Suvarnabhumi immigration chief says staff is overloaded

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Suvarnabhumi immigration chief says staff is overloaded

Published: 24 Sep 2012 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

As Suvarnabhumi airport prepares to mark its sixth anniversary on Friday, its immigration officials are struggling with a heavy workload.

Natthorn: Needs more officers

Pol Maj Gen Natthorn Prosunthorn, commander of Immigration Police Division 2 at Suvarnabhumi airport, said his team is busy not just checking passenger visas, but also protecting national security. "Immigration police must capture suspects who have outstanding arrest warrants issued by police stations nationwide," he said.

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jdlorean
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Discussion 30 : 27 Sep 2012 at 12.1730
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Ban them using mobile phones, and yakking to their neighbours in the next booth might help. Everybody's experiencing increased traffic. Get used to it Natthorn, recruit and stop whinging!
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khunbill
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Discussion 29 : 24 Sep 2012 at 18.1329
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bluski9 disc #

I find your comment totally untrue. I dont know how many times you enter the USA but I do frequently and sip through immigrations and never had a problem with any agent. If you are not a US citizen of course its going to take longer, thats do to homeland security and a separate line. Same as Thailand citizens

And give me a break! I havent had one pleasant Thai agent check me through since coming to Thailand. They arent rude just stoned face with a careless look on their face, taking their sweet old time.
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bkposter
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Discussion 28 : 24 Sep 2012 at 16.0328
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Re: D18 I agree, and if you are behind a group from China or someplace where they have never traveled much then they do not know what to do, or even know that the paper needs to be completed before they arrive at the counter. I think with modern Tech, it would not take much for the airlines to hand you the completed document just before arrival...most of the info the airline has already checked before you were allowed to board.
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siamitude
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Discussion 27 : 24 Sep 2012 at 15.0927
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Immigration officiers having to work hard. Wow, that's news indeed!
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jck
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Discussion 26 : 24 Sep 2012 at 13.4626
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What took them so long to figure out they are understaffed? Letters in the Post have been saying it for a while. God help them and the passengers when 2 A380s land minutes apart.
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pointoffew
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Discussion 25 : 24 Sep 2012 at 12.0925
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"staff must also provide receptions for official guests of the government, with many occurring on a daily basis." My advice: Stop wasting your time.
"It is impossible to hire more officials to match the ever growing number of passengers." Really? Give us one reason why.

On a different note, yesterday the queue at immigration / passport control at Suvarnabhumi was +/- 150 people when I got there. Within 15 minutes I was through and just 5 minutes later I picked all my luggage from the belt. A very positive experience.
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mr.meldrew
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Discussion 24 : 24 Sep 2012 at 11.4524
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nosurprise D10 : Re: 90 days notification by post. Documents must be sent by registered mail and the receipt of the registration kept by the foreigner. So if they lose it in post you have proof of it being being sent. Also I just called immigration and was told yes you can send by post. Just make sure you send all photocopies required. Updated info for what you need is here http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/en/base.php?page=90days
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DONHUAN
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Discussion 23 : 24 Sep 2012 at 11.4023
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All these complaints boiled down the following reasons:
A)Very poor Management and lack of forward planning as was pointed out earlier;
B)Another good point mentioned is to keep suspects in a confine holding area, pending for Police collection;
C)Very poor productivity level; from an average of 6000 visa checks per mth (31 / hr) against 27,000 checks achieved (140 / Hr); immigration officers are definitely poorly motivated, thus the incentives;
D)They should second young men/women, minimum grade 12, who are doing their national service to reinforce the immigration officers; no bachelor graduates, worth their salt, will stay in these positions for long;
E)Machines to clear passports for locals are already installed in many Asean countries; more should also be installed ASAP;
F)Last but by no means least, train and pay your immigration officers well.

In conclusion, just because some countries are not fairing any better than Thailand is no excuse for the Immigration not strive to be the best in Asean, if not Asia.
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ricardo
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Discussion 22 : 24 Sep 2012 at 11.3822
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All these police, army and other toads that are now at “inactive” posts collecting their salaries (Whatever that entails) could be used at immigration checking passports. As for hiring more staff, good question why not? The government can give away millions for foolish projects like water pushing barges they can give some to immigration.
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searat
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Discussion 21 : 24 Sep 2012 at 11.3621
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Immigration lines might move faster if their officers were not allowed to use personal cell phones while working. A week ago I entered the country and observed 2 officers sitting in same booth..both on cell phones for extended periods of time (one was using ear buds).Processing time was understandably longer. Use of personal cell phones should not be allowed while handling passengers
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