LATEST. You have until the end of December 2005 to register your 'pre-paid' mobile phone SIM-card. The suggestion is that after this date an unregistered SIM will be blocked throughout Thailand.
Just seen this entered into the thaivisa forum and on the Thai expats website... It seems a genuine post.
Anybody registered there mobile phone yet?
Rumours abound on this one... some say that its a storm in a tea-cup and nothing will happen whether registered or not?
Sounds a bit too much like big brother to me...
Big Brother wants our mobile phones....
I have a prepaid in Australia and they all have to be registered, so what is the problem with doing it over in Thailand.
One plus about registering them is that they take the model number of the phone, so if it gets stolen and you report it, they can block anyone from making calls from it, so is virtually useless to anyone that steals it. If anyone tries to re-register it and cannot provide the correct details that you have supplied, it will set off alarm bells with your supplier.
Only takes a few mins to do and is no trouble.
Also with all of the terrorists setting off bombs etc with them, it can help with the police investigations.
One plus about registering them is that they take the model number of the phone, so if it gets stolen and you report it, they can block anyone from making calls from it, so is virtually useless to anyone that steals it. If anyone tries to re-register it and cannot provide the correct details that you have supplied, it will set off alarm bells with your supplier.
Only takes a few mins to do and is no trouble.
Also with all of the terrorists setting off bombs etc with them, it can help with the police investigations.
Rider wrote:I and a few others enjoy having relative anonymity out here without having my phone-tapped/registered onto a data-base which could be used/abused.
I don't think you have a choice on this one Rider.
If you want to use a thai simcard I've heard you have to register your phone.
It's quite easy. Just go to one of the phoneshops and they fill out a form for you. Bring your passport or some id-card in order to identify yourself.
Takes only 4-5 minutes.
They'll use it in an effort to track down the terrorists in the south.
I intend to live forever - so far so good.
-
Guess
- Deceased
- Posts: 3470
- Joined: Fri Jul 22, 2005 3:01 pm
- Location: BangSaphan. Laurasia. Sub thumb
Norseman is correct.
This information has been publicised for some time now. The purpose behind it is not big brother but to stop terrorists who have been using mobile phones to trigger bomb attacks in the deep south. Unregistered mobiles have been unusable in the South for more than one year already.
What has happened on a couple of occasions since then is that mobiles have been purchased elsewhere in Thailand and shipped to the south with the sole purpose of detonating a bomb and killing innocent people.
If anybody is worried about protecting their anonymity then get a trusted friend to register the phone for you.
As for Big Brother, Thailand is about thirty years behind the UK where they are already tracking the movement of people by their mobile phones and reading the licence plates of their cars as they travel.
This information has been publicised for some time now. The purpose behind it is not big brother but to stop terrorists who have been using mobile phones to trigger bomb attacks in the deep south. Unregistered mobiles have been unusable in the South for more than one year already.
What has happened on a couple of occasions since then is that mobiles have been purchased elsewhere in Thailand and shipped to the south with the sole purpose of detonating a bomb and killing innocent people.
If anybody is worried about protecting their anonymity then get a trusted friend to register the phone for you.
As for Big Brother, Thailand is about thirty years behind the UK where they are already tracking the movement of people by their mobile phones and reading the licence plates of their cars as they travel.
[color=blue][size=134]Care in the community success story.[/size][/color]
Its not tapping your phoneline as such, merely intercepting phone signals.
The thai authorities do on occasion eavesdrop on cellular calls randomly whether you're sydney the sex tourist, Simon the samsonite man or buster the big-shot criminal. The database will possibly make it much easier to 'select' phones to listen in on.
I personally like my privacy which I'm sure many agree if you're having a conversation about personal finances or speaking to your wife/girlfriend on the phone you'd rather not want them listening in.
The thai authorities do on occasion eavesdrop on cellular calls randomly whether you're sydney the sex tourist, Simon the samsonite man or buster the big-shot criminal. The database will possibly make it much easier to 'select' phones to listen in on.
I personally like my privacy which I'm sure many agree if you're having a conversation about personal finances or speaking to your wife/girlfriend on the phone you'd rather not want them listening in.
The Americans have been doing this for years, its nothing new. But I agree with you on the privacy thing. About those finances, it wont be long until immigration demand to see bank books for renewing work visas/permits.Rider wrote:Its not tapping your phoneline as such, merely intercepting phone signals.
The thai authorities do on occasion eavesdrop on cellular calls randomly
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
I'd be more concerned if Mr T's phone company called me and offered a special deal as I was obviously not using one of his.
Don't think the concept of a Data Protection Act has even been thought of in this country.
Databases are powerful tools and some form of accountability should be expected from those who compile them. Government, or not.
Don't think the concept of a Data Protection Act has even been thought of in this country.
Databases are powerful tools and some form of accountability should be expected from those who compile them. Government, or not.
every phone call and txt message sent anywhere in the world is automatically monitored already, so don't worry about having your conversations listened to, as it's already happened. This is all about being to know where you are - the phone companies know where every phone on the network is, so long as it's turned on. Registering phones means that crime suspects can be placed near to crime scenes. Or terrorists if you prefer.
ดวงขึ้น
จิม
จิม
They're still talking about the SIM card registration. Any dead cellphones out there or still working?
BANGKOK, Dec 31 (TNA) -
Nearly all prepaid phone users in Thailand's southernmost provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani have already had their SIM cards registered.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Minister Sora-at Klinpratoom said on Saturday that 90 per cent of all SIM cards used with prepaid cellular phones by residents of the three souhternmost provinces had been registered.
Registration was meant to preclude use of mobile telephone for possible bombing by SIM card users in the troubled region.
Unregistered SIM cards would be rendered useless by telephone companies, the ICT minister said.
In other parts of the country, about half of all SIM cards have been registered so far, he added.
BANGKOK, Dec 31 (TNA) -
Nearly all prepaid phone users in Thailand's southernmost provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani have already had their SIM cards registered.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Minister Sora-at Klinpratoom said on Saturday that 90 per cent of all SIM cards used with prepaid cellular phones by residents of the three souhternmost provinces had been registered.
Registration was meant to preclude use of mobile telephone for possible bombing by SIM card users in the troubled region.
Unregistered SIM cards would be rendered useless by telephone companies, the ICT minister said.
In other parts of the country, about half of all SIM cards have been registered so far, he added.
I intend to live forever - so far so good.
-
Guess
- Deceased
- Posts: 3470
- Joined: Fri Jul 22, 2005 3:01 pm
- Location: BangSaphan. Laurasia. Sub thumb
Mine still works unfortunately. I was hoping service would be discontinued as the only people who ever call really want to speak to my wife or have the wrong number or maybe a combination of both.
I have a strange feeling though that my daughter may have already fixed the problem. She is after the world's leading expert on the use of the confounded things.
I have a strange feeling though that my daughter may have already fixed the problem. She is after the world's leading expert on the use of the confounded things.
[color=blue][size=134]Care in the community success story.[/size][/color]
Yes unregistered phones away from the Deep South will happily work!Norseman wrote:They're still talking about the SIM card registration. Any dead cellphones out there or still working?
BANGKOK, Dec 31 (TNA) -
Nearly all prepaid phone users in Thailand's southernmost provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani have already had their SIM cards registered.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Minister Sora-at Klinpratoom said on Saturday that 90 per cent of all SIM cards used with prepaid cellular phones by residents of the three souhternmost provinces had been registered.
Registration was meant to preclude use of mobile telephone for possible bombing by SIM card users in the troubled region.
Unregistered SIM cards would be rendered useless by telephone companies, the ICT minister said.
In other parts of the country, about half of all SIM cards have been registered so far, he added.
The Latest Buzz from Thai visa news is that the telephone providers in Central and Northern Thailand have not enough resources to collate and enter all this info into a workable data base. So the deadline has been postponed indefinately (as I suspected all along)!
However in the south of thailand however the Database is working by blocking unregistered phones. This is reflected in the fact the insurgents are trying to use Malaysian mobiles to set off bombs.
