Phuket gov announces improvement plans at Tah Chat Chai checkpoint

PHUKET: Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong has announced plans to boost security protocols at Tah Chat Chai checkpoint to ensure that no illegal substances are being smuggled in or out of Phuket.

The governor unveiled his plans during a meeting with relevant officers at the Mai Khao OrBorTor office yesterday.

“The final improvement plans have already been laid out. Some of the features include ‘One Stop Service’ at the checkpoint as well as more CCTV cameras, scanners and lanes. However, everything has to go through a formal process which takes time,” said Governor Norraphat.

“We wanted to provide an update on the process and to ensure everything runs smoothly and on time. We will try to do this as quickly as possible so that both locals and tourists feel safe in Phuket,” he added.

Gov Norraphat said that officers try to be as thorough as possible, but checking every vehicle from top to bottom causes traffic jams and long queues.

“That is exactly why we need to improve the situation. By making the checkpoint bigger and adding more lanes, equipment and officers, we can thoroughly check every vehicle without causing traffic to pile up. We hope to put an end to illegal trafficking once the improvement plans are in effect,” Gov Norraphat stated.

He also added that Smart City technology would be introduced at the checkpoint in order to make officers’ and travellers’ lives more convenient.

The move follows nearly six months after a billion-baht budget for ‘infrastructure development’ in 2017-2018 was approved for Phuket (story here).

— Kongleaphy Keam