Glitches hit new SIM-card registration system in deep South

[webfact]

Glitches hit new SIM-card registration system in deep South
By Narong Nuansakul,
Nakarin Chinnawornkomon
The Nation

 

 

BANGKOK: -- The first day when pre-paid mobile phone users in Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and two Songkhla districts were required to have their fingerprints scanned and pictures taken in addition to showing ID cards when they buy new SIM cards has already encountered several issues.

 

The two districts in Songkhla are Na Thawi and Chana.

 

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) issued the new measure to curb the use of SIM cards to activate mobile phones attached to bombs and to enable security officials to trace SIMs to their owners.

 

Authorities were meant to have 30 fingerprint-scanning devices available by Wednesday. 

 

In Yala, a Telewiz branch was equipped with the fingerprint-scanning device, but the system on Wednesday morning was not operating properly and could not read data from smart ID cards so customers were allowed to buy SIMs just by showing their IDs. Other retail shops in Yala also failed to implement the new system.

 

In Narathiwat’s Muang district, random checks at designated locations found that the system was not ready on the first day so SIM cards were also still being sold to customers who simply presented ID cards. 

 

Members of the public in Narathiwat told reporters that they did not know about the new requirement for new purchases, that people’s biometric data would be stored at the central population database, or about the NBTC’s requirement for existing SIM-card users to re-register their cards under the new system within 120 days or their numbers would be taken out of service.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30316846

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-05-31

[ChrisY1]

And where is the head of the NBTC right now.......? Useless as usual the authorities!

[wgdanson]

There are far more than 30 kiosks selling SIM cards in Tukom Pattaya alone. How will it work there?

[tifino]

 

so how's the system going to work out for tourists??

 

they'll have to add a week onto their holiday, just for the finding where is? , then commuting to an outlet

[wakeupplease]

Freedom is slowly evaporating, next it will be daily sample from the rear end

[wirat69]

11 hours ago, wakeupplease said:

Freedom is slowly evaporating, next it will be daily sample from the rear end

Thought we were already receiving that through Member replies!!!

[fish monger]

Another knee jerk, poorly thought out idea that will not work. Period.

[chrisinth]

IMO if the government (or whatever section of the government) want a fingerprint database surely there must be an easier way to do it rather than using registering sim cards as a reason.

 

I am assuming they do know there are numerous ways to detonate a remote device than just using mobile phones?

[mtls2005]

14 hours ago, wgdanson said:

There are far more than 30 kiosks selling SIM cards in Tukom Pattaya alone. How will it work there?

 

I believe that this new finger-print requirement is only required in the four restive southern provinces, where marshal law remain in effect.

 

There was some talk about making this country-wide, but cooler heads prevailed.

 

Given that the fuses in some recent bombs in Bangkok have been mosquito coils (long delay, but not so good during rainy season I guess?), I'm half-expecting the Junta to require IDs and fingerprints to buy all sorts of sundries.

 

 

IMO if the government (or whatever section of the government) want a fingerprint database surely there must be an easier way to do it rather than using registering sim cards as a reason.

 

I'm pretty sure all Thais have to provide fingerprints as part of the national ID issuing scheme?

Edited June 1, 2017 by mtls2005

[ben2talk]

1 hour ago, mtls2005 said:

I'm pretty sure all Thais have to provide fingerprints as part of the national ID issuing scheme?

How is this remotely relevant anyway? All information gathered is generally disconnected... I once slept in a 'Police House' in an upstairs room with about 80 large boxes  of 'archived paperwork'.

 

Why focus on a specific of a tactic instead of the threat? Spend lots of money and cause hassle to lots of phone users for what?

 

Quote

Authorities said yesterday that police are looking for 40 Daihatsu keyless remote entry devices, some of which they believe were used to set off recent explosions in the deep South.

 

Whoops - so we're going to need to ban sales of remote controls of all descriptions without fingerprint scanning and security vetting?

Will this include Remote control toys? Will they outlaw any existing remote control devices? Is Bluetooth still allowed?

 

Will they have an Amish Amnesty for all Technologal devices with Broadcast capability to be brought in for destruction?

 

Or is this just a 'Look, we had an idea how we can stop dis terrorist man' shout out to the scared peeps of Thailand?

Edited June 1, 2017 by ben2talk
change text.

[Chama1]

Obviously this is the most important issue Thailand currently faces (huh?) so it will surely receive all the attention required for a quick resolution.

 

[KhunBENQ]

On 31.5.2017 at 7:26 PM, tifino said:

so how's the system going to work out for tourists??

You think too much

 

The mummy will be revived:

tourists/foreigners will get the "tracking SIM card" so NBTC always knows where you are.

Easy isn't it?

And NSA is so envy.

 

Another well thought project of NBTC boss.

It was hard for his subordinates to tell him about the uselessness