By BBC Caribbean
July 16, 2007
........................................................................................................................................ |
| Guyana's central immigration and passport office has begun issuing new high security, machine readable passports. |
The project which was three years in the making includes a system for easier more centralised monitoring of activities at other ports of entry and exit.
Speaking at the launch of the new travel document Guyana's Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee pointed to some of its advantages, including "greater |
 |
| He said the document would improve the ease with which Guyanese passport holders can transit borders. |
| "Experience has shown that improving travel document security is an important part of the fight against terrorism and transnational organised crime," Mr. Rohee said. |
| The new passport system also includes the creation of a data base which contains personal information about passport holders and which will be part of a Caricom (Caribbean Community) data base. |
| The International Civil Aviation Organisation of which Guyana is a member has mandated that by the year 2010 contracting states must issue only machine readable passports, in order to facilitate international travel and enhance national security. |
| But Guyanese president Bharrat Jagdeo denied that Guyana was buckling under external pressure to modernise its travel document. |
| He said it was part of his country's "natural evolution." |
|
 |
| latest news |
|
|
| |
|
