Trackable SIM cards for foreigners to be decided on next month

[webfact]

Trackable SIM cards for foreigners to be decided on next month

By Coconuts Bangkok 

 

Photo: Holiday Point/Flickr

 

BANGKOK: -- Remember that plan to track all foreigners who enter the kingdom via GPS traceable SIM cards? It has been reported by Bangkok Post that that plan might be scratched if too many people oppose it.

 

The original plan was drawn up with the interest of the nation’s security in mind, hoping that the SIM cards would make it easier to track both criminal suspects and lost persons that are non-Thai.

 

It was first proposed at a regional-level meeting in Phuket back in July, with telecom regulators from 10 different ASEAN countries participating.

 

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2016/09/30/farang-tracking-sim-cards-go-or-no-go-it-will-be-decided-next-month

 

-- © Copyright Coconuts Bangkok 2016-09-30

[apex2000]

Actually, I don't need a SIM to use my phone. All my contacts are on LINE or Messenger anyway. All I need is WiFi. Bye bye SIM.

[tingtongfarang]

Maybe they go for the cheaper option

[CRUNCHER]

12 minutes ago, apex2000 said:

Actually, I don't need a SIM to use my phone. All my contacts are on LINE or Messenger anyway. All I need is WiFi. Bye bye SIM.

I don't understand these things.  If you are on the street and there is no wifi hotspot available can you still use LINE etc?

Edited September 30, 2016 by CRUNCHER

[balo]

I don't understand these things.  If you are on the street and there is no wifi hotspot available can you still use LINE etc?

Of course you can with a sim card , no sim card, no wifi spot, bye bye Line.

[BuckBee]

It's a no go, the can't force gps on via sim card especially on ios plus most peoples batts would be dead in 4hrs :-)

It complete nonsense idea by technically incompetent fools .

Simple tracking can be done via network though (already is really) & no magic sim required .

 

It much like the new foreigner info form as that has been drastically revised as the first version was such a poorly thought out concept ...

What they want do is get good teachers then wait 2 generations & then think up ideas using educated brains  ...

Edited September 30, 2016 by BuckBee

[evadgib]

Why not go for a job-lot on ankle tags & make 'em mandatory on arrival or after the next 90 day report for those already here? They could soften the blow by doubling as a power source for smartphones. Everyone will want one....won't they?

[malagateddy]

I think that many expats will be the same as I re. mobile phones.

 

I.e., the wife has 2 phones, one for herself and the other one is mine, both registered in her name.

 

I don't see this as a big issue, as when doing your extension of permission to stay/ 90 day report,

 

you give the powers that be your phone number.

[CRUNCHER]

This is all to do with business opportunities.

 

Some expats will object in principle on privacy grounds, as is their right.  Most expats probably could not care less. However, those who do want to hide from the authorities will provide a big market for sim cards registered in a Thai name - at a cost of course.

 

Fill your boots Thai organized crime!!

[stickyrice2000]

Ahuh.  It's a nice way to get money out of tourists.  If the criminal don't want you to tract them, you think they will carry the SIM with them wherever they go?  Those communication company must have given whoever in charge a nice bonus.

[fruitman]

Do they also give smartphones with multiple sims with the cards?

[Xircal]

5 hours ago, apex2000 said:

Actually, I don't need a SIM to use my phone. All my contacts are on LINE or Messenger anyway. All I need is WiFi. Bye bye SIM.

 

LINE requires a phone number to use it.

[maoro2013]

17 hours ago, webfact said:

The original plan was drawn up with the interest of the nation’s security in mind, hoping that the SIM cards would make it easier to track both criminal suspects and lost persons that are non-Thai.

Why don't they want to be able to track lost Thais as well?

This seems to have swung back to 'foreigners' again. It was 'foreigners' at the beginning and then was only 'tourists'

 

Anyway for 'foreigners' pretty much a hopeless case, don't register the phone in your own name.

 

[SaintLouisBlues]

10 hours ago, Xircal said:

 

LINE requires a phone number to use it.

LINE requires a phone number to register. Thereafter the number is usually irrelevant. I've used the same LINE account because it's the only one on my phone in several countries and I've got a SIM card for each of those countries

[madmitch]

Why can't I find anything online regarding the Malaysian traceable SIMs for foreigners......outside of the Thai media reporting on this issue that is.

[BlindMagician]

16 hours ago, apex2000 said:

Actually, I don't need a SIM to use my phone. All my contacts are on LINE or Messenger anyway. All I need is WiFi. Bye bye SIM.

Yeah, great idea.

You could also remove the battery, so you never run out of power cos you won't use it up.

[williamgeorgeallen]

14 hours ago, malagateddy said:

I think that many expats will be the same as I re. mobile phones.

 

I.e., the wife has 2 phones, one for herself and the other one is mine, both registered in her name.

 

I don't see this as a big issue, as when doing your extension of permission to stay/ 90 day report,

 

you give the powers that be your phone number.

then they will be in some rule where by law you will only be able to use a phone in your own name and if you are caught with a phone in someone elses name you will be assumed to be a terrorist and fined 100 000thb, reduced if paid in cash on the spot.  seems everything in this country is actually an excuse to extort money from the masses. actually it was a bit like that back in oz before i left with cameras on the roads in melbourne. at least the fines are a bit more manageable here, for now.

[SaintLouisBlues]

6 minutes ago, williamgeorgeallen said:

extort money from the masses. actually it was a bit like that back in oz before i left with cameras on the roads in melbourne.

Yes it must be awful to have to pay a fine if you're discovered breaking the law. Poor you

[scotchonrocks]

So let's get this straight. 

 

1) There will be some obligation on any foreigner entering the country to have a phone,

 

2) To be compulsory to have a local SIM card in said phone (foreign SIMs barred?)

 

3) Have the phone powered up at all times so said foreigner can always be traced. What about when the phone's battery goes down or the phone is u/s? Will they pay us to keep our phones powered up?

 

4) if my "flen" lends me her phone. Can I now be arrested for "carrying an illegal phone?

 

5) Roaming no longer allowed or possible? What if I am roaming on my friend's overseas phone?

 

6) Will it be illegal to switch off your phone in the cinema or meetings. Will you pay a price for being "out of coverage area??

 

<deleted>? Can they not see this is a goddam stupid idea dreamed up by brainless bureaucrats with no understanding of how the world works. Maybe they have been on a fact finding tour of North Korea.

 

Stupid, unworkable and utterly ill conceived.

[williamgeorgeallen]

3 minutes ago, SaintLouisBlues said:

Yes it must be awful to have to pay a fine if you're discovered breaking the law. Poor you

last fine was going 103km/hr on mornington peninsula freeway in australia. doubt the speedo in my car is really that accurate. 

after a year of trying to change my address in my work permit in pattaya without success i got fined 8500thb for it. am i really that much of a criminal?

[evadgib]

32 minutes ago, williamgeorgeallen said:

then they will be in some rule where by law you will only be able to use a phone in your own name and if you are caught with a phone in someone elses name you will be assumed to be a terrorist and fined 100 000thb, reduced if paid in cash on the spot.  seems everything in this country is actually an excuse to extort money from the masses. actually it was a bit like that back in oz before i left with cameras on the roads in melbourne. at least the fines are a bit more manageable here, for now.

Not really relevant unless Melbourne's cameras were 'foreigners only' with paper free receipts & absence of appeal.

Edited October 1, 2016 by evadgib

[SaintLouisBlues]

12 minutes ago, williamgeorgeallen said:

last fine was going 103km/hr on mornington peninsula freeway in australia. doubt the speedo in my car is really that accurate. 

after a year of trying to change my address in my work permit in pattaya without success i got fined 8500thb for it. am i really that much of a criminal?

That's a very simple question to answer. Have you been convicted of a crime? If so, you're a criminal. It's a binary state - on or off, like pregnancy. However I'm not sure that traffic offences are "criminal" acts, more likely "misdemeanours" because they can be satisfied by a fine. Dropping litter is another example. It's against the law but I doubt that being caught littering by dropping your empty condom packet in the street in Pattaya will result in a criminal record

Edited October 1, 2016 by SaintLouisBlues

[performance]

These Thais are brain damaged and have damaged the country. They simply think let's go right to the end. Let's make Thais desperate and criminals. We have deleted all tourists. We are taking all the countries money. We do not like foreigners. We are the regime.

[Thaidream]

This idea makes no sense- I doubt you can force every visitor to Thailand to own a phone; purchase a Thai Sim card; and keep the phone on continuously. Sheer madness by the authorities. A much better plan would be to add a line in the Immigration Card  next to address- asking for a phone number.  This would make more sense to me. Then with a phone number if a person was suspected of being a criminal the police could get a court order to trace the phone number. 

[jonclark]

A lot people getting really worked up. 

 

From what I can see there is no mandatory requirement to make tourists purchase local sims for their phones. They are free to use roaming on their own phones if they wish. Most western based people will probably do just that - For example vodaphone offer roaming - phone, text and data for 5 GBP a day extra. Not a great deal tbh, more than the local cost - but not a huge amount, with the added benefit that family and friends at home can still contact you using your existing phone number. 

 

This is also not aimed at long term residents  - just tourists as far as I can tell. 

 

And at the end of the day - If the Thai authorities, CIA, FBI, Mossad, FSB, MI5/6 etc. etc wanted to find you using your phone.....they could. If you are using UK roaming in Thailand, pretty sure GCHQ could find you anywhere in the world by the time it takes  you to finish reading this sentence if they were so inclined. Surveillance and coverage is now pretty much universal unless you want to live like a Luddite.   

 

 

[worgeordie]

I have never had a mobile phone,I never want a mobile phone,

does this mean I will be forced to buy one,if so it would just

be left at home, once again the majority has to jump through

hoops ,for the minority (criminals,terrorists,and people who get 

lost !), Governments around the world use these threats,as an

excuse to control their populations more and more.

regards Worgeordie

[jonclark]

22 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

I have never had a mobile phone,I never want a mobile phone,

does this mean I will be forced to buy one,if so it would just

be left at home, once again the majority has to jump through

hoops ,for the minority (criminals,terrorists,and people who get 

lost !), Governments around the world use these threats,as an

excuse to control their populations more and more.

regards Worgeordie

The masses jump through the hoops because the fire of fear has been well and truly lit under their backsides; knee jerk reactions to fear have become the norm and to say it ain't so is to align yourself against your government. 

[Lupatria]

I think Thais are happy with this, it opens a big gate to generate some extra money...

I already see my neighbors with 100 Sim cards in the pocket registered to their name.

Edited October 1, 2016 by Lupatria

[IAMHERE]

Wouldn't this type SIM relieve us from 90 reporting? They know where we are all the time, why report?

[Colabamumbai]

The better be going to buy me the phone that goes with it, or it is a no go.