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  1. #1
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    StrontiumDog's Avatar
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    Immigration deflects criticism: Suvarnabhumi arrivals 'overwhelming' bureau

    Immigration deflects criticism | Bangkok Post: news

    Immigration deflects criticism

    Suvarnabhumi arrivals 'overwhelming' bureau

    The Immigration Bureau is defending itself against a recent rash of criticism over its handling of arrivals and departures at Suvarnabhumi international airport, saying a combination of understaffing and a steady increase in the number of passengers has left it overwhelmed.

    Natthorn Phrosuwan, chief of Immigration Division 2, which is responsible for immigration at the country's biggest and busiest airport, said the bureau was set up to manage a maximum capacity of 80,000 passengers per day when Suvarnabhumi opened in 2006.

    However the number of people flying in and out of the airport has since increased to between 160,000 and 180,000 a day, he said.

    Pol Maj Gen Natthorn said estimates point to the annual number of departures and arrivals increasing by another 5 million, or nearly 14,000 per day, within the next five years.

    The division currently has only 1,045 immigration officers after 267 officers were either promoted or moved to work elsewhere, while new officers are still undergoing training that they must complete before they can start manning the immigration booths.

    "Since New Year, the division has been flooded with complaints over the long lines at the immigration check counters, despite how hard our officers work," Pol Maj Gen Natthorn said.

    "They sometimes even skip trips to the restroom when faced with a line of angry passengers."

    At least 20 additional immigration officers should be added to the Suvarnabhumi workforce, airport director Somchai Sawasdipol said.

    Immigration Division 2 hopes to negotiate with the Comptroller General's Department to allow it to use revenue collected through charging airlines per flight and passenger, in a move to fund improved working conditions and the recruitment of more staff, and to pay existing staff cash incentives such as bonuses and higher overtime payments.

    Currently, the Immigration Bureau charges airlines 200 baht per flight plus 10 baht per passenger.

    "Working at Suvarnabhumi is costly, given the high costs of living and expenses, while the overtime payments are too low. The work is also extremely stressful," said a source at Immigration Division 2.

    The source said overtime payments add up to about 5,000-6,000 baht per month on average, but claimed this was not enough given the cost of commuting and the price of food at the airport, which staff have to eat if working double shifts.

    The source added: "We have to work literally non-stop, and when someone moved to work at another airport, there was no replacement."

    "Despite its glamorous image, no immigration officer wants to work at Suvarnabhumi. If they can choose, this airport would no doubt be their last choice," Pol Maj Gen Natthorn said.

    "Heavy workloads, a high risk of facing a probe when it comes to a mistake, unattractive [overtime] payments and high living costs [in Bangkok] are among the reasons they don't like Suvarnabhumi."

    Transport Minister Jarupong Ruangsuwan said he had recently discussed with Finance Minister Kittiratt NaRanong a proposal to improve the working conditions of Suvarnabhumi's immigration officers.

    Mr Jarupong suggested cash incentives such as a "piece rate" of 25 satang per passport-check on top of their salary, and a reward of 100,000 baht for anyone who successfully detects a terrorist suspect.

    Mr Jarupong said he also had instructed Airports of Thailand (AoT) to increase the number of staff who speak languages other than Thai and English, so that passengers who do not speak either can receive help with filling out immigration forms and understanding the immigration procedure.

    By April 11, a number of automatic international passport check machines will also be installed to increase passenger convenience.

    For now, the machines are only linked to the Thai passport and immigration databases.

    Marisa Pongpattanapun, chairwoman of the Airline Operators Committee (AOC), a coalition of global airline managers, said the AOC was well aware of the problems facing Immigration Division 2 and had discussed possible solutions with the AoT and the Immigration Bureau.

    She said it was important to resolve the problems at immigration because long queues can cause passengers to miss their flights.

    "The matter really needs to be resolved for the sake of the country's tourism reputation," she said.
    "Slavery is the daughter of darkness; an ignorant people is the blind instrument of its own destruction; ambition and intrigue take advantage of the credulity and inexperience of men who have no political, economic or civil knowledge. They mistake pure illusion for reality, license for freedom, treason for patriotism, vengeance for justice."-Simón Bolívar

  2. #2
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    adzt1's Avatar
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    seems the airlines are making noises now so maybe , just maybe they will listen.

  3. #3
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    WANKERS !

  4. #4
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    So they know what the problems are so do something about it.

  5. #5
    euston has flown

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    To be honest there's nothing unusual about this, these T&C's are rife throughout the civil service and to be honest I lack sympathy for them as fundamentally they are treated like doormats because they behave like doormats.


    I'm note sure about immigration but for the bits of the civil service I know the employment terms are such that in most western countries you would get an instant walk out, though in thailand that would be an arrestable offence for a civil servant.

    Over time is at half pay, and the first 4 hours have to be given free. If the team is working huge amounts of OT and the budget is getting tight the management will ask you to work for free 'for the love of your country'.

    I.E if you work a full weekend, you get 1 days pay. However if you take sick leave on a monday or friday, they will count it as 3 whole days sick leave.

    Overtime is volitary however for most if they don't do it they could charged with or accused of dereliction of duty, hell if they doing turn up for work in the morning, their boss has the right to send out the police to drag them in! (I will say I've never head of this happening)

    If you want to leave the country you have to ask for permission, if you don't you could be arrested at immigration. This became a serious career issue after taksin in one of his more rational moments decided that one want to differentiate between honest and corrupt civil servants was that corrupt cicil servants leave the country without permission. The military, in their wisdom, decided that this was such a good idea they put a limit on the number of times a civil servant can leave the country on personal business as a corruption control measure.

    at all times you are personally liable for you decisions, any mistakes can see you being sued personally and/or criminally prosecuted with prison time and loss of pension even for minor mistakes.

    This however being thailand, and as chalarm put it, doing what the law prohibits; does not automatically make it an offence. It only becomes an offence when someone bigger than you decides to use it to get art you. So you can safely ignore a lot of this , be incompetent, break the law as you please.... as long as the boss likes you because you do as your told without asking any questions.

    So next time you meet a cranky, bastard from hell civil servant making your life hell. remember its nothing personal, they are just working out all that pent-up anger towards their bosses on someone who cannot do anything about it... namely you

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by StrontiumDog
    Since New Year, the division has been flooded with complaints over the long lines at the immigration check counters, despite how hard our officers work
    I can't say I have ever looked at an immigration official at swampy and noticed them working with the slightest bit of urgency or enthusiasm if there are long lines waiting.

    They all seem to carry that air of snobbishness and arrogance that makes me feel like I want to punch heads.

  7. #7
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Understaffing my arse, there's always a load of lazy fuckers stood around doing nothing. Pay them no salary, commission only for the number of passengers they process properly, pomplem solved.

  8. #8
    I am in Jail

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    Quote Originally Posted by StrontiumDog
    The division currently has only 1,045 immigration officers after 267 officers were either promoted or moved to work elsewhere, while new officers are still undergoing training that they must complete before they can start manning the immigration booths.
    Fukkin replace them first you Idiots

  9. #9
    Thailand Expat lom's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Spin
    I can't say I have ever looked at an immigration official at swampy and noticed them working with the slightest bit of urgency or enthusiasm if there are long lines waiting.
    Lack of enthusiasm over a long queue, strange innit?
    Imagine yourself sitting in that booth dealing with 3 russian families of 12 people with half completed filled in arrival cards and none of the russians speaking English..
    You look towards the end of the queue and notice that it is getting filled up with turbanos and you instantly know that this is another fucked up day.

  10. #10
    euston has flown

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    ^knowing that there is a very good chance that this is the job you will have until the day you retire.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by hazz
    ^knowing that there is a very good chance that this is the job you will have until the day you retire.
    and that you paid money to get it.

  12. #12
    Thailand Expat klong toey's Avatar
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    They should have special booths other than fast track for regular visitors.
    You got more than 20 Thai immigration stamps should be classed a idiot for coming back so many times.
    I must be a VIP idiot so far have 30 Thai immigration stamps in this passport.

  13. #13
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    ^^ And knowing he/she would not likely be allowed to enter our home countries at all, for any reason even if they could afford it.

    ^ They could make the "Thai Passports" windows for "Thai Residents" instead. That would also be a little less xenophobic.

  14. #14
    euston has flown

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    humm I think that would be window dressing, after all first they need to understand what xenophobia is, then they need to believe that its a bad thing.

    thinking about it what is the percentage of foreign residents in thailand that have resident status? As I understand it, to complete the PR process a successful application has to be signed off by the interior minister and that for various reasons this has happened for just a couple of the last 12 years.

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    Quote Originally Posted by hazz View Post
    ^knowing that there is a very good chance that this is the job you will have until the day you retire.
    Unlike the west, actually having guaranteed retirement income & benefits to look forward to is a great luxury in Thailand, not available to most employees.

    Immigration officer jobs are fairly well paid (especially given the opportunities for supplemental income), and not particularly uncomfortable compared to most jobs out there... of course, dealing with political crap and demands for brown-nosing your boss are a downside.

    Quote Originally Posted by hazz View Post
    what is the percentage of foreign residents in thailand that have resident status?
    Thai PR status is not just extremely difficult to get, but mostly useless as well. It's just a long term permission to stay, does not guarantee a work permit, does not grant your property rights, and is forfeited if you stay out of Thailand for more than a year. Moreover, it does not provide a clear path to citizenship (you could probably fit all Farang who became Thai citizens into a small bus).
    Last edited by crocodilexp; 12-03-2012 at 01:34 PM.

  16. #16
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    They need a bigger hall and more booths as well as more staff. Problem is, who will pay for it? Who normally pays for it?

  17. #17
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    What they need is more help for people filling out the Arrival card. No one should be permitted to complete or make substantial corrections to the card while they are at the counter. Why make the Immigration officer and everyone in line wait? This is a major cause of the backlog.

    How about a very visible help desk located before the lines with lots of instructions and examples in many foreign languages? As I recall, Narita has desk like this to which people are directed for form completion.

  18. #18
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    The other drawback to becoming a resident in Thailand is the Frontal Lobotomy you have have done to become like the natives

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by richie22
    The other drawback to becoming a resident in Thailand is the Frontal Lobotomy you have have done to become like the natives
    So I have had a lobotomy richy boy? Not a clever comment at all. Talking about shitty immigration services and you put down the whole country.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by hazz View Post
    humm I think that would be window dressing, after all first they need to understand what xenophobia is, then they need to believe that its a bad thing.

    thinking about it what is the percentage of foreign residents in thailand that have resident status? As I understand it, to complete the PR process a successful application has to be signed off by the interior minister and that for various reasons this has happened for just a couple of the last 12 years.
    I wasn't being technical, by residents I just meant people who live here.

  21. #21
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    I don't even live in the UAE, but I paid Bt2000, they took all my passport details, and my fingerprints, and now I swan in there with a shiny "You can come in" card, go through a turnstile and apply the requested finger and I'm through Immigration.

    It's called progress, and if the Arabs can do it, why can't anyone else?

    I am registered with IRIS in the UK, but they're about to drop that because the fucking retards can't make it work properly (although it's never failed for me).
    The next post may be brought to you by my little bitch Spamdreth

  22. #22
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    These queues must be the only queues in Thailand that don't have food sellers wandering up and down them.




  23. #23
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    Why don't they put immigration officers on incoming international flights, if little stamps and fewer delays are so important? When the trolly-dollies have cleared away your uneaten "meal", the immigration people could come round and top up your "coffee" while stamping your passport.

  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda
    I am registered with IRIS in the UK
    Is she a 3 holer?

  25. #25
    euston has flown

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    Quote Originally Posted by BobR View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by hazz View Post
    humm I think that would be window dressing, after all first they need to understand what xenophobia is, then they need to believe that its a bad thing.

    thinking about it what is the percentage of foreign residents in thailand that have resident status? As I understand it, to complete the PR process a successful application has to be signed off by the interior minister and that for various reasons this has happened for just a couple of the last 12 years.
    I wasn't being technical, by residents I just meant people who live here.
    Fair enough, my bad. But those of us in this catagory will have a long wait, as i think the thai electorate are about as happy about our presence thier country as they are about the prospect of root canal sergery.

    Regarding iris, ive had experiance of some of the companies involved, to dicribe them as a bunch of fucking monkeys who couldnt unwrap a bannana if their lives depended on it would be a kindness and is perhaps a core factor in the project failing
    Last edited by hazz; 12-03-2012 at 05:40 PM.

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