Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing the APPS system; that is the Advanced Passenger Processing System here in Thailand. We have discussed this at length before in other videos on this channel. I urge those who want to check that out you can either go to our resources section at legal.co.th and go to the search function, type in APPS in all caps or you can go to our channel here on YouTube where you can go to the search function and find that as well; APPS, all in capitals. 

The APP system, the Advanced Passenger Processing System, it has been a very interesting program quite frankly. I have seen it operate in a practical matter where we have seen folks try to come in to Thailand and they are already blacklisted for one reason or another. They can't even get on the plane. I'll give you an example of this. A recent article from the Thai Examiner, thaiexaminer.com, there is a lot going on in this article. I really do urge folks to check this out because there is a lot of insight in here in to what is going on in Immigration. The article is titled: New Immigration Bureau Boss Signals New Orders so Police can Easily Track Down Foreign Suspects in Thailand. Quoting directly: "Thailand's New Immigration Bureau Boss wants a tighter ship when it comes to tracking foreign residents in the Kingdom and tourists. Police Lieutenant  General Pakpoomphipat Sajjapan has also revealed that under new entry vetting procedures, Thailand's Immigration Police can now halt any passenger boarding a plane for Thailand if the person is deemed a threat to the security and well-being of the country." We have talked about this before. That APP system essentially can sort of signal the air carrier in another country that "hey this person that is about to board a plane or may be coming to Thailand we are going to turn that person away." And that air carrier is then probably going to in fact in virtually every case I have ever seen, that air carrier is going to decline allowing that person even to get on the plane.

So the reason I made this video and I said the "Pre-Blacklist", is when I was reading this, and we have known about The APP System for a while, but when I was reading it in the context of a new Immigration Chief I just immediately thought of the film Minority Report where they had the "Pre-crime Bureau"; it was kind of science fiction but they could see ahead into the future, ascertain if somebody was going to commit a crime. In a sense it is kind of Pre-Immigration or Pre- Customs; it is Pre-blacklisting. If they already know they are not going to let you in, then they can convey that information before you even get to the country. I don't mean to laugh, it is just it is kind of, I don't know what the right word is, it is rather amazing for lack of a better term, that they have this level of technology at this point where you can be essentially turned away by Immigration albeit indirectly even before you even come into the country.

So I mean that is a level of efficiency and a level of effectiveness that frankly we never had in Thailand up until arguably the last couple of years so something to think about. Folks that have been blacklisted previously; folks that might have prior criminal records even in their home country, it might be a good idea to ascertain whether or not you are going to even be able to get in to Thailand and in some cases it may be a good idea to contact a legal professional, gain some insight and guidance into how best to proceed.