Thailand’s Immigration to Step up Efforts to Expedite Immigration Lines

BANGKOK – Thailand’s Immigration police are stepping up efforts to prepare their personnel and procedures for the expected influx of tourists in and out of the country during long holiday periods, including the New Year’s festival, deputy police spokesman Pol Colonel Choengron Rimpadee said.

The plan, called Nanfah (territorial sky) 13/61, is being initiated as a proactive strategy to facilitate immigration procedures including checking passports for Thai and foreign people during the crowded period at international airports in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Hat Yai.

According to The Nation, acting Immigration police commissioner Pol Maj-General Surachet Hakpal had ordered the measures to accommodate foreign tourists coming to Thailand as part of efforts to boost tourism in the country during the upcoming holidays.

The plan is expected to solve the problems of overcrowding caused by arrivals of flights at the same time.

Personnel from immigration section at the points of entry will be deployed to help the immigration works if needed in order to speed up the procedures, Choengron said.

However, he said the speeding up of procedures will not open up opportunities for ill-intentioned groups.

It is expected that the plan will be able to help speed up the immigration process, he added.