Foreigners to be tracked by Defence Ministry

The spokesman for the Defence Ministry says officers are developing a database that will track foreigners from arrival to departure.
The spokesman for the Defence Ministry says officers are developing a database that will track foreigners from arrival to departure.

A computer database is being developed to store information about foreigners to help authorities keep track of them while they are in Thailand, defence spokesman Kong­cheep Tantravanich says.

Tourists, investors and migrant workers are the core groups Thai security authorities want to better monitor with the help of the new database system, Lt Gen Kongcheep said.

This is part of the government's internal security reform and measures to prevent and resolve transnational crimes and terrorism, said Lt Gen Kongcheep after a Wednesday meeting of the government's fifth public administration reform steering committee, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon.

Updates on the development of the database were acknowledged by Gen Prawit, Lt Gen Kongcheep said.

The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society is advising the team developing the database to ensure it will be linked to other systems containing information about foreigners to better keep tabs on them from when they enter Thailand until they leave the country.

While waiting for the new database to be completed, law enforcement authorities have been assigned to step up crackdowns on foreigners staying illegally in Thailand, Lt Gen Kongcheep said.

The Interior Ministry, Tourism and Sports Ministry and Social Development and Human Security Ministry are being assigned to carry out a survey on where foreigners are staying and keep a record of them.

Gen Prawit said the government will no longer tolerate any form of human trafficking, Lt Gen Kongcheep said.

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Vocabulary

  • acknowledge: to let someone know you have received something or the you understand what it is - รับทราบ
  • assign: to give someone a job to do - มอบหมาย, สั่งงาน
  • core: the most important or most basic part of something - ที่สำคัญที่สุด
  • crackdown: strong action that someone in authority takes to stop a particular activity - การใช้กำลังเข้าปราบปรามของเจ้าหน้าที่
  • database: a large amount of information stored in a computer in an organised way - ฐานข้อมูล
  • keep tabs on: to watch somebody/something carefully in order to know what is happening so that you can control a particular situation -
  • monitor: to regularly check someone/something - จับตาดู เฝ้าระมัดระวัง
  • steer: to control the direction in which something or someone moves - นำทาง ถือพวงมาลัย
  • tolerate: to accept something unpleasant without becoming impatient or angry - ทน ยอม
  • trafficking: dealing in illegal goods, like drugs, weapons or in illegally moving humans or animals from one place to another - การค้าสิ่งที่ผิดกฎหมาย
  • transnational: involving more than one country; present in more than one country - ข้ามชาติ
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