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goes the finger - this time for US The controversy, at least as far as Sri Lanka was concerned, began with Britain announcing that it would implement a pilot programme that required the fingerprinting of visa applicants. Though this created a major furore with a former opposition politician filing a fundamental rights case, the pilot project was subtly made permanent. No amount of protests by the public who associated fingerprinting with criminals, made Britain, relent. Now hard on the heels of the controversial move by Britain, the US Embassy too has launched a similar requirement - an expansion of newly introduced security measures being implemented at entry points to the United States. The finger scanning requirement is part of the US-VISIT (United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology) programme, where a visa applicant's index fingers (both left and right) are scanned and a digital photograph of him is taken. Upon entry to the United States, the applicant will be fingerprinted by immigration officials again. On departure from the US, visitors have to scan their travel documents in an automated, self-service kiosk and repeat the digital finger scanning process. US officials say the objectives of the US-VISIT technology are to enhance the security of US citizens and visitors, facilitate legitimate travel and trade, ensure the integrity of the immigration system and safeguard personal privacy of visitors. They say it is an important step in a multi-layered approach to better border security. Those below 14 and above 79 are, however, exempted. As the US Embassy in Colombo launched the finger scanning procedure, angry travellers to the USA charged that it was an infringement of their privacy. However, US Ambassador Jeoffrey Lunstead defended the system and said it was not an intrusion of one's privacy. He said finger scanning was yet another biometric indicator of an identity, like a photograph. Responding to charges that the US Embassy had not informed the Foreign Ministry before implementing the system, Bruce A. Lohof , the Embassy's Counsellor for Public Affairs, said there was no necessity laid by law to inform the government of the particular country, when such measures are introduced. Tyronne Fernando, who was the foreign minister when the British Embassy introduced the fingerprinting system, also said there was no law that required a country to inform the host nation when changes or new rules for immigration and visas were made. But he admitted that during his tenure the British Government had informed the Sri Lankan Government of the new changes as a matter of courtesy. |
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