SINGAPORE Refuses Higher Percentage of Travelers Since Launching Automated Immigration Lanes

Posted by Asia Views | Sep 10, 2024 | 0 |

Singapore refuses higher percentage of travelers since launching automated immigration lanes

VNEXxpress/CNA/TheStraitsTimes-Sept 9

Singapore has reported a rise in the percentage of travelers refused entry into the city-state since the introduction of automated immigration lanes at Changi Airport in May.

Thanks to automated clearance, checks are carried out earlier and technology can be utilized more extensively, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Sun Xueling, said at a parliamentary session on Monday, as cited by The Straits Times. He did not provide specific figures on the increase.Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam said in the parliament earlier on Monday about 2,500 visitors are refused entry at Singapore’s checkpoints for various reasons every month, according to The Straits Times. Since May, all foreign travelers arriving in Singapore, regardless of nationality, have been able to use the automated lanes at Changi Airport for immigration clearance. The system allows visitors to use their iris and facial biometrics for clearance without the need to present their passports. Singapore might be the first country in the world to allow all foreign travelers, including first-time visitors, to use automated lanes without prior registration, according to Channel News Asia. Singaporean authorities plan to install approximately 800 such automated lanes across all of Singapore’s checkpoints by 2026. This year, Doha’s Hamad International Airport surpassed Changi to claim the title of the world’s best airport at the annual Skytrax awards. However, Changi was still recognized as the world’s best airport for immigration services. Read more at: https://e.vnexpress.net/news/travel/places/singapore-refuses-higher-percentage-of-travelers-since-launching-automated-immigration-lanes-4790854.html

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EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

SINGAPORE Refuses Higher Percentage of Travelers Since Launching Automated Immigration Lanes

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