Foreigners' 'TM6' immigration form necessary for security: Nattorn

[webfact]

Foreigners' 'TM6' immigration form necessary for security: Nattorn 

By The Nation

 

 

BANGKOK: -- An immigration form for foreigners travelling to and from Thailand is still necessary for security reasons, Immigration Bureau commander Pol Maj-General Nattorn Prohsunthorn insists.

In an interview on Suthichai Yoon’s Facebook live on Friday morning, Nattorn said foreign travellers are still required to fill in the “TM6” immigration form for authorities to collect information on their travel. 

 

Under Thailand’s policy to promote tourism, authorities allow citizens of more than 60 countries to travel to Thailand without a visa, so Thai authorities do not have their previous travel information, he said.

 

“For Thailand, the form is important as it is the tool for us to get and keep information about foreign visitors when they stay in Thailand,” he said. 

 

In response to criticism that travellers to several countries in European do not require such the form, he said those countries require travellers to apply for a visa before entering which provides all details.

 

“Their authorities will know in advance whom they allow to enter their countries,” he said. 

 

For Thai passengers, the bureau is in the process of amending Article 18 of the immigration law to exempt Thais from filling in the TM6 form, because basic information of Thais is available on their passport. 

 

“We already proposed the amendment of the exemption to the agency concerned. But if it cannot be exempted we may shift to require them to fill in electronic forms before travelling,” he said. 

 

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in July instructed the Immigration Bureau to decide whether to cancel the requirement for visitors to use the TM6 form as part of measures to improve immigration procedures at airports and reduce waiting times.

 

However, starting on October 1, a new immigration form will replace the existing one in line with a Cabinet resolution in January approving a Tourism and Sports Ministry request.

 

The new form has only one side for visitors to record both arrival and departure information, with an “automatic channel” barcode for more convenience.

 

However, the change has not been announced in the Royal Gazette, Nattorn said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30323500

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-08-11

[khwaibah]

BULL SHYT. Thats what computers are for. Come out of the dark ages.

[kotsak]

Quote

In response to criticism that travellers to several countries in European do not require such the form, he said those countries require travellers to apply for a visa before entering which provides all details.

Right.. and how about those who reside in Thailand and are returning using rentry permits? They are short of requesting stool samples when you are applying for it anyways, so what on earth more they think they'll get from these forms?

 

Lamest excuse ever..

 

[darksidedog]

While the comment about people just turning up and the authorities wanting information is fair enough, they have no way of checking on the spot if the information being given is honest, so in itself there is a problem to address. More importantly though, many people coming here do have visas, which means the authorities already have those peoples information. Massive amounts of time and money could be saved if visa holders are exempt from the TM6 and would only be required for those arriving without a visa.

[tomacht8]

 

In response to criticism that travellers to several countries in European do not require such the form, he said those countries require travellers to apply for a visa before entering which provides all details.

 

But many travellers come with thai visas too.

Tourism, business, retirement, education or marriage visas. Follow logically the tm6 would be superfluous for these groups.

Maybe they should only split the groups at the control counters in : with visa / without visa. If hourly waiting times and duplicate data collection can be avoided, would be good.

Edited August 11, 2017 by tomacht8

[Oceanbat]

1 minute ago, tomacht8 said:

 

In response to criticism that travellers to several countries in European do not require such the form, he said those countries require travellers to apply for a visa before entering which provides all details.

 

But many travellers come with thai visas too.

Tourism, business, retirement, education or marriages visas. Follow logically the tm6 would be superfluous for these groups.

Maybe they should only split the groups at the control counters in : with visa / without visa. If hourly waiting times and duplicate data collection can be avoided, would be good.

I think there would only be resistance to any sort of modernization or digitization of the immigration functions given the considerable lower manpower required to administer. Not to mention the reduced opportunity to make a little extra. In my view immigration is nothing but a rather large jobs program.

OB 

[daboyz1]

I hold a multi entry non O in Thailand and an employment pass in Singapore.

I don't fill out any arrival cards when going to Singapore. I use the automated machines as well. Singapore gave me the employment pass based on information I provided during the application process. I am at a loss trying to understand why Thailand doesn't follow the same process.

If they let long term visa holders use these machines, it would seem this would take the load off of the officers. It would cut down on the fiascos we've seen in recent weeks at both airports. It would benefit both the long term visa holders as well as the people arriving getting 30 day stamps.

I know comparing Singapore to Thailand is like apples and oranges, but knowing Singapore and how anal they are about everything, I think Thailand can rest easy allowing long term visa holders to use the machines.

[Oceanbat]

Just now, daboyz1 said:

I hold a multi entry non O in Thailand and an employment pass in Singapore.

I don't fill out any arrival cards when going to Singapore. I use the automated machines as well. Singapore gave me the employment pass based on information I provided during the application process. I am at a loss trying to understand why Thailand doesn't follow the same process.

If they let long term visa holders use these machines, it would seem this would take the load off of the officers. It would cut down on the fiascos we've seen in recent weeks at both airports. It would benefit both the long term visa holders as well as the people arriving getting 30 day stamps.

I know comparing Singapore to Thailand is like apples and oranges, but knowing Singapore and how anal they are about everything, I think Thailand can rest easy allowing long term visa holders to use the machines.

I had the same thing while i was going back and forth from Thailand to Singapore for a while. I get the impression though, now the Thai authorities are not interested in anything that might make living and working in Thailand any easier for foreigners. The model is already there, it's just whether the motivation is to replicate it.

OB

[NCC1701A]

Corruption does not work well with computers that leave logs and traces that lead back to the persons responsible.



Paper with rubber stamps that anyone with access to is much better for letting bad guys in for a price.

[tomacht8]

I have also doubts whether the information on the tm6 is at all usable. They will not be digitized.

The cards are probably every evening picked up by a truck and stowed somewhere in a large cellar.

 

[Briggsy]

I'll translate the commander's comments.

 

"TM6's are a massive money-spinner for persons connected with immigration senior management and any suggestion of their demise will be fought tooth and nail by me until an even bigger payer has been put into place to replace it."

[darksidedog]

3 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

Corruption does not work well with computers that leave logs and traces that lead back to the persons responsible.



Paper with rubber stamps that anyone with access to is much better for letting bad guys in for a price.

And for letting bad people, who shouldn't be able to leave, like the "Boss" out again too.

[Aachen]

11 minutes ago, tomacht8 said:

The cards are probably every evening picked up by a truck and stowed somewhere in a large cellar.

Not cellar. But when you loose your card, they find the arrival card in Bkk on the spot! Not joking!

[JohnLick]

Security of someone's pocket

[observer90210]

This is a constructive reform and change.....

 

Change in the colour of the ink on the form....

[Thian]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

In response to criticism that travellers to several countries in European do not require such the form, he said those countries require travellers to apply for a visa before entering which provides all details.

 

I also have a multiple visa before i go to Thailand but i still have to fill in that form every time.They know really everything about me.

[Dave67]

You don't have to be one of these to know its all going to end in tears

[Fairynuff]

Utter nonsense.  No forms used for Cambodia Malaysia and Vietnam. The latter 2 have visa exemption and apparently don't have security concerns 

[Tilacme]

"However, the change has not been announced in the Royal Gazette, Nattorn said".

 

So that's where I have been going wrong in paying any heed to government statements.

Edited August 11, 2017 by Tilacme

[hansnl]

2 hours ago, khwaibah said:

BULL SHYT. Thats what computers are for. Come out of the dark ages.

All info they want is in the passport.

Printed, and indigital form.

The info on the TM6 is superflous.

[jaiyen]

A few years ago my wife lost her departure TM6 card and when arriving at the counter and telling the officer he said " Thats OK I have all the information on the computer "  

[jmccarty]

1 hour ago, Aachen said:

Not cellar. But when you loose your card, they find the arrival card in Bkk on the spot! Not joking!

They don't, they just ask you to fill in a new one at departure immigration. Found that out one time when the card went missing in mine.

[moe666]

Really the form is a waste of time how so it takes less than 5 min. to fill out and even less time going thru immigration. The TM 6 is just the fall guy for the fact they do not have enough people on the booths at the arrival area of the airports. Plane and simple not rocket science. The only people who have a problem with the TM 6 are non Thai and English readers and writers. 

[Aachen]

9 minutes ago, jmccarty said:

They don't, they just ask you to fill in a new one at departure immigration. Found that out one time when the card went missing in mine.

German female friend can tell different. After loosing passport she had to obtain everythin. And they found the original slip in Bkk archive :-)

 

 

[amdy2206]

Why are they so reluctant to hand them out at borders? I regularly travel between Laos and Nong Khai but it really is a battle to get them. You have to show how many passports, push to the front of a queue and hold out your passports before receiving them. I always like to keep spares to fill in before and speed up the process, but this is not always possible. Why can't they be freely available?

[Knocker33]

2 hours ago, khwaibah said:

BULL SHYT. Thats what computers are for. Come out of the dark ages.

I know . I have that many bits of paper stapled into passport ,you can't see the pages and the TM  form looks like a bit of old scrap paper it's been in there so long

[brommers]

When I die I want my ashes buried secretly at Chiang Mai Immigration so I can haunt those who have wasted so much of my time and energy making me dance to their tunes.

[Genericnic]

My bet is that the security that is mentioned is job security. 

 

David

 

[hathairat2711]

Yesterday travelled from Bangkok to KL

 

passport - fingerprints - 90 days visa - job done

 

Yesterday returned to Bangkok from KL

 

Passport - fingerprints - job done

 

Flight to Bangkok - Complete TM6 - you know the rest. 

 

 

Edited August 11, 2017 by hathairat2711

[Ricardo]

2 hours ago, tomacht8 said:

 

Maybe they should only split the groups at the control counters in : with visa / without visa. If hourly waiting times and duplicate data collection can be avoided, would be good.

That makes sense, we've paid something in-advance for our visa, so we get to dodge the queue for the VOA-freeloaders, or do I mean 'quality tourists' ?