Thai Senior Immigration Officer Vows to Purge the Country of All Overstayers Within Three Months

 

Chaengwattana government complex in #Bangkok

Immigration Bureau commissioner Pol. Lt. Gen. Pakphumpipat Sajjaphan held a seminar on Thursday, July 6th, to equip immigration officers with the necessary skills to effectively address the issue of overstayers. Overstaying is when someone stays past the date of their legal visa without permission from Thai Immigration. Within the next three months, the number of overstayers should be reduced to zero, as they are more likely to engage in criminal activities, which can adversely affect Thailand’s tourism industry, Pol. Lt. Gen. Pakphumpipat said. He added that the immigration bureau would also develop complex investigative strategies to reach this goal of zero by focusing on dismantling networks involved in smuggling foreign individuals into the country. Immigration officers would be deployed regularly to conduct on-site passport checks at places, especially entertainment venues nationwide, and businesses would be required to report the accommodation of foreign individuals to the officers. Thai law allows random checks of foreign nationals to ensure they are legally residing within the Kingdom. It is also the law to have legal identification on one’s person at all times. Pol. Lt. Gen. Pakphumpipat believed that in the future, the database of the Immigration Bureau on foreign people within the Kingdom would be greatly strengthened. This would allow immigration officers and police officers to be able to track foreign individuals whether they were lost or had committed a crime within 1-2 days, he said. The plan will also utilize smart cars which are equipped with advanced camera face recognition technology connected to the Thai Immigration Database constantly scanning faces of pedestrians and bystanders to identify those on overstay. This technology had been utilized successfully in busy tourist areas that also had many problems with overstaying like Phuket and Pattaya. Penalties for overstaying differ based on the period overstayed but often include deportation at the overstayers expense, fines, blacklisting, and detainment at the Immigration Detention Center in Bangkok until one is deported.

Source = Pattaya News

#Thailand - Automated postal machines set up at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

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Thailand Post has introduced Automated Postal Machine (APM) service at Suvarnabhumi Airport to enable air travellers to dispatch by post any items prohibited from being carried on board. 

Thailand Post president Smorn Terdthumpiboon said on Friday that the introduction of the new service by Thailand Post would allow travellers to send items to addresses in Thailand and to other countries by post. 

She said the service would help air travellers barred by airlines from carrying with them any items or those who want to mail things in rush hour and do not want to wait in a long line at post offices.

The APMs have been installed at the airport's departure hall on the fourth floor before departure for international flights in the east zone and at the end of check-in counters row D, M, T, and B. The service is available all 24 hours.

Travellers can send items weighing up to 500 grams per package, select the delivery destination, and pay for the service at the machine. 

Users must enter their citizen ID number or passport number into the machine to identify themselves. 

However, prohibited items such as sharp items with or without protection, explosives, live animals, pressurised items, and inflammable items cannot be sent using this facility. 

The delivery fee to domestic destinations is a flat Bt50 per item. Fees for overseas destinations start at Bt400 per item for Asia and Bt450 per item to the Europe, Africa, Oceania and America zones.

Sourse - TheNation

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