New personal details form arrives at Phuket Immigration

[rooster59]

New personal details form arrives at Phuket Immigration

Tanyaluk Sakoot


The new form marks criminal liability for providing false information. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot

PHUKET: A General at the Immigration Bureau has warned that failure to provide personal details on a new form handed out the Phuket Immigration Office this week will have consequences for foreigners submitting applications in Phuket.

Maj Gen Chachaval Vachirapaneegul, Deputy Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau’s crime suppression unit, told The Phuket News on Wednesday (May 18) that new form, titled “Foreign National Information Form” is mandatory.

The form asks for foreigners to provide details of their social media accounts, Facebook, Line and email addresses, details of vehicles owned by the foreigner completing the application, and bank account details, among other information, including places frequented by the foreigner.

The top and the bottom of the three-page form features the warning: “Providing false information to an officer, shall be punished under the Penal Code.”

The form applies to nearly every type of application a foreigner can submit to Immigration. The header itself states (verbatim): “This form shall be used for making record of information of every alien entering and staying in the Kingdom of Thailand and shall be submit with Notification of residences for Aliens (section 37, 38 of Immigration Act, BE, 2522), or 90-days notification, or Extension of Stays (all purposes), or Re-entry Permits, or in all cases involving alien labors.”

Gen Chachaval made plain his position on the use of the new form: “If a foreigner doesn’t want to fill in their information by themselves, they will be questioned for our records anyway. If they don’t fill in the form, we will suspect their reason.

However, he did not clarify whether a foreigner declining to provide all the information asked for would constitute basis for rejecting the foreigner’s application.

Gen Chachaval did confirm that providing details of social media accounts was optional, as stated on the form, but said that all other sections on the form were “required”.

“We will not force people to provide their social media details,” he said.

The form started being handed out at Phuket Immigration on Monday, one day after the order for Phuket Immigration Superintendent Col Sunchai Chokkajaykij to be transferred was published in the Royal Gazette. Col Sunchai declined to reveal to The Phuket News where he has been transferred to.

Col Kantawat Pongsatanbordee, Chief of Immigration Bureau’s Information Technology Center in Bangkok, last Sunday was named as the incoming Phuket Immigration Chief, with the Royal Gazette stipulating he was to formally take office on Thursday (May 19).

Full story: http://www.thephuketnews.com/new-personal-details-form-arrives-at-phuket-immigration-57510.php#IiP7IggBzwOlTqth.97

-- Phuket News 2016-05-21

[namatjira]

Punished under the penal code .... What's that going to be ?

[wxpwzrd]

All one needs to do is examine the world's history to see where this is going...

[Confuscious]

Asking for details like Bank Accounts and other Private details is an infringement of the Privacy laws as written in the Court of La Haye and many other instances to protect the individual for misbehavior.

This is showing the TRUE face of a country ruled by a Junta which has totally no power anymore.

Thailand is going the wrong path with their rules.

[ianc66]

It would be good to have a readable image of this form, please Thaivisa or anybody visiting Phuket immigration.

To me this seems perverse and simply arse about face to suppress crime find those who do not register with immigration, a number that will likely increase with the introduction of this form.

BTW dear General can you show us the secure storage for this information?

[smedly]

bank account - they have already

social media - optional

Phone number - they have already

email - they have already

vehicle - they should have already or is easily obtained

social habits places frequented - changes weekly so is basically nonsense

conclusion - hogwash

[BigBadGeordie]

BTW dear General can you show us the secure storage for this information?

[DavisH]

This is bs and will do nothing to reduce crime perpetrated by foreigners. Think i need to open a bank account and put 100 baht in it. This will just serve to reduce the number of expats living here and could impact investment. Thailand prefers tourists . Give us ur money and piss off.

[LivinginKata]

This is a very worrying esculation.

I'll give then email account names, bank account details, even my car details - they have all that already. I don't have facebook or line.

Next they will be demanding passwords - I'll be leaving Thailand then.

[laolover88]

Penal Code Chapter 2 § 367

Any person who is required by a public officer to inform his name or address in the interest of the legal enforcement and refuses to so inform or maliciously gives false name or address shall be liable to a fine not exceeding one hundred baht.

No mention of other "Personal Information"

Pretty Stiff Penalty

Penal Code worth a read if you enjoy amusement!

[KhunBENQ]

So the ugly whale resurfaces at Phuket shores.

Hope it takes long for this stupidity/wastepaper production to reach upcountry

EDIT: deleted reference to an (older) PDF version of the form.

Looks like it has been edited/revised in the meantime.

Edited May 21, 2016 by KhunBENQ

[NongKhaiKid]

Penal Code Chapter 2 § 367

Any person who is required by a public officer to inform his name or address in the interest of the legal enforcement and refuses to so inform or maliciously gives false name or address shall be liable to a fine not exceeding one hundred baht.

No mention of other "Personal Information"

Pretty Stiff Penalty

Penal Code worth a read if you enjoy amusement!

One of the aspects of Thai ' law ' is how it's interpreted and i don't mean in a court but by individual police and immigration officers, civil servants etc. who can make it up as they go along.

Look how the simple act of pressing the LIKE icon on social media was interpreted to suit official needs.

[keith101]

I don't see a penal code number on the form so it begs the question is there actually any penalty under the immigration laws that cover this or is it just a scare tactic

[BigBadGeordie]

"This form shall be used for making record of every alien entering and staying in the Kingdom of Thailand (sic)."

So this form will have to be completed by everyone arriving in Thailand, in addition to a TM6?

"Submitted with Notification of residences for aliens."

Is that in addition to a TM30?

""90-days notification."

In addition to a TM47, and I assume, added to the online reporting pro-forma.

"Extensions of stay etc. etc."

I cannot face giving any more examples. I feel I have demonstrated the lunacy of this ill-conceived form.

"Gen Chachaval said the new information form was “necessary”.

“In the past, immigration lacked information about foreign nationals living in Thailand when problems happened. This updated information will help is catch foreigners faster,” he said.

“The information is will be linked our data system and will not be revealed or given to others (sic). The information collected will be kept private, but will be used for national security purposes”, he said.

Read more at http://www.thephuketnews.com/new-personal-details-form-arrives-at-phuket-immigration-57510.php#ySYZluOBscRSMFYl.99

Oh please put stop, I cannot take anymore.

[Don Mega]

It would be good to have a readable image of this form, please Thaivisa or anybody visiting Phuket immigration.

To me this seems perverse and simply arse about face to suppress crime find those who do not register with immigration, a number that will likely increase with the introduction of this form.

BTW dear General can you show us the secure storage for this information?

here you go .

Foreign National Information.pdf

[benbear]

social habits places frequented = Your Mums house

[Don Mega]

social habits places frequented = Your Mums house

Clause 2.4 is optional.

[Buffy Frobisher]

xen·o·pho·bi·a [zen-uh-foh-bee-uh, zee-nuh-]

noun

an unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange.

[bangkapi]

After reading it, I just think it is a waste of time.

It is only potentially nefarious if there is a plan in place at some future time to round us up for extermination.

[ianc66]

Thanks for the PDF.

Most of this information is already collected, so a waste of everybodies time.

Also very badly designed try writing any province longer than Surin in the province field, and I really don't know how I can fit Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor in the mothers name field.

Foreign National Information Modified.pdf

[mercman24]

now i will have to go to various sois and get the name of every "soapy" massage parlour. lol ,

[prestburypark]

Thanks for the PDF.

Most of this information is already collected, so a waste of everybodies time.

Also very badly designed try writing any province longer than Surin in the province field, and I really don't know how I can fit Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor in the mothers name field.

My God, you must be my long lost brother!

[johnatong]

I have a problem understanding the purpose of this form.

Most of the information asked is already a matter of record in the case of those here on extensions of stay.

Asking about the names of my long deceased parents is pathetic

[Squeegee]

"This form shall be used for making record of every alien entering and staying in the Kingdom of Thailand (sic)."

So this form will have to be completed by everyone arriving in Thailand, in addition to a TM6?

"Submitted with Notification of residences for aliens."

Is that in addition to a TM30?

""90-days notification."

In addition to a TM47, and I assume, added to the online reporting pro-forma.

"Extensions of stay etc. etc."

I cannot face giving any more examples. I feel I have demonstrated the lunacy of this ill-conceived form.

"Gen Chachaval said the new information form was “necessary”.

“In the past, immigration lacked information about foreign nationals living in Thailand when problems happened. This updated information will help is catch foreigners faster,” he said.

“The information is will be linked our data system and will not be revealed or given to others (sic). The information collected will be kept private, but will be used for national security purposes”, he said.

Read more at http://www.thephuketnews.com/new-personal-details-form-arrives-at-phuket-immigration-57510.php#ySYZluOBscRSMFYl.99

Oh please put stop, I cannot take anymore.

Looking at it like that, eventually this silly form might serve as some kind of precursor to unifying all their information. We could live in hope.

Also hoping when they say "kept private" they don't mean by handing it all to some IT cowboy to put on the internet where he doesn't think anyone will notice it.

This is the life, eh.

[brommers]

Welcome to 1984. This is a most naive document that will do absolutely nothing to assist the authorities. I will not put in the names of my dead parents, only Mummy and Daddy. And in the bank account section I will use one of my accounts in another country as it does not stipulate it must be a local bank. And as for frequently visited places my local 7-11 and the noodle shop are all they will get. None of it is inaccurate, so what can they do.

[bearpolar]

Older chaps: dont write your parents maiden name or address back home..

all these "questions" are actually social engineering methods to gain access to your online accounts

[Felt 35]

ah soon full democrazy here

Edited May 21, 2016 by Felt 35

[petedk]

Why only Phuket?

What is the percentage of foreigners arriving at Phuket?

[billd766]

I have a problem understanding the purpose of this form.

Most of the information asked is already a matter of record in the case of those here on extensions of stay.

Asking about the names of my long deceased parents is pathetic

If my Mum was still alive she would be 112 and if my Gad was still alive he would be 127 years old.

He was born in the 19th century. Do they really need to know that?

[Don Mega]

Thanks for the PDF.

Most of this information is already collected, so a waste of everybodies time.

Also very badly designed try writing any province longer than Surin in the province field, and I really don't know how I can fit Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor in the mothers name field.

I typed my province (Chonburi) into all fields marked province. Not an issue.

As to the parents name. They are not asking for middle names so for most people there is sufficient space.