Singapore to begin fingerprinting all arrivals
Thursday, 29 Jan, 2016
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Singapore will enforce the compulsory scanning of fingerprints of all visitors from June in a move to beef up security.
Senior minister of state for home affairs Desmond Lee said border control agents will ‘implement the initiative across all checkpoints to capture the fingerprints of all arriving persons by June 2016’.
That likely includes all air arrivals, ferry traffic from Indonesia, cruise passengers and also the busy causeway commuter route between Singapore and neighbouring Malaysia.
"It will allow us to verify the traveller’s identity before he is allowed entry to Singapore and will facilitate automated self-clearance during departure," Lee said.
The increasing threat of terror attacks globally has signalled the move, with Islamic State thought to be behind the first attack in Southeast Asia recently in Jakarta.
"The Southeast Asian fighters pose a serious terrorism threat when they return with battlefield experience from Syria and Iraq. Some returnees have allegedly formed a Malay Archipelago unit for Islamic State, purportedly to launch attacks in the region," Lee added.
Lee said Singapore hopes to plug any gaps at border points, adding that the immigration checkpoint at Woodlands at the Malaysia-Singapore causeway is ‘the busiest land checkpoint in the world’.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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