Increased scrutiny of "alien" visitors at Suvarnabhumi airport

[bbbbooboo]

Is making an already unpleasant experience at the airport more unpleasant .In addition there seem to be more police/army guys walking around the airport,randomly questioning said aliens. Meanwhile I watch an unattended bag sit for at least 60 min in the immigration queues area that could have contained anything.Keep it up Thailand, this is way to drive an already faltering tourist economy into the ground

[chrisinth]

Security unfortunately is today a fact of life and personally I am not phased by additional armed security personnel in attendance.

What would concern me is people who are willing to watch an unattended bag for an hour without informing anybody. That presents a potential danger in itself.

We all have a part to play, like it or not

[jacky54]

Should you not have reported the bag?

[mngmn]

Should you not have reported the bag?

Reporting the bag is useless. The security staff I have reported unattended bags to simply smile. Or worse still, start questioning me.

Thailand's cultures is driven by relationships between people. So it makes far more sense to them to focus on people not inanimate objects.

[Michael8511]

It sounds really stupid that not to report the unattended bag also "MNGMN" it sounds unreal that you have witnessed several unattended bags at immigration at Suvarnabhumi airport. I have travelled the world for work for 40+ years and the unattended bags I have seen during these years can count on less then 1 hand. And when reported a unattended bag it have always been removed. To believe that the security personnel at Suvarnabhumi should be so ignorant that they don't remove a bag sitting there for 60 minutes are unbelievable.

[OMGImInPattaya]

Security personnel at an airport...who would have thought...thanks for the news.

[Roota]

Just for the record, there's nothing faltering about Thailand's tourist industry, at least not in the numbers. Arrivals in 2015 are well on track to surpass the previous high of 26.5 million in 2013.

More airport security? I welcome it.

[Time Traveller]

It sounds really stupid that not to report the unattended bag also "MNGMN" it sounds unreal that you have witnessed several unattended bags at immigration at Suvarnabhumi airport. I have travelled the world for work for 40+ years and the unattended bags I have seen during these years can count on less then 1 hand. And when reported a unattended bag it have always been removed. To believe that the security personnel at Suvarnabhumi should be so ignorant that they don't remove a bag sitting there for 60 minutes are unbelievable.

No it's believable. Anyone that's been to arrivals will see bags not claimed by their owners sitting there. The security at thai airport seem somewhat retarded. Or perhaps the focus is on shaking down people for money.

[arithai12]

About the increased police/army at BKK, you should see how it is these days in any major airport/station in Europe.

About the unattended bag, why not report it? If they won't do anything about it (which I doubt), surely it's their problem. btw, one thing is an unattended bag in the terminal area, and another thing are unattended bags in the luggage delivery area. These latter are quite ok, obviously.

[Michael8511]

Yes there are bags at the carousels after immigration that are waiting for be picked up. These bags have been security checked at origin. You see this at airports all over the world even in US. Not all people from each flight arrive at the luggage pick up carousel at same time for different reason. The thing I mentioned were at immigration check point. And I'm sure if they see a bag sitting unattended at immigration and that's before you get your stamp. They will remove it.

[thailandstupidlife]

Thailand is paradise <3

[MauiSteveBKK]

I agree.

C'mon -- get with the times -- hire some "Hooter's Girls" and let's do "PAT DOWNS."

The good 'ol US of A is starting to do more physical "Pat Downs" in addition to full body scans.

We all know that terrorists ONLY come into a country via the airport.

Even though they can easily walk across a border somewhere ... NO. The bad guys only come through the airports.

5555 5555 mak mak

[SoiBiker]

Just another 'the Thai tourist industry is doomed' thread. And yet they keep coming.

Why are so many members here so keen to predict the demise of tourism in Thailand?

[ubonjoe]

Not visa related moved to the Suvarnabhumi airport forum.

[animalmagic]

Security unfortunately is today a fact of life and personally I am not phased by additional armed security personnel in attendance.

What would concern me is people who are willing to watch an unattended bag for an hour without informing anybody. That presents a potential danger in itself.

We all have a part to play, like it or not

[mngmn]

It sounds really stupid that not to report the unattended bag also "MNGMN" it sounds unreal that you have witnessed several unattended bags at immigration at Suvarnabhumi airport. I have travelled the world for work for 40+ years and the unattended bags I have seen during these years can count on less then 1 hand. And when reported a unattended bag it have always been removed. To believe that the security personnel at Suvarnabhumi should be so ignorant that they don't remove a bag sitting there for 60 minutes are unbelievable.

Mod please delete this post. My original post was probably unwise in the current environment ...

[LawrenceN]

It sounds really stupid that not to report the unattended bag also "MNGMN" it sounds unreal that you have witnessed several unattended bags at immigration at Suvarnabhumi airport. I have travelled the world for work for 40+ years and the unattended bags I have seen during these years can count on less then 1 hand. And when reported a unattended bag it have always been removed. To believe that the security personnel at Suvarnabhumi should be so ignorant that they don't remove a bag sitting there for 60 minutes are unbelievable.

No it's believable. Anyone that's been to arrivals will see bags not claimed by their owners sitting there. The security at thai airport seem somewhat retarded. Or perhaps the focus is on shaking down people for money.

Now hold on a minute. Arriving baggage that just came off the plane:

1) Was screened before it was loaded at point of embarkation;

2) Since one very important objective of all of this screening is to keep planes safe in the air, the mission was accomplished if bags have already arrived on the ground.

Granted, it would be a tragedy for luggage to explode at the baggage carousel or anywhere else in the airport, but no plane would go down because of it. I think terrorists know they're going to get headlines (that is, enhance terror) if they take down a plane, much more so than something damaging a baggage retrieval area. The high value target is the plane.

[louse1953]

It sounds really stupid that not to report the unattended bag also "MNGMN" it sounds unreal that you have witnessed several unattended bags at immigration at Suvarnabhumi airport. I have travelled the world for work for 40+ years and the unattended bags I have seen during these years can count on less then 1 hand. And when reported a unattended bag it have always been removed. To believe that the security personnel at Suvarnabhumi should be so ignorant that they don't remove a bag sitting there for 60 minutes are unbelievable.

No it's believable. Anyone that's been to arrivals will see bags not claimed by their owners sitting there. The security at thai airport seem somewhat retarded. Or perhaps the focus is on shaking down people for money.

And what shake downs are these,pray tell.

[AlfonsV]

"To believe that the security personnel at Suvarnabhumi should be so ignorant that they don't remove a bag sitting there for 60 minutes are unbelievable."

Nothing is unbelievable in this country...

[Michael8511]

LawrenceN and louse1953.

You are quoting me but only the top part is my response to another post. The lower part is someone that argued my post. Once again I think we have the same idea that luggage that come off the plane will not harm anybody since it screamed at orgin.

[TheCruncher]

I wonder how the OP was able to watch the immigration queue's, where the unattended bag was sitting, for 60 minutes.

[Dumbastheycome]

Alien....yes ...used and as a translation can be deemed offensive. In this instance as used probably because of feeling offended. Carousel baggage circulating or 60 minutes...I have waited longer for my own to even appear. If in a location away from a carousel then should notified.

And In Changi Singapore I am well used to the presence of armed personnel carrying submachine guns over the last 15 years!!

If in Thailands airports you feel threatened by questions and not very visible armourey.....?

[Mudcrab]

Spent over an hour at Swampy last week at immigration control. My suitcase was on the carousel 45 minutes before me. Not that unusual.

No hassles by army or security people.

[Chuckles78]

Is making an already unpleasant experience at the airport more unpleasant .In addition there seem to be more police/army guys walking around the airport,randomly questioning said aliens. Meanwhile I watch an unattended bag sit for at least 60 min in the immigration queues area that could have contained anything.Keep it up Thailand, this is way to drive an already faltering tourist economy into the ground

Australian airport immigration has been randomly interrogating waiting tourists, swabbing for drugs & explosives for years.

In Europe it's common to see airport police with automatic weapons.

[Michael8511]

In Hong Kong outside at check in counters there have been security with AK47 for mor then 10 years and that's normal there, also in US if you have a ticket to Thailand with return 30+ days and have no visa they change your return to the 30 day return, have happened to me

[gk10002000]

I agree.

C'mon -- get with the times -- hire some "Hooter's Girls" and let's do "PAT DOWNS."

The good 'ol US of A is starting to do more physical "Pat Downs" in addition to full body scans.

We all know that terrorists ONLY come into a country via the airport.

Even though they can easily walk across a border somewhere ... NO. The bad guys only come through the airports.

5555 5555 mak mak

Just as a comparison, This last week I flew in the USA from San Diego to Palm Beach Florida and back. Too busy at work to take a month off and go to the LOS, so did a quick runner to home to see family. Anyway, San Diego did the Scanner thing. On the return flight from Florida, I upgraded on United to First Class. That only cost $53 for that entire leg so that was a great deal. When I printed out my boarding pass it said first class of course and also had "PRE" on it. I got in the TSA section at the airport and I was pointed to the "Pre screened" section. Only had to walk through the old fashioned metal detector, not a scanner. There was a big sign saying no need to take off shoes, no need to remove jacket, no need to remove belt. I never signed up for any pre-approved thing and I haven't flown in almost two years. I was happy with that, but surprised. My background is spotless, work in the aerospace inustry, have had a security clearance for 30 years, no court actions, born in the USA, no immigration involvement, etc.

[JaiLai]

It sounds really stupid that not to report the unattended bag also "MNGMN" it sounds unreal that you have witnessed several unattended bags at immigration at Suvarnabhumi airport. I have travelled the world for work for 40+ years and the unattended bags I have seen during these years can count on less then 1 hand. And when reported a unattended bag it have always been removed. To believe that the security personnel at Suvarnabhumi should be so ignorant that they don't remove a bag sitting there for 60 minutes are unbelievable.

No it's believable. Anyone that's been to arrivals will see bags not claimed by their owners sitting there. The security at thai airport seem somewhat retarded. Or perhaps the focus is on shaking down people for money.

I have been through DM and Suvanabhumi hundreds of times and not once has money attempted to be extorted from me.