With the Philippines banning POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators), many grey industry companies are seeking to relocate to Thailand, leading to a large influx of people and further exacerbating the risk of potential illegal activities.
The Thai government has announced that it will introduce an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system from December 2024 to June 2025 to enhance security checks on visa-exempt entrants.
This system requires tourists from visa-exempt countries to apply online 24 hours before entry, similar to the EU's ETIAS, aimed at preventing illegal activities and health risks.
The ETA system will review entrants' criminal records, entry and exit history, and passport information, ensuring that criminals find it difficult to enter, while also providing a quick clearance QR code service.
Currently, Thailand implements a 60-day visa exemption for 93 countries and regions. Some criminals exploit frequent entries and exits to evade stay restrictions, even using Thailand as a transit hub for transnational crimes, including telecommunications fraud and illegal labor.
The implementation of the ETA system is expected to effectively curb such activities, while legitimate tourists will still enjoy convenience.
The ETA system will be piloted in December 2024 and fully implemented by June 2025, with a transparent and free process. The Thai government emphasizes that this measure aims to enhance national security and maintain the international image to prevent becoming a new crime hotspot in Southeast Asia.
The Thai Immigration Bureau points out that the following groups will be particularly targeted in the next steps:
1. Illegal labor groups: Those who illegally stay beyond 60 days will be identified as undocumented.
2. Telecom fraud and grey industry personnel: Using Thailand as a transit to commit crimes in Cambodia, Myanmar, and other places.
3. Illegal surrogacy participants: Individuals involved in the illegal "desire for children industry chain."
Individuals with criminal records will be banned from entry regardless of passport renewal or name change.
Thailand's visa exemption policy will continue under the premise of ensuring safety, but future reviews will be stricter.
No wonder Thai immigration has been conducting thorough checks recently, it turns out that the Philippine gaming groups are preparing to move through Thailand to Cambodia and Myanmar!
With such actions by the Thai government, the challenges for the Philippine gaming groups have increased.
