Specialist teams to scrutinise passports at airport immigration

[snoop1130]

Specialist teams to scrutinise passports at airport immigration
Sukhumvit News

THAILAND -- Thai immigration are stepping up their efforts to fully scrutinise passports of incoming foreigners in order to better manage the threats posed by the global terrorist and criminal environment.

Specialist teams composed of professionals from both the public and private sectors will be based at international airports around the country, scrutinising passports in a bid to stop terrorists and criminals entering the Kingdom, reports the Bangkok Post.

Full Story: http://whatsonsukhumvit.com/specialist-teams-to-scrutinise-passports-at-airport-immigration/

-- (c) What's on Sukhumvit 2016-01-20

[mark131v]

An elite team of passport scrutineers, forgive my ignorance but is that not exactly what passport and immigration does?

'In another move to beef up security and reduce congestion at airports and border crossings, Immigration are also doubling the Visa on Arrival fee to ฿2,000, according to Stickboy Bangkok.

Spokesman Maj Gen Sansern Keawkamnerd hopes that the increased fee will encourage tourists to apply for visas in advance of their arrival into Thailand, at their own embassies and consulates. This should enhance security as more rigorous checks can be undertaken this way, prior to foreigners even entering the country'

Ah another chance to squeeze more money out of it and use the old 'this will enhance as more rigorous checks can be undertaken' nice!! win win they get more money for doing nothing, classic!!

Edited January 20, 2016 by mark131v

[LuukKoeyKorat]

Surely that is the exact job description for an...immigration officer?...

[Jingthing]

Good idea!

[jpinx]

It looks like a way to enforce the requirements for exempt entry more diligently. The comment in there is "encourage people to get a visa.." speaks volumes. They want things like criminal record checks in home-country and responsibility for the embassies and consulates.

[daiwill60]

"The teams will be comprised of workers from the local police, Special Branch, Office of the Narcotics Control Board, airline and bank employees".

Why not just create some full time jobs for others, rather than for people already in jobs. Oh Yeah , they have already , they are immigration police . HUH ???

Excuse me boss (bank manager) i am going up to the airport tomorrow to work there, because immigration officials cannot do job, can you cover me for the day?

[Hawk]

How can teams possibly cover every airport, 24/7? A team suggests a small number of people (5-10). 30,000,000 passports a year to scrutinize.

Edited January 20, 2016 by Hawk

[Hawk]

"Specialist teams to scrutinise passports at airport immigration".

So, a message to all terrorists and criminals, please use our unscrutizing land border crossing points.

[lonewolf99]

"Specialist teams composed of professionals..." so we can take it as read that it is currently in the hands of complete amateurs then ?

The bottom line again is....unless you are coming here for two weeks already paid for to an "agency" then going home.

They do not want you/us here. They never did, check the history, they never will.

[chrisinth]

I would assume that the 'specialists' would be there in a backup roll in case of doubt from an immigration officer about how genuine a passport is. To have a 'specialist checking every passport would involve too many of them, or unacceptable queues.

Probably with access to databases not given to immigration? As long as it is a means to enhance security, i have no problem with it, in fact would think it a good idea.

Always remembering that assumption is the first step to chaos in the real world.............................

[Bluespunk]

.

Edited January 20, 2016 by Bluespunk

[DrTuner]

In the mean while, the terrorists simply walk over a land border whenever they want.

[colinneil]

Typical Thailand tell the world what you are going to do before hand ,instead of doing it quietly to catch the bad guys.

Dopey or what !!DOH !!

[MaiChai]

Strangely had the local town police come round today to look at my passport. Said they were looking for terrorists from Arab countries. He was compiling a list and from his list I could see he had already visited the other foreigner in the village. He took a photo of my passport and my photo. Feel sorry for anyone remotly Arab looking on the basis of this! Must have got my address from my landing card and immigration computer. If you are living in rural thailand expect a visit shortly from the bib.

[MRDave]

Does this mean Capt Jack will get the sack?

[asanee]

What apparently noone of the ever so active with posting TV-users seems to know, nor likely even Thai immi:

such a system already exists-since around 2000, a giant database with all kinds of real and forged passports, developed (ooch-ouch another sigh for the insular Brits) by the asssorted Schengen countries in Europe.in cooperation with the US. Plus that since that came into existence, forged passports are not that common anymore-more likely are people travelling/using other/stolen passports with very similar pictures. Hence that biometric fingerprinten etc as extra measure. This base also contains all nrs (reported) of stolen empty passport-books etc.

[simple1]

What apparently noone of the ever so active with posting TV-users seems to know, nor likely even Thai immi:

such a system already exists-since around 2000, a giant database with all kinds of real and forged passports, developed (ooch-ouch another sigh for the insular Brits) by the asssorted Schengen countries in Europe.in cooperation with the US. Plus that since that came into existence, forged passports are not that common anymore-more likely are people travelling/using other/stolen passports with very similar pictures. Hence that biometric fingerprinten etc as extra measure. This base also contains all nrs (reported) of stolen empty passport-books etc.

deleted

Edited January 21, 2016 by simple1

[captspectre]

An elite team of passport scrutineers, forgive my ignorance but is that not exactly what passport and immigration does?

'In another move to beef up security and reduce congestion at airports and border crossings, Immigration are also doubling the Visa on Arrival fee to ฿2,000, according to Stickboy Bangkok.

Spokesman Maj Gen Sansern Keawkamnerd hopes that the increased fee will encourage tourists to apply for visas in advance of their arrival into Thailand, at their own embassies and consulates. This should enhance security as more rigorous checks can be undertaken this way, prior to foreigners even entering the country'

Ah another chance to squeeze more money out of it and use the old 'this will enhance as more rigorous checks can be undertaken' nice!! win win they get more money for doing nothing, classic!!

if the foreign "tourist" would get off their lazy butts and get a visa prior to arrival they would not have to pay at the "door" serves them right! if they can't afford two thousand baht than they should not be here!

[bbbbooboo]

air travel generally is becoming an increasingly excruciating ordeal of checking and more checking. I guess on the plus side it gives a lot of people a lot of jobs that never used to exist and some small people a small amount of power that they would not normally have had.

[BKResort]

Typical Thailand tell the world what you are going to do before hand ,instead of doing it quietly to catch the bad guys.

Dopey or what !!DOH !!

They learned from the US....

[jpinx]

An elite team of passport scrutineers, forgive my ignorance but is that not exactly what passport and immigration does?

'In another move to beef up security and reduce congestion at airports and border crossings, Immigration are also doubling the Visa on Arrival fee to ฿2,000, according to Stickboy Bangkok.

Spokesman Maj Gen Sansern Keawkamnerd hopes that the increased fee will encourage tourists to apply for visas in advance of their arrival into Thailand, at their own embassies and consulates. This should enhance security as more rigorous checks can be undertaken this way, prior to foreigners even entering the country'

Ah another chance to squeeze more money out of it and use the old 'this will enhance as more rigorous checks can be undertaken' nice!! win win they get more money for doing nothing, classic!!

if the foreign "tourist" would get off their lazy butts and get a visa prior to arrival they would not have to pay at the "door" serves them right! if they can't afford two thousand baht than they should not be here!

Depending on the passport, the tourist can just arrive and pay nothing for 30 day stay -- so the arrangements actually favour *not* getting a visa. If they introduced a fee for the exempt entry that would shake things up considerably

[dcsw53]

Memo to ISIS and Al Qaeda

Please send your people here by ferry or foot. Will make things easier as they can wear their suicide vests for the journey instead of putting them hold luggage.

[skildpadden]

Arrived yesterday after a business trip and luckily the lines were short as they indeed took quite a while to check passport as well as address given on the arrival card - they also took their time to check the non-imm visa.

A Russian flight arrived at the same time and a lot of the passengers were sent back in line to fill out the forms again - I could see they were mostly looking at their hotel confirmations to provide proper address, so a heads up anyone traveling in the near future: make sure you provide a proper address.

[wabothai]

Good idea!

he, this is Thailand and not Israel.

[Loles]

You have to wait a lot when you would like to step into TH.

But now we know why ...

Cheaper than take more officer to work.

[Baerboxer]

What apparently noone of the ever so active with posting TV-users seems to know, nor likely even Thai immi:

such a system already exists-since around 2000, a giant database with all kinds of real and forged passports, developed (ooch-ouch another sigh for the insular Brits) by the asssorted Schengen countries in Europe.in cooperation with the US. Plus that since that came into existence, forged passports are not that common anymore-more likely are people travelling/using other/stolen passports with very similar pictures. Hence that biometric fingerprinten etc as extra measure. This base also contains all nrs (reported) of stolen empty passport-books etc.

Yes those wonderfully clever EU Schengen officials did great jobs last year in Belgium and France.

Bet ISIL, AQ and the Taliban quake in their boots at the mere mention of the word Schengen.

[hawker9000]

It looks like a way to enforce the requirements for exempt entry more diligently. The comment in there is "encourage people to get a visa.." speaks volumes. They want things like criminal record checks in home-country and responsibility for the embassies and consulates.

The op mentions Visa On Arrival and the VOA fee, not Visa Exempt (for which there is no fee). I have no idea what the actual numbers are, but my guess is that VOA entries are quite small compared to VE entries. (Visa On Arrival DOES involve the actual issuance of a visa, BTW. Visa Exempt does not.). This is 2016, not 1876. I would think an airport VOA facility could carry out the background check at the VOA level just as well as, and possibly better than, an overseas embassy or consulate or honorary consulate.

ACTUAL discussions involving Visa On Arrival (that is, discussions where members aren't confusing it with Visa Exempt) are relatively rare on TV. I don't know what issues there might be with it (denials, complications, out-of-the-blue doc reqts, etc.). So when something like this pops up, it would be nice if someone who actually has experience with it could comment. It sounds like another opportunistic thai "fee squeeze", but maybe there really are rising security issues WRT the VOA-list countries that require a more resource-intensive scrutiny.

Edited January 21, 2016 by hawker9000

[bangon04]

What apparently noone of the ever so active with posting TV-users seems to know, nor likely even Thai immi:

such a system already exists-since around 2000, a giant database with all kinds of real and forged passports, developed (ooch-ouch another sigh for the insular Brits) by the asssorted Schengen countries in Europe.in cooperation with the US. Plus that since that came into existence, forged passports are not that common anymore-more likely are people travelling/using other/stolen passports with very similar pictures. Hence that biometric fingerprinten etc as extra measure. This base also contains all nrs (reported) of stolen empty passport-books etc.

sounds impressive, until you see that any Italian-looking person can enter any EU country with a local ID card which has been typed at the town hall with a photo stuck on it and a inked stamp.

[SOTIRIOS]

....more words...more pronouncements....more titles.....more professionals.......

...2 sets of eyes........3.........4........5.....6.........

...how many 'professionals' does it take......???

...reminds me of all those 'changing a light bulb' jokes...

[Jonmarleesco]

An elite team of passport scrutineers, forgive my ignorance but is that not exactly what passport and immigration does?

'In another move to beef up security and reduce congestion at airports and border crossings, Immigration are also doubling the Visa on Arrival fee to ฿2,000, according to Stickboy Bangkok.

Spokesman Maj Gen Sansern Keawkamnerd hopes that the increased fee will encourage tourists to apply for visas in advance of their arrival into Thailand, at their own embassies and consulates. This should enhance security as more rigorous checks can be undertaken this way, prior to foreigners even entering the country'

Ah another chance to squeeze more money out of it and use the old 'this will enhance as more rigorous checks can be undertaken' nice!! win win they get more money for doing nothing, classic!!

Presumably the specialists specialise in staying awake, and manning desks when passengers arrive. If not, then the question about what passport and immigration does is valid.