Malaysia begins fingerprinting all visitors
Under a new trial program, next month the government of Malaysia will begin scanning the fingerprints of all travellers entering and exiting the country to help combat international crime and terrorism; the program, dubbed the Biometric Fingerprint Security System, is aimed at reducing fraud from the current screening method which involves a security official matching a traveller’s face to their passport photo; 3 percent of the 24.4 million foreigners who visited Malaysia last year were involved in crimes; biometric scanners are currently being installed at sixty-one of Malaysia’s ninety-six ports of entry, and the trial program will begin 1 June
Under a new trial program, next month the government of Malaysia will begin scanning the fingerprints of all travellers entering and exiting the country to help combat international crime and terrorism.
The program, dubbed the Biometric Fingerprint Security System, is aimed at reducing fraud from the current screening method which involves a security official matching a traveller’s face to their passport photo.
Border officials have had more difficult spotting criminals or terrorists due to the increasing prevalence of forged passports.
According to Datuk Alias, the director of Malaysia’s Immigration Department, 3 percent of the 24.4 million foreigners who visited Malaysia last year were involved in crimes.
Alias said that criminals often enter and exit the country using different passports, but under the new biometric fingerprint scanning program criminals will no longer be able to sneak in and out.
Once an individual’s fingerprint has been scanned, the border official will be able to determine if that person had previously used a different passport.
“If the answer is positive, it will be justified for us to suspect the motive of their visits and bar them from entering,” Alias said. “This will enable us to arrest them on the spot with the help of the police.”
He added, “The records will also assist police in checking if the foreigners had committed any criminal activities in the country, or if they are overstaying.”
The biometric scanners are currently being installed at sixty-one of Malaysia’s ninety-six ports of entry, and the trial program will begin 1 June.
“During the current trial period, there are bound to be hiccups. However, all the problems encountered will be identified and rectified.” Alias said.
Malaysia will join other countries like Japan, Brazil, and the United States which use fingerprint biometrics to identify visitors.
South Korea has plans to begin fingerprinting foreigners next year while the European Union has indicated that it will begin the process in 2015.
