BANGKOK — Thailand has denied entry to 185 people in less than two weeks as immigration officials tighten airport screening amid fears that foreign mercenaries could exploit visa-exemption travel during border clashes with Cambodia, authorities said on Monday.
Immigration Bureau spokesperson Police Colonel Choengron Rimpadee said the denials between early December and December 13 came after authorities raised concerns that suspected foreign fighters could use Thailand’s visa exemption program to conduct operations threatening national security or slip across the border into Cambodia.
National Police Chief Police General Kittiratt Phanphet and Immigration Bureau Commissioner Police Lieutenant General Phanumat Bonnyalak ordered the enhanced screening after the latest round of Thai-Cambodian border tensions escalated.
The heightened measures target two groups: suspected mercenaries from Eastern Europe and North Asia, and Cambodian citizens entering on visa-free tourism passes.
“It’s abnormal for them to come for tourism when both sides have escalated the conflict to the point of clashes,” Choengron said. Cambodians with legitimate business in Thailand should obtain proper visas from Thai embassies to undergo screening at the source, he added.
Immigration commanders and checkpoint supervisors from Thailand’s five major international airports — Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Hat Yai — met December 11 to establish the security protocols.
The Immigration Bureau is coordinating with intelligence agencies to identify specific individuals and avoid disrupting the estimated 75,000 to 80,000 tourists entering Thailand daily during peak season, Choengron said.
Immigration officers typically have no more than 45 seconds to check each passport. The enhanced security may increase wait times from about 20 minutes to approximately 45 minutes at Suvarnabhumi Airport during peak hours, though all inspection channels remain fully staffed, officials said.
Thai citizens face no additional screening under the new measures.
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