NBTC to propose special SIM cards for foreign tourists so they can be traced

[jojothai]

56 minutes ago, TEFLKrabi said:

Surely if all hotels and guest houses registered their guests then they'd be no need for this. 

You're not thinking ahead like they always do so well .

 

The next step is that you must have the tourist sim in order to check into a hotel as a tourist (if you are on a tourist visa?)

Then they will not need any more registration details from the hotel. Think of the efficiency savings.

Instead you will have to do it directly through the telephone to the new Tourist control ministry.

 

[RBOP]

"He pointed out that normally foreign tourists were required to inform immigration officials where they stay while in Thailand."

 

So you have to stay in your hotel and travelling around not allowed. Yeah this idea will go no where.

[farcanell]

so.... New immigration forms too, removing the need to give an address?

 

anyway.... Whatever, right? With dual sim phones, international roaming, phoneless folk, phones deliberately left in hotel room safes, etc, It will simply be an annoying useless irrelevance,

 

 

[webmaestro]

19 hours ago, sjaak327 said:

They have got to be kidding. Good I have a local sim for over 10 years now, and they will have to remove that one from my prying hands.

 

Of course it is a blatant invasion of privacy AND I as a foreigner was also required to present my passport for my local sim to even work after their registration <deleted> two years or so ago.

 

Also, people that bring their own sim used and simply roam are not going to be easily traced, wonder if those Einsteins ever thought of that..

 

 

 

 

They try to have new ideas how to lick the PM`s ass, Guess this is one of the worst but unfortunately very much high ranking Thai officials like that now. Guess they are scared....

[elgordo38]

I sometimes think they have a Laughter Room somewhere. They release all this petty BS and then retreat to the Laughter Room and have a real belly laugh at how they make us jump through another one of their hoops. I think its a game called "Sorry I guess I cannot say that word" so I will substitute "Fiddle with the Farang" This excersize is conceived by people with to much time on their hands. Go solve a crime or two. 

[farcanell]

58 minutes ago, Deepinthailand said:

And you belive there not in your home country!!!!

 

Oh they are... They definitely are.... But the main difference is in how the information is used.... These lot I trust (somewhat) less than the lot back home.

 

either way.... I will not be getting a phone... Or SIM.... The missus (different last name ?) has a phone, so another one isn't really nessesary.

 

hands up those that remember growing up without a house phone....

 

hell... Even after we (family) first got a phone, the old man wouldn't let us use it, anyway.... Unless there was a really good reason... Which usually ended badly for me! LOL.

[ScotBkk]

19 hours ago, tifino said:

 

and the Notice is all, and ONLY, about accusing all foreigners of Ill-doing... 

 

...what about a more humane reason???

- such as to give the Authorities a better chance of locating a foreigner's domicile, if their mother country needs to inform them of some hometown personal (tragedy etc etc)

and for whatever reason the mobile isn't receiving their calls direct

You gotta be kidding

 

Believe me mate there's hidden agenda here. They'll now start monitoring Farangs movements from purchases to where they're staying. 

 

This is is a total disgrace and an outrage. Why not tag tourists like suggested before a while back. Thus, with wrist bands to track them or for serial offenders having numbers tattooed on their arms like the Nazis did to the Jews in the concentration camps. 

 

Whats next - castration for illegal sex ??? 

 

Just saying ...... 

Edited August 3, 2016 by ScotBkk

[smedly]

5 hours ago, Colabamumbai said:

If the battery in your I Phone is wrapped in a fabric type covering, take it out and have a look at it, can you see the fine wires and a larger copper piece this is a microphone, one of two in your phone. You can remove the fabric and enclosed wires and throw it out. Your device will work with less tracking.

you are taking the piss, right ?

[connda]

Excellent idea Thailand! 

[connda]

Lol.  They would be doing me a favor. 

Immigration:  "Farang, you must use this SIM card in your phone from now on so we can track you!!!"

Me:  Really?  I don't think my home phone uses a SIM card???"

 

The only reason I carry a cell phone is at my wife's insistence.  I'd be more then happy to ditch it and go back to a land line w/ answering machine. 

[farcanell]

6 hours ago, Colabamumbai said:

If the battery in your I Phone is wrapped in a fabric type covering, take it out and have a look at it, can you see the fine wires and a larger copper piece this is a microphone, one of two in your phone. You can remove the fabric and enclosed wires and throw it out. Your device will work with less tracking.

 

 

Wait... Wait... 

 

that feels better

[The Deerhunter]

It has been suggested to me that many of us farangs with Thai wives or g.f.'s, even just for visiting, simply get her to get a standard Thai sim card in her name and they will never know the difference.  Many people in business, with more than one business, or with no wired home line have more than one mobile phone to keep they separate lives separate, so the concept is very common.  Not to mention the bar girls with a different phone for each sponsoring boyfriend to ring so they can keep those parts of their lives separate.  We have all seen them in their cut-off denim shorts and a phone in each hip pocket and one or two in a purse or handbag.

[bristolgeoff]

you have to register to have a sim card anyway,so why have a special sim for tourist.i have mime for many years and it is registered and my info is on there screen

[realenglish1]

Talk about an invasion of privacy . Why are they so paranoid about foreigners. I know why Because they cannot trust themselves 

[Mangostin]

As many have already pointed out, this technology implementation will simply not work out as expected, Thailand will need to work out a way to achieve a result on the usual low tech solutions.

As soon as one of those spying fellongs cross the border, just use a metal chain long and strong enough to allow them to reach their proposed destination, this will have to be charged at least 10 times the local cost, but the advantages would be immense, for example, as soon as the foreigner will have to report back or get another stamp, all the BIB will need to do, it's to pull the chain connected to the alien from the point of arrival, so, Swampy will need to get a new infrastructure where to hook up each one of the chains. 

 

   --- Not Break The Chain ---

Edited August 3, 2016 by Mangostin

[KNJ]

Minister "I think my wife is having an affair"

 

OK

 

"we have all SIM cards registered, can you trace where she is going for me?"

 

Agh, agh, well to do that we would need to buy new equipment, and intergrate them

 

"Is that expensive"

 

VERY

 

"Well how about we get tourists and those pesky foreign residents to pay for it"

 

Great idea we can market it as "Being concerned"

 

'Great raise the Purchase Order now and I will award the contract  based on how well the suppliers "make Tea"

 

[Thechook]

21 hours ago, madmitch said:

And if the tourist doesn't own a mobile phone?

Ankle bracelet

[ukrules]

You need to show ID when buying a sim card anyway.

 

What people don't seem to realise is that ALL sim cards can be traced to the tower the phones connected to and if they want to they can triangulate a more exact position based on signal strengths to other nearby towers. A mobile phone network can do this very easily and instantly. How much access is granted to the government would depend on the country, in most countries I suspect they have full and unfettered direct access to all this live data at will.

 

Here's an example from about 10 years ago. A friend of mine left a pub and got into a taxi in the UK late at night on the way home, he found a mobile phone on the back seat, picked it up and put it in his pocket.

 

About 20-30 minutes later the phone rang and it was the police asking for their phone back (it belonged to an officer who had accidentally left it in the taxi). They told him to look out of his window and he will see a police car, he should go to the police car and hand the phone over to the officers inside it, no questions asked. True enough they were there and he gave them the phone. I doubt they had his exact location but they knew they were very near.

 

I have no doubt that this was an abuse of the system but bearing in mind this is what was available to rank and file officers 10 years ago I suspect that what's available in this day and age is much more advanced, accurate and intrusive and available here.

 

Edited August 3, 2016 by ukrules
Correct typo

[Rod Gold]

Let's just cut to the chase.  Strip foreigners of their valuables when they enter the country, lock them up for 30 days, give them back their passports and airline ticket and a police escort to the airport.

[Chicog]

I'm going to hazard a guess that a certain official is completely unqualified for his job and got it through rampant cronyism and corruption.

How else do you explain an idiot rising so high?

 

 

[Baerboxer]

23 hours ago, baboon said:

Welcome to my world. The barneys I have had with security at various airports when I told them I don't have one: No, it isn't in my hold luggage. No I haven't lost it. Read my lips - I. Do. Not. Have. A. Phone. I. Am. Not. (Insert world leader of your choice). I. Do. Not. Need. One.

Of course that makes them even more suspicious you are up to no good, so you are shagged either way...

 

Tempting prospect. But how do you get by? I get so many OTP's sent to my mobile when logging onto supposedly secure internet sites now. Banks, on-line sellers, even HMRC ! Just about everyone wants my mobile number and once you say you don't have one you are immediately red flagged! 

[Jdiddy]

Jokes on them, when i do illegal activites ill just put my phone on flight mode

[Wilsonandson]

Damn I can't commit heinous acts of terrorism now I have my sim card traced.

"Buffalo soldier, he was a buffalo soldier, in the heart of..."

Edited August 3, 2016 by Wilsonandson

[michaellee]

Are those people getting paranoid or down right stupid or have no common sense? HK, China, Philppines and most SE Asian country you can just walk into any phone shop and buy the sim card without even showing the passport or ID. How about a criminal will pay some local to buy the sim for them and use it? if there's a will there's a way. Hong Kong is more advanced than Thailand, just walk into any mobile carrier store and get the sim card. It sounds like Thailand is becoming more and more dictatorship than democratic, even in China nobody ask for ID or passport to buy a sim card. It's more like all foreigners living there or visiting is treated as Second class citizen and criminals. Disrespectful to people who go to spend money in their country!

Edited August 3, 2016 by michaellee
to add few words

[bazza40]

Why is everyone in such an uproar? The NSA in America has been tracking and monitoring cell phones worldwide for years. That's how they've homed drone strikes in on a number of Al Qaeda/Taliban/Al Shabaab leaders in the past. Thailand is just catching up.

 

Storm in a teacup.

 

 

[Wilsonandson]

8 minutes ago, bazza40 said:

Why is everyone in such an uproar? The NSA in America has been tracking and monitoring cell phones worldwide for years. That's how they've homed drone strikes in on a number of Al Qaeda/Taliban/Al Shabaab leaders in the past. Thailand is just catching up.

 

Storm in a teacup.

 

 

That's what we need here in LOS, drone strikes on suspected cheap Charlies, can't pay your bar bill, then send in the drone.

[michaellee]

Use burner phones, VPN for mobile problem solve, just don't use phone to make calls 

[PattayaBoy]

Worse then N. Korea

[NotMyUsualid]

17 hours ago, yellowboat said:

These people probably do not read or have not read 1984.  

 

It is hardly a national security issue and is a violation of the right to privacy.

 

National security = we are afraid of you.    What are they afraid of ?

They are afraid of your mind...

 

Logical thinking processes SCARE the ignorant.

 

OH, and many of the Thais in power are openly racist too.

[NotMyUsualid]

Dear Thailand,

 

I'll start by saying, I'm not Albert Einstein.... I didn't attend Cambridge, and I'm not here to kill you, nor steal from you, whatsoever.

 

Most intelligent people would think that you'd be trying make your country MORE welcoming to tourism, not LESS?

 

Anyway, I don't understand this obsession with 'Tourists', if we are a mere 8.5% of GDP. What not grab the nettle, and deal with your OWN PHUCKING PROBLEMS, eh?

 

You could start with traffic laws if you like. Red lights, driving / riding counter-flow, no visible lights at night, no helmets, speeding, faulty exhaust systems. etc. A BILLION tickets in a year I estimate. Think of the money. Oh, but you only like farang money, right? Taking it from Thais is 'unfair', is it not?

 

Then, you could start with corruption within your own land offices etc. All government offices need a good audit. Imagine the money that could be saved & spent on infrastructure. Even Bill Gates said it was a shithole.

 

Then take a good, long look at your Police force. Yes, please do this. Root out the bad ones. Oh, that leaves you with no police officers? Awww, then hire new ones, whilst you JAIL the bad ones.

 

I'm not even going to get into the Junta issue, save to say HOLD A PHUCKING ELECTION already!

 

You might then find your country doing very well indeed.

 

Meanwhile, I've never seen your country so quiet.

 

Ha, fukin ha.

 

Last one out, don't forget to turn out the light, eh?

Edited August 3, 2016 by NotMyUsualid