Fingerprints for US visas
By Alfred Wasike
IN another bid to combat international terrorism,
the United States government has directed all its embassies to scan and collect
fingerprints from people applying for US visas.
The US embassies in
Uganda and Nigeria are the first countries in Africa out of at least 200 US
embassies worldwide, where the ultra-modern scanning systems have been
installed.
All US embassies must implement the new regulations by
October 26, 2004.
“Uganda is among the first five or six countries
worldwide where this project is being implemented to increase security against
terrorism globally.
We have received the equipment from Washington D.C
and started scanning applicants last Thursday,” Mike Gonzales, the deputy public
affairs officer at the US embassy in Kampala said as he took The New Vision on a
guided tour of the visa office yesterday.
He said, “The strategy follows
a law passed by the US Congress that requires biometrics indicators (biological
information) like eye ball and finger scans in addition to others like
specifically taken photographs from the applicants.
But here we shall
use the finger scans among other requirements.”
“The tip of the right
index finger must be placed right in the centre of that red box for a few
seconds after which the left index finger is also positioned in the same place
for the scan. It takes about 20 seconds and does not involve ink or anything
that can make an applicant’s fingers dirty,” Gonzales said.
Published on: Thursday, 30th October, 2003
The
Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in
anarchy"
Groupe de communication Mulindwas
"avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans
l'anarchie"
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