Immigration police ready for surge in arrivals from China after free visa policy

The assistant to the National Police chief, Pol Lt-General Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, has been appointed to oversee the readiness of immigration police officers at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Thailand’s Cabinet last week approved free visas for travellers from China and Kazakhstan from September 25 this year until February 29 next year.

Thatchai said National Police chief Pol General Damrongsak Kittiprapas had tasked him with following up on the preparations at international airports nationwide to support the government's tourism stimulus policy.

He said immigration police had been ordered to deploy 150 officers at immigration checkpoints to serve tourists from China and Kazakhstan, whose numbers are expected to increase to 500,000 and 15,000 per month, respectively.

An operations centre has been set up to boost efficiency in taking care of tourists. Special checkpoints would be set up for tourists from China and Kazakhstan, especially for those coming in big groups, he said.

Thatchai expects a surge in Chinese tourists at immigration checkpoints nationwide, especially at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

He added that immigration officers had been trained to deal with the influx of tourists during rush hours.

"Even though it could result in congestion, we believe that the problem would be dealt with in no time," he said.

He said the police has discussed with related agencies to increase the number of immigration checkpoints to facilitate the smooth movement of tourists.

To boost Thailand's image and gain the confidence of tourists, he added the Royal Thai Police would ensure that nobody exploited tourists, and would also prevent foreign criminals from committing crimes in Thailand.