Phuket Police chief stumped over tourist SIM cards bypassing national security

[bark]

Why don't they just tell the Terrorists " We are the Hub for Sim Cards"

[wvavin]

The Thai police is exactly like a Chinese proverb that says; "A frog in the well".......they have no clue of how big and wide the outside world is.

[TheCruncher]

what to do with tour operators handing out Thai SIM cards to tourists.

Shouldn't the question be, what to do with the THAI phone companies handing out free sims to the guides?

[dieseldave1951]

not every country !!!!! just an assumption by you

If your national security depends on registered sim cards, then you have much bigger problems.

You think a really bad guy can't get a sim that's not on his name? He can't pay some poor sucker to get his sim or buy one for him?

It's about mass surveillance. This way they can build massive databases of movement information of all people.

How did national security survive in the age before smartphones? Where was the apocalyps?

If you think that he meant that Thailand's entire national security programme depends on SIM cards being registered then it's you that has problems. SIM registration is a small part of national security for every country, not just Thailand.

Only the paranoid think that "it's about mass surveillance".

Before the age of smartphones bombs were not being detonated by smartphones, smartphones just added to any existing security issues.

[Spock]

Can SIM cards still be bought at the airport by incoming passengers?

[billd766]

They have been giving out free SIM cards just after immigration at Phuket airport, for years.

No paperwork is filled out, they just give you a SIM card.

Who are "they"?

AIS, DTAC, True, anybody else?

[billd766]

All of this SIM card registration reminds me of a post I made many months ago when this grand idea was implemented........

At a certain condo in Bangkok many residents gave their phones to an enterprising Thai security guard who then for a fee of 100b or was it 200b (I cannot remember).....set off and registered all the phones in his name........using his ID.........a nice little money earner for him.........but an indication of what a complete farce this SIM registration thing is/was....

Did he have to pay all the phone bills as well, especially as all the bills would be in his name and address?

[wangsuda]

All of this SIM card registration reminds me of a post I made many months ago when this grand idea was implemented........

At a certain condo in Bangkok many residents gave their phones to an enterprising Thai security guard who then for a fee of 100b or was it 200b (I cannot remember).....set off and registered all the phones in his name........using his ID.........a nice little money earner for him.........but an indication of what a complete farce this SIM registration thing is/was....

Did he have to pay all the phone bills as well, especially as all the bills would be in his name and address?

Umm...ever hear of pre-pay? No bills come to the house when one buys a top-up card.

[NamKangMan]

I don't mind ... registering SIMs is an aid in national security .. just turn the numbers off that are not registered ... it takes about 15 minutes to register .. not a day.

just turn the numbers off that are not registered" - do you expect tourists to register their foreign sim cards with Thai authorities?

[Khon Kaen Dave]

I got a pre paid sim in a 7/11.in Pattaya.Went in with my Thai drivers license,showing my passport number.girl put license in a machine.Came back ok. got sim card.

[Peterphuket]

If your national security depends on registered sim cards, then you have much bigger problems.

You think a really bad guy can't get a sim that's not on his name? He can't pay some poor sucker to get his sim or buy one for him?

It's about mass surveillance. This way they can build massive databases of movement information of all people.

How did national security survive in the age before smartphones? Where was the apocalyps?

It is still possible to get a prepaid simcard in many other countrys, without any registration, from which planet is this man coming?

[NamKangMan]

I got a pre paid sim in a 7/11.in Pattaya.Went in with my Thai drivers license,showing my passport number.girl put license in a machine.Came back ok. got sim card.

And if you gave a random bar girl 200 baht to go and get one for you, and put the sim in a new phone - you are untraceable.

It's as simple as that.

[CoreanoOzzie]

No matter what you do, crafty people will find a way to exploit loopholes..

[eddie61]

For every single law in Thailand there is a process, which usually involves varying numbers and colours of pictures, depending on the current market for legal "due" process.

Edited March 10, 2016 by eddie61

[ijwelch]

They have been giving out free SIM cards just after immigration at Phuket airport, for years.

No paperwork is filled out, they just give you a SIM card.

Who are "they"?

AIS, DTAC, True, anybody else?

Don't know about Phuket but last time I came through Suvarnabhumi I was handed a sim by passport control. I assume all tourists got one. This was about 3 months ago. Pretty sure it was DTAC.

[nudger]

I picked up a free SIm from the immigration desk when I last arrived in BKK

Not set it up yet though??

[TechnikaIII]

They get very worried, when they cannot control EVERYTHING.

regards Worgeordie

When you are the one who gets half your body smashed away by the blast of a bomb, your attitude will change, ... maybe.

[farcanell]

Can SIM cards still be bought at the airport by incoming passengers?

I was in Phuket arrivals, a week ago.... And there was kiosks selling SIM cards.... So yes, still on sale.

Now, I must be one of the paranoid folk, because I waited until my service was cut, before registering, but I think that "they" (telecom operators) allow you to use prepaid for a finite period, depending on activation date, before disconnection.

Probably wrong.... Due to paranoia...

[Jim walker]

The evil motives of these foreigners when will it ever end, Sim cards next they will be wanting our woman and our land to build houses on. Only one way to stop this evil from ruining this well run loving caring efficient country stamp all passports as they leave the country if they survive the full length of their holiday re-entry denied for life. Or they will try and take over the country could anyone imaging anything worse like a Geordie running as prime minister in Thailand. The End is neigh.

[50baht]

[jocko]

I just got a sim and registered then someone told me the only last 12 months as a once a year tourist to Thailand but have a lot of expat friends who live here so makes sense to have a sim but i dont want be doing it every time if i go beyond 12 months since my last visit .

[AlQaholic]

If your national security depends on registered sim cards, then you have much bigger problems.

You think a really bad guy can't get a sim that's not on his name? He can't pay some poor sucker to get his sim or buy one for him?

It's about mass surveillance. This way they can build massive databases of movement information of all people.

How did national security survive in the age before smartphones? Where was the apocalyps?

If you think that he meant that Thailand's entire national security programme depends on SIM cards being registered then it's you that has problems. SIM registration is a small part of national security for every country, not just Thailand.

Only the paranoid think that "it's about mass surveillance".

Before the age of smartphones bombs were not being detonated by smartphones, smartphones just added to any existing security issues.

If you wanna use a smartphone set off a bomb, just use a sim card from any other nation....

[diehard60]

the easiest things always stump the people.

[diehard60]

If your national security depends on registered sim cards, then you have much bigger problems.

You think a really bad guy can't get a sim that's not on his name? He can't pay some poor sucker to get his sim or buy one for him?

It's about mass surveillance. This way they can build massive databases of movement information of all people.

How did national security survive in the age before smartphones? Where was the apocalyps?

If you think that he meant that Thailand's entire national security programme depends on SIM cards being registered then it's you that has problems. SIM registration is a small part of national security for every country, not just Thailand.

Only the paranoid think that "it's about mass surveillance".

Before the age of smartphones bombs were not being detonated by smartphones, smartphones just added to any existing security issues.

If you wanna use a smartphone set off a bomb, just use a sim card from any other nation....

I'd be carful what you say here.

[JHolmesJr]

Easy solution…visit Singapore….see how they do it….go home…copy.

[SOTIRIOS]

...how to improve on perfection....

[Dumbastheycome]

I thought that unregistered numbers were unusable.

I seem to recall having a couple of friends having their numbers blocked until they went in and registered them.

These cards are not "unregistered".

They are bulk purchased and registered in the name of the tourist agency.

The recipient tourist user is then anonymous. There is no provision in Thai regulations that says more than registration is required.

The security risk is if a recipient takes advantage of the situation. An easy fix would be to require the agency to record the details of each tourist recipient rather than a random distribution. ( Perhaps they already do but nobody has asked? )

[Dumbastheycome]

I thought that unregistered numbers were unusable.

I seem to recall having a couple of friends having their numbers blocked until they went in and registered them.

These cards are not "unregistered".

They are bulk purchased and registered in the name of the tourist agency.

The recipient tourist user is then anonymous. There is no provision in Thai regulations that says more than registration is required.

The security risk is if a recipient takes advantage of the situation. An easy fix would be to require the agency to record the details of each tourist recipient rather than a random distribution. ( Perhaps they already do but nobody has asked? )

[hawker9000]

The Corporations that sell the Sims should be responsible for the registration process and fined if they fail their responsibility. Punitive damages should be added on if the cell is used without a regustered card in a crime or creates financial damages for the buyer.

Naïve in the extreme, and another "simple" answer. The "corporations" (do I detect some of the usual, tired, anti-corp ranting here?) will only pass those costs along, the consumer will be the one who pays, and the problem will continue as before. You don't think you pay enough for cellular in Thailand? Congratulations then, you've found the solution. 'Want to fight crime? Not so much. There are still some slow-learners who think public safety can simply be purchased as the expense of personal privacy and liberty and business productivity. We've learned that it can't. The bad guys just find another angle to exploit, the authorities cancel more liberties, the bad guys take an even bigger bite, and this cat & mouse/whack-a-mole process continues until there's nothing left but an absolute police state and authoritarianism, with underground mafias - corrupt officials in their pockets - and more pervasive and violent criminal activity than before.

The solution, which is not so simple unfortunately, is better, more professional, more informed, much less corrupt policing and crime-fighting.

[Stray]

No sim card registration required in Vietnam.

They are easily and cheaply bought from "Mom and Pop stores" and the big retailers.

Buy one, load it up and activate "Global Roaming" using a brand new phone.

Bring the sim and phone to Thailand. Untraceable.

If a criminal wanted to have the investigation looking in another direction, buy an old secondhand phone and use that.

No point having sim registration in Thailand when next door doesn't.

"No sim card registration required in Vietnam."

Is that really true?