SEMATAN: The government plans to implement the Biometric System at border entry checkpoints nationwide by the end of the first quarter of this year.
The system, to record thumbprints of every foreigner entering Malaysia, would be available at all land, sea and air entry checkpoints and would be able to track foreigners in the country as it would monitor the length of stay by emphasising on check-in and check-out dates.
Meeting the press after the soft launching of the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Biawak (Sarawak ) and Aruk, Sajingan (Kalimantan Barat) complex at Biawak near here yesterday, Home Ministry deputy secretary general Dato Raja Azahar Raja Abdul Manap said: “Once the system is in place, every foreigner that comes into the country must have their biometric registered for easy monitoring.
“The system would track those who come in but yet to come out. With the visitors’ thumbprints registered, it would be easier to track their length of stay here.”
Raja Azahar believed the time was right to introduce such a system as under the current passport stamping system proper monitoring could not be done, noting the system had been successfully and widely used in the United States, Britain and many other European countries.
“Once the visitors come in, the government can only acknowledge their entry but there would not be any guarantee that the foreigners would come out before their permits expire. There are cases where the foreigners would just throw away their passports once they come in and try to apply for Malaysian citizenship,” he said when explaining the limitation of the passport system.
Meanwhile, in his speech earlier, Raja Azahar said the opening of the Biawak and Aruk CIQs would ease economic movements between neighbouring communities of both countries, and would definitely strengthen ties and improve collaboration between the people to tackle illegal entries and smuggling activities.
The RM13 million Biawak CIQ is expected to be in full operation in three weeks’ time. Operating hours are from 6am till 7pm daily.
Bupati Sambas Indonesia Bapak Ir Burhanuddin Abdul Rasyid, who represented Kalimantan Barat Governor Dr Cornellis MH, said the opening of the two CIQs was long awaited by the people of Kalimantan Barat as it is closer to Pontianak when compared to the Tebedu CIQ.
“These complexes would open the path for improvement of the socio-economy of the people in both countries here. As it uplifts the livelihood of the villagers, it would promote the usage of a proper route to cross the border and eventually abolish ‘mice-paths’,” he added, disclosing that including the new Biawak-Aruk ICQs, there were currently 13 land entry points between the 966-kilometre Sarawak-Kalimantan border.