Tourists to face closer monitoring

[Stantheman]

From the Bangkok Post online

"The Immigration Bureau will start a new campaign next month to keep track of the whereabouts of all tourists by enforcing reporting requirements of hotels, resorts and guesthouses.

Bureau chief Wuthi Liptapallop said managers failing to comply will face arrest and fines of up to 10,000 baht per tourist if they do not fulfil their obligations.

Under Section 38 of the Immigration Act, managers of residences, hotels, guesthouses, condominiums and resorts have to notify the Immigration Office about guests within 24 hours of their arrival.

Pol Lt Gen Wuthi said the provision had long existed but had not been fully enforced. The opening of the Immigration Control System Centre next month and an improved computer system at the bureau now made this possible.

"We will now request from the managers of those places information on each guest, by computer, every day," he said. "We are now receiving information from about 60% of them. This should rise to 70% next month, and more in the following weeks."

Lt Gen Wuthi said about 80,000 people arrive in Thailand daily through several entry points, "but we don't know exactly where these foreign tourists stay, how long they will stay, for example, in Bangkok, Chiang Mai or in other places".

"This might sound like an ambitious project, but in fact we can actually accomplish it quite easily," he said.

Under Section 77 of the Immigration Act, managers who don't comply face arrest and a fine of 2,000-10,000 baht per day for each unreported guest.

Lt Gen Wuthi said the data collected would be reported to every ambassador, which would give them confidence "that we are trying to serve and protect their nationals".

"We have to identify who the people are, and where they are staying," he said. "If you remember when the tsunami struck Thailand in December 2004, we had some problems with the identification of victims. We had no information or any data on them. With this method, we will have information on almost every tourist, making it easier to identify them if something happens."

Information about the 1,000 foreign fugitives believed to be living here would also be put into the system. "It should be easier to locate them," he said."

http://www.bangkokpost.com/lite/topstor ... monitoring

[nkstan]

I don't see why anyone should complain about that!

For those who have houses in their partners name or rent from the partners family,they might want to insure that they are reported as living there,otherwise they might have an indirect cost !As it has been one of the things some immigration officials have enforced in the past,there is a good chance most will enforce it in the future!

[SanukJoe]

I don't see why anyone should complain about that!

For those who have houses in their partners name or rent from the partners family,they might want to insure that they are reported as living there,otherwise they might have an indirect cost !As it has been one of the things some immigration officials have enforced in the past,there is a good chance most will enforce it in the future!

The most important authority to have your personal data is your embassy. In case of emergency they will be able to contact you and if necessary identify you.

In my case the Dutch Embassy has a register system (voluntary) that feeds a database of Dutch people living in Thailand. If needed they will send you SMS like they did during the red shirt (peaceful ) protests.

A useful system that works two ways and helps to make the registry system of foreigners complete, together with the above mentioned tourist registration for hotels etc.

Joe

[TJ]

That the U.S. has hundreds of thousands of contractors and government agents gathering massive amounts of information on all its citizens and foreigners has soured me on the concept that it is a good policy that Big Brother knows where everyone is and what they are doing. It recently came out that the U.S. Homeland Security effort has created a program that is about as big as twenty Pentagons. These unaccountable U.S. data gathering programs must be costing hundreds of billions per year. Too the recent U.S. census has greatly invaded the citizen's privacy.

So it appears to me that some Thai government offices are building their empire. More staff and resources must be acquired and paid for by taxes. If so, they will never abandon these new offices and will work diligently to expand.

For as long as I remember the Thais collected this information. Who knows or cares what they did with it. But if the Thai government is like the U.S. government they will make an industry of it. Surely there will be more bribes coming from hotels that can't keep up with the information gathering.

If they learn from the U.S. politicians they will also collect personal data on Thais. It could be interesting to important politicians to know about hotel stays by members of their and opposing party members. Data might including the identity of any Thais that checked in with them. Are the short time hotels collecting information, including the IDs of visiting Thai girls, and passing it on to the government?

In my opinion what the Thais did in the past to be informed is sufficient. Government spying and meddling with the average person has gotten way out of hand.

[Peterplay]

I can not believe this is going to be a success in Thailand, no way they are able to gather and process this locally gathered info unless automated systems are set up for every hotel, guesthouse, resort and the like.

And as for what TJ said, right, there should be a balance between safety and privacy, but in the USA this has gone completely out of control, no balance, a very very big brother is watching us.

[nkstan]

I don't see why anyone should complain about that!

For those who have houses in their partners name or rent from the partners family,they might want to insure that they are reported as living there,otherwise they might have an indirect cost !As it has been one of the things some immigration officials have enforced in the past,there is a good chance most will enforce it in the future!

The most important authority to have your personal data is your embassy. In case of emergency they will be able to contact you and if necessary identify you.

In my case the Dutch Embassy has a register system (voluntary) that feeds a database of Dutch people living in Thailand. If needed they will send you SMS like they did during the red shirt (peaceful ) protests.

A useful system that works two ways and helps to make the registry system of foreigners complete, together with the above mentioned tourist registration for hotels etc.

Joe

Iwould agree that is what's best for us,but I don't think the Thai gov't concerns themselves with what is best for us!

[Prenders88]

I wonder if this applies to short time hotels, and love motels where a sheet is pulled across the car so prying eyes can't see the number plate. The punter will be out the room before the receptionist has had time to fill out the immigration form.

[parrot]

The last 4 or so hotels/resorts we've checked into (Phurua, Bangkok, Pai, Maehongson), I've not been asked for a passport. There's a blank for passport number, and I fill it in, but no one has ever verified the number I put (usually 9 digits, but sometimes 10 or

[Khun Paul]

Um, short time venues will be exempt as normally that is not a place where one books in, from my experience which is none but what I have heard there are sort of a no frills place with nowhere to hang bugger all.
But seriously folks they need something sorted otu take the tsunami, they were at a loss and any really bad situation they do need to know where some of these people go to ( tourists that is ) not those who are long-stayers.

[jai yen yen]

I own a house in Hua Hin, does this mean if I come to Thailand on a tourist visa I need to tell immigration in Hua Hin I am there? I usually get multiple 2 month visa's and do a border run every 2 months.

[Stantheman]

I own a house in Hua Hin, does this mean if I come to Thailand on a tourist visa I need to tell immigration in Hua Hin I am there? I usually get multiple 2 month visa's and do a border run every 2 months.

Normally you should be providing that info on entrance card you fill out when you arrive in Thailand. I put the address of our home in Udon, in English of course. But I do not do border runs so not sure of what you would need to report at border.

[TJ]

It is likely that the Immigration Bureau is just trying to justify their work and light a fire under some of the less efficient hotel managers. It is understandable why hotels need identification from hotel guests that will incur expenses and may damage hotel property. The tourist and hotel industries might find the tourist data a bit useful. But a need for a daily update on the whereabouts of 80,000 tourists?

The recent disasterous tsunami should not be cited as a reason for Thais to track tourists. That was a once in every hundred years event. Hotel fires are the likely disaster. Or bombs.

Maybe this is just the annual announcement of standard immigration policy that hasn't changed for decades.

[T Bone]

The last 4 or so hotels/resorts we've checked into (Phurua, Bangkok, Pai, Maehongson), I've not been asked for a passport. There's a blank for passport number, and I fill it in, but no one has ever verified the number I put (usually 9 digits, but sometimes 10 or

I have lived in Phuket for 15 years and a few times a year I load the pick up truck and "road trip" to different parts of the country for a holiday. The first day's stop is always Hua Hin, where I have always stayed at the same hotel ( probably spent at least 30 nights there over the years ) as it suits me and my truck very well, the staff know me, they even call me by my first name when I show up un-announced. On July 2nd I turned up there as usual, along with the handbrake (wife), and plopped my Thai drivers license down on the check in counter as I always do. The nice lady told me that now they must have your passport so they can photo copy the entry stamp / arrival card and that the police come in every morning and collect all the records of foreigners staying there. She said it is a 5000 baht fine per foreigner if there is no passport record taken, so I have seen this law being enforced already.
As others here have posted, if you have nothing to hide it should be no drama.

[Frans]

I,m wondfering iff there could be a diverence between Thai gouvernement rules and Embassy sevices, like to take tracks from cityzen to warn them fore anny inconvience? But I agree when this Thai immigrtation work is done well, it could make Thailand a litle savier :-"

[Shado]

Took a little road trip this past week. Only stayed in two hotels, one in Saraburi and one at Khao Yai National park. Driver's license worked just fine at both hotels. Never opened my passport during the entire trip.

Makes one wonder how consistent compliance is across the country.

Additionally, must have gone through 10 or 12 police speed checks/traffic stops. Never got pulled over at any of them. I think that might be a first for me.

[SanukJoe]

Took a little road trip this past week. Only stayed in two hotels, one in Saraburi and one at Khao Yai National park. Driver's license worked just fine at both hotels. Never opened my passport during the entire trip.

Makes one wonder how consistent compliance is across the country.

OP quoted an article in Bangkok Post, dated Aug. 1, the first sentence:

The Immigration Bureau will start a new campaign next month

So no need to report about "no change" in August as it will be implemented in September soonest

Joe

[Shado]

Actually, my comment was intened to be a comparison to T Bone's experience at Hua Hin.

[Khun Paul]

ACTUALLY they are basically kicking the hotel industry in the backside as it is they who have been lax in their registering tourists not necessarily the other way around. Most countries I have visited and this includes Thailand, passport details even just the number are recorded at the vast majority of places. Where it is not shows a lack of concern over their guests.

Oh well we wait with bated breath .

[parrot]

"shows a lack of concern over their guests"

Sort of like locked emergency exits!

[T Bone]

Took a little road trip this past week. Only stayed in two hotels, one in Saraburi and one at Khao Yai National park. Driver's license worked just fine at both hotels. Never opened my passport during the entire trip.

Makes one wonder how consistent compliance is across the country.

Additionally, must have gone through 10 or 12 police speed checks/traffic stops. Never got pulled over at any of them. I think that might be a first for me.

Yes, this may be another Thai law that is abided by / enforced ( or not ) by using the 'selective compliance' approach that we see so often (not necessarily a bad thing)
The hotel at which I stayed in Hua Hin is less than 100mtrs from the Hua Hin police station, so the BIB don't have to put in too much effort to 'enforce' this one.
As far as the passport vs. thai driving license goes, I have seen many times the thai license being favored over the foreign passport for identification purposes. IMO this is simply because (some of) the thai staff may struggle with reading and deciphering a foreign passport, being that they are written in english text. For example, the last car that I bought I withdrew a million baht cash from my SCB account and offered my passport and drivers license for identification.......they took the license.
Excuse me if I am getting away from the main topic here.