used to sand off your finger prints. It take a long time and can be very painful.. ImageUploadedByThaivisa Connect Thailand1400141432.707600.jpg

Sent from my iPhone

Yeah right. No fingerprints - welcome to Thailand sir!! Couldn't possibly have something to hide!

[Pralaad]

I do not get you lot.

You bitch about lack of security and number of criminals hiding in Thailand , and now that Thailand is adding security you are bitching again???!!!

[Matt K]

But you can actually change your fingerprints...so an intelligent criminal can still avoid detection. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14001-bond-gadgets-never-say-they-will-never-work.html

[Mudcrab]

There will be a lot of teaching jobs open with all the new immigration rules. The number of illegal foriegners without the correct visa is enormous. I know personally of many who do visa runs bi weekly to stay and teach in thailand. This fingerprinting may also reduce some of the russian mafia that is here. Getting into thailand may become harder and stricter for tourists but staying here will be harder

Sent from my GT-S5310 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

surely a work permit stops all that hassle....or are they undesirable people..

Winston the problem is that most teachers do not have the university degree to get a work permit and most companies donot want to get them for staff as it will affect their bottom line.

For a school to get a work permit for a teacher is time consuming ad expensive. Also as soon as they do they have to start reporting income and taxes.

Right now it is more convenient for a person to get a job teaching pickup 30k a month no taxes and enjoy life.

As soon as you get a work permit you lose a percentage of your money to income tax and other benefits.

it is going to be interesting for sure.

I think the bottom line is the situation you described - foreigners working illegally in Thailand. Which is partly what the recent immigration changes are trying to address.

[ezzra]

Hopefully they will not use fake finger scanning machines like they did with the CCTV

[Carrerakiss]

A lot of things are " announced" in Thailand and either never see the light of day, get used for a little while then discontinued, or just break down after a while due to poor maintainance. Anyone who has lived here for a while will know countless examples of all of the aforementioned. A very small percentage of projects come into being and continue for any meaning ful length of time. Ironically, photographing of arrivals is one of them.

Time will tell in which category this latest announcement falls. But for sure, nothing will happen this year. That is a classically over ambitious target date. But the top guy can now claim he is doing something, if quizzed on the subject.

[tyler214]

Where else in the region do they fingerprint tourist arrivals like this?

Presumably going to be checked against biometrics?

Do they even have automated readers yet? Doesn't Somchai still key the data in by hand. At least, once its done the whole system will be automated and less open to abuse.

They might even catch a few Thai criminals . kamnan po only hung out in his own house for 10 years. I am sure the other major criminals will just get caught at a border post.

Phenom Phen airport has them,

[HUAHIN62]

So it will be the same as entering the US ?

[kkup]

Soon they'll be selling amputated fingers on khao san for 100 baht

[surfinglife]

Anything to get rid of the British tattooed thugs on the run and the Russian mafia. Whatever works I will vote for it. Must do something.

[Cappella]

342 Millions Baht for this :-)

[Fat Haggis]

It's no big deal, if they want my prints and it adds 30 extra at the immigration desk then no big deal!

I go through this procedure going in and out of Iraq all the time, it's just another evolution when it comes to security there's no point in bitching about something your have no control over is there ?

[Searat7]

I did this in Phnom Penh recently and it took some time..I wasn't sure exactly what they wanted and remember doing the thumbs separately. Immigration lines will increase for sure.

[empireboy]

Finger scanning is not the silliest idea they've ever had. They could put disinfectant wipes at the immigration counter to prevent spread of infectious issues... cheap n easy.