fredag 6 maj 2022

Immigration told to clean up their act: Employ a "service mind" - no playing on phones and no bribes. Chonburi immigration was paid a visit yesterday by a top brass assistant commissioner. ASEAN NOW / Daily News


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Daily News Thai Caption: Laying down the law!

 

Chonburi immigration was paid a visit yesterday by a top brass assistant commissioner determined that they clean up their act as more tourists and migrants enter the country following decisions to reopen from central government.

 

Pol Lt-Gen Prajuap Wongsuk was laying down the law, reported Daily News who used vocabulary akin to "rod of iron".

 

The Lt-Gen and his entourage first paid an inspection visit to the Ban Laem crossing now open in Chanthaburi where he checked matters and advised staff how to help visitors to Thailand and migrant workers.

 

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Picture: Daily News

 

Then it was off to Chonburi's immigration office where Prajuap had a nine point checklist for immigration staff.

 

#7 was an order for the office to have contingency plans ready to cope with an expected influx of more tourists now the country was more fully open again.

 

He said that immigration was a first contact in Thailand for many tourists and they needed to present a good face to protect the image of the country.

 

This meant having a "service mind" when it came to dealing with visitors to immigration. 

 

That meant a swift service and no waiting in outside tents or in long embarrassing queues. 

 

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Picture: Daily News

 

#8 was even more direct.

 

Get off your phones and don't take bribes, he ordered.

 

Other orders were to ensure efficiency, strike a blance between following the rules and giving possible leeway, helping tourists, checking visa extensions diligently and making sure the blacklisted were caught.

 

Also he urged checks on overstayers, checks on people on warrants, correct use of technology in doing their job as well as advice to agents and people from Myanmar to have all their paperwork in order. 

 

All this was important for the image of Thailand, he said. 


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Opinion: Don't be complacent when the government extends State of Emergency act - Thai Enquirer Current Affairs


 
Opinion: Don't be complacent when the government extends State of Emergency act

The reason why Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul cannot see anything wrong with the prolonging of the state of emergency decree is because it is not being used to arrest and prosecute any of his friends and family.

There is no doubt now that the state of emergency decree, which was announced in March 2020, in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19 is also being used by the government to discourage people from protesting.

More than 1,400 activists and protesters were prosecuted for the violation of the emergency decree since May 2020, according to the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights. None of those cases had anything to do with Covid.

And even though the government is relaxing entry regulations and domestic restrictions ahead of declaring Covid as endemic by July, the government is still not lifting the SOE.

Anutin did hedge his position slightly on Thursday.

"Personally, I cannot see any problem with the existence of the emergency decree because it makes it easier to prevent the spread of the disease. But if Covid is declared as endemic, the law might no longer be necessary," he told reporters.

"The health sector is ready and there will be no need to depend on the power of security officers to help enforce the law to prevent the spread of the disease," he said.

Will Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha agree with the statement? We will have to wait and see.

Doing so would make it harder for the government to arbitrarily arrest protesters but they still have other tools at their disposal such as the Computer Crime Act, the sedition and lese-majeste laws, with which to continue to suppress activists, dissidents and political oppositions.

The government is in a precarious situation with rumors swirling that Prayut Chan-ocha might be on his way out.

That means they will be extra sensitive to protests and rallies that defy their rule.

Don't forget in the Deep South the SOE has been extended indefinitely because it makes it easier for them to control the population and exploit resources without having to find sustainable solutions.

They would love to do the same here.



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TAT says Thailand still on track to welcome 20 million tourists next year. According to the TAT governor, a recent France Info report shows that searches for airline tickets to Thailand have quadrupled, while the most popular destination among Norwegians booking summer holidays is Bangkok. | Thaiger / Bangkok Post

TAT says Thailand still on track to welcome 20 million tourists next year

The governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand says he remains hopeful that 20 million holidaymakers will travel to Thailand next year. Yuthasak Supasorn says this will almost certainly be possible if China lifts its border restrictions by then. He adds that he expects tourism revenue to reach 80% of its 2019 level during 2023.

"The industry next year is poised to strengthen from this year, making the goal of attracting 20 million tourists, half the total in 2019, achievable. This is particularly the case if China, which previously contributed one-third of arrivals, lifts border controls by that time."

Earlier this week, the Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, predicted that Thailand would welcome around 20 million international arrivals next year, provided Covid-19 has been declared endemic and there are no new threats to tourism.

In order to get things going, Yuthasak says the country should plan to attract between 7 and 10 million tourists this year, adding that there are positive signs this can be done. On May 1, the kingdom welcomed 19,727 tourists, which rose to 15,439 and 14,108 on May 2 and 3, respectively. By contrast, Thailand welcomed between 10,000 and 12,000 a day last month, before PCR testing on arrival was lifted.

Data shows that as of May 3, Thailand has received 853,165 tourists, with 74,414 of those coming from the UK. 63,342 came from Germany, 55,995 from Russia, 51,783 from India, and 49,792 from the US.

Yuthasak is also optimistic about the low season, saying he believes Thailand could welcome 500,000 long-haul travellers this month. According to the TAT governor, a recent France Info report shows that searches for airline tickets to Thailand have quadrupled, while the most popular destination among Norwegians booking summer holidays is Bangkok.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post







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