New tech to screen passengers backed
MPs have backed moves to introduce new technologies to screen people entering or leaving Bahrain.
They voted unanimously in favour of government-drafted amendments to 1975 Passports Law during their weekly session at the National Assembly headquarters in Gudaibiya yesterday.
High-tech electronic systems were needed as a surge in passenger traffic is being witnessed at the nation’s three entry and exit points: Bahrain International Airport, Khalifa Bin Salman Port and the King Fahad Causeway, Interior Ministry Under-Secretary for Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs Shaikh Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa told MPs.
Earlier this year, procedures were tightened at the airport to ensure banned individuals didn’t sneak back into the country.
Borders director Colonel Fawaz Al Jiran said 22 new electronic gates have been installed at the airport, while six counters have been designated for new expat arrivals and their families.
The GDN reported in May that the Labour Market Regulatory Authority had introduced a system to collect, save and match biometric data such as the fingerprints, face recognition and the irises of the expatriate workers in the commercial and household sectors.
The amendments have now been referred urgently to the Shura Council for review.
Source: https://www.gdnonline.com/Details/1015399/New-tech-to-screen-passengers-backed
