Foreigner database to be ready in six months

[webfact]

Foreigner database to be ready in six months

By The Nation

 

file photo

 

The Immigration Bureau and the Interior Ministry were instructed on Wednesday to speed up the implementation of a single-platform online database of foreigners entering and leaving the kingdom.

 

The order was given by Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan when he chaired the meeting of the fifth government committee in charge of bureaucratic reforms at Government House, said deputy government spokesman Kongcheep Tantrawanich.

 

The single platform database would help prevent crimes by foreigners, such as call-centre scams and those related to underworld activities, Kongcheep said.

 

The two agencies were told to have the new system fully functioning in six months.

 

As part of the new system, the Immigration Bureau will cancel the use of the Immigration 6 form and instead use e-passport data, Kongcheep said.

 

He said each immigration checkpoint would be equipped with identity-checking equipment, such as fingerprint readers and passport scanners, to enter information into the database.

 

At the same time, the Interior Ministry’s Provincial Administration Department must ensure that all hotels, apartments, guesthouses and other accommodation services keep and report records of foreigners using their services by informing the nearest immigration office or police station, which will in turn feed the data to the database.

 

“This measure must be implemented in six months so that the arrivals, departures and accommodation of foreigners can be comprehensively monitored to reduce security threats, especially from transnational criminals, foreign mafias and international terrorists,” Kongcheep said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30338826

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-02-14

 

[RayHaas]

Its about time!

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

12 minutes ago, webfact said:

arrivals, departures and accommodation of foreigners can be comprehensively monitored to reduce security threats

This paranoid military "government" will cost Thailand a lot in tourist revenue if they keep on with this stupidity.

[tracker1]

Bit late I would say with what goes on in a few places !

[Misterwhisper]

Well done. What's next? Will I soon get a big scarlet-red "F" stamped in my passport, too?

 

I just hope there also will be a single-platform database for Thai nationals, because I hear there occasionally are criminals among the local population as well. Some of them are even in cahoots with those dangerous foreigners.

[PoorSucker]

Finally getting rid of the TM6 arrival card.

[Artisi]

49 minutes ago, Misterwhisper said:

Well done. What's next? Will I soon get a big scarlet-red "F" stamped in my passport, too?

 

I just hope there also will be a single-platform database for Thai nationals, because I hear there occasionally are criminals among the local population as well. Some of them are even in cahoots with those dangerous foreigners.

And just seem to be able to leave the country when it suits them even when under criminal investigation. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

The two agencies were told to have the new system fully functioning in six months.

 

Wanna bet???

 

My only question is, can they find enough Windows 98 certified software engineers to help them get their platform off the ground?

 

[wgdanson]

Now they will really have to upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10.

[Briggsy]

It won't work.

 

The I.T. will fail. The data protection will be non-existent. The smaller hotels, condos, apartments, etc. won't comply.

 

But most importantly, when it gets down to the level of actual application, the lofty goals will be long since forgotten and it will simply be turned into a revenue-raising exercise like all other initiatives.

[bluesofa]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

“This measure must be implemented in six months so that the arrivals, departures and accommodation of foreigners can be comprehensively monitored"

They can could do this now, but it's just sheer ineptitude if they think a new system will make a scrap of difference.

At present they have the same data available, just don't don't do anything useful with it.

The only plus thing I can see is the scrapping of the TM6 card, although that's not really a big deal.

 

Obviously I shouldn't really mention that it was only a few months ago there was the great idea to "improve" the existing TM6, by making it shorter, but from what I've heard, the boxes you need to fill in are smaller, making it more awkward.

 

[Sarcasm mode: on] Must be implemented in six months, eh? That's doublespeak for nothing will happen and they all hope everyone will have forgotten about it. I wait eagerly to be proved wrong. [Sarcasm mode: off]

[cornishcarlos]

I hope Toad Boy has kept at least 1 watch with a date function, so he can check in 6 months time !

[mdmayes]

Two problems I see with this. 1. To have a system up and running (bug free) in six months is a very tall order. Tall as in Mount Everest tall. 2. This will mean hour upon hour upon hour of line ups at immigration coming into the country. Having to enter your own info at electronic stations. I forcast that it will be one big cluster at the airports.

[cooked]

3 hours ago, HiSoLowSoNoSo said:

This paranoid military "government" will cost Thailand a lot in tourist revenue if they keep on with this stupidity.

Yes indeed, keeping criminals out will be really bad for Thailand.

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

10 minutes ago, cooked said:

Yes indeed, keeping criminals out will be really bad for Thailand.

Many old hands in this fair country do believe that the ones who suppose to keep out the criminals are the real criminals themselves. 

[YetAnother]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

The Immigration Bureau and the Interior Ministry were instructed on Wednesday to speed up the implementation of a single-platform online database of foreigners entering and leaving the kingdom.

 

The order was given by Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan

more fallout of the ultra-conservative , ultra-nationalist atmosphere we are suffering from;

many of us predicted a new, remarkably even worse, focus on immigration due to that atmosphere;

as expats, we care not one wit about tourists, but we do care about added , suspicious focus on us that impacts our lives;

example: here in the far north, two of my long-time business owning farang friends have recently reported raids by immigration ; nothing found yet it creates an oppositive thinking on all sides;

to thais, every non-thai is a tourist and always will be, matters not if we have lived here longer than they have;

that is their mindset 

[Peterw42]

Reading between the lines it would appear the known criminal database is currently separate to the immigration database and they plan to merge them. Otherwise they are already logging arrivals, departures and accommodation etc. No mention of improving the TM30 reporting for people living other than a hotel

[bluesofa]

17 minutes ago, mdmayes said:

Two problems I see with this. 1. To have a system up and running (bug free) in six months is a very tall order. Tall as in Mount Everest tall. 2. This will mean hour upon hour upon hour of line ups at immigration coming into the country. Having to enter your own info at electronic stations. I forcast that it will be one big cluster at the airports.

A very good point.

 

Initially you'd imagine the IOs at all the entry points will 'simply' swipe your passport to read the personal details contained in there.

 

What about the Thailand relevant details - type of visa, length of stay, address in Thailand, etc?

At present the IO has to enter this manually. As you suggest, will this mean each person entering the country has to enter the details for themselves via a keyboard, or will the long-suffering IOs still have to do this?

 

Time for Plan B I think, and nothing's got off the ground so far.

[jenny2017]

 

  An attack at all foreigners? Me thinks it's propaganda. Or both. 

[YetAnother]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

He said each immigration checkpoint would be equipped with identity-checking equipment, such as fingerprint readers and passport scanners, to enter information into the database.

 

this will be a disaster;

thais are not good at such 'orderly systems';

an astute poster not long ago describe the thai immigration, generally, as 'administratively impossible;

, adding such technology will result in frequent screwups, translating into exaggerated queues everywhere that there are queues;

to make such a system work, i assume they would have to apply this technology when leaving the country also;

great, now is is even harder to leave, we become ,effectively, soft prisoners 

[jenny2017]

28 minutes ago, cooked said:

Yes indeed, keeping criminals out will be really bad for Thailand.

  And keeping tourists out will create the biggest problems. When people start to go to other beaches in other countries, there won't be a return to something that isn't cool anymore. 

[watcharacters]

 

 

I appreciate being proactive when it counts but Thailand already has its hands full just trying to control the corruption and rampant crime it has on a daily basis.

 

Taking on a bigger bite?

 

 

[Peterw42]

22 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

What about the Thailand relevant details - type of visa, length of stay, address in Thailand, etc?

At present the IO has to enter this manually. As you suggest, will this mean each person entering the country has to enter the details for themselves via a keyboard, or will the long-suffering IOs still have to do this?

If you look at how these systems already operate in other countries, a Thai person going to Australia get issued a visa against their passport number, no stamps or stickers in passport. Immigration in Australia scans the passport on arrival and the visa is in their system already length of stay, address etc, stay starts from that day.

 

Thai wife has never had to do anything more than have passport scanned, they already knew everthing about her.

[bluesofa]

25 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

If you look at how these systems already operate in other countries, a Thai person going to Australia get issued a visa against their passport number, no stamps or stickers in passport. Immigration in Australia scans the passport on arrival and the visa is in their system already length of stay, address etc, stay starts from that day.

 

Thai wife has never had to do anything more than have passport scanned, they already knew everthing about her.

Sounds organised.

Trying to get someone here to look at a system that's already working, just to consider the options would more than likely be as easy as pushing string uphill, unfortunately.

Or perhaps they have a secret weapon in immigration - a member of staff with some common sense.

 

[evadgib]

We'll still be required to submit a 'phone-book' of documents at every interaction involving immigration a decade from now.

[watcharacters]

Just now, evadgib said:

We'll still be required to submit a 'phone-book' of documents at every interaction involving immigration a decade from now.

 

 

 

True that until paper has no recycle value..

 

 

[JAG]

3 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Wanna bet???

 

My only question is, can they find enough Windows 98 certified software engineers to help them get their platform off the ground?

 

No, they will update to XP.

 

That little chap who hangs around next to the ATMs as you come into Pantip Plaza is standing by to handle the upgrade...

[bluesofa]

4 minutes ago, evadgib said:

We'll still be required to submit a 'phone-book' of documents at every interaction involving immigration a decade from now.

I recognise that - it's a TM30.

[bluesofa]

3 minutes ago, JAG said:

No, they will update to XP.

 

That little chap who hangs around next to the ATMs as you come into Pantip Plaza is standing by to handle the upgrade...

Ah, the latest software of choice.

IIRC, don't most ATMs here run on XP?

[tukkytuktuk]

How long until the database is hacked or leaked online and everyones details are available to any identity theft gang? Which has happened many times before.

 

https://www.thephuketnews.com/immigration-data-breach-puts-southern-expats-personal-details-online-56804.php