THE EDITOR, Madam:
I READ the announcement of the new passports on page one of The Gleaner of Saturday, August 5 and the following questions came to mind.
1. Since "It's expected that within six months the new passport will be available", what should holders of passports which expire between now and the next six months do?
2. Will new applicants not renewals have to wait until the new passports are ready before they can obtain a passport for the first time?
3. Does the term 'machine-readable' mean only a machine will be capable of reading the passports or will humans e.g. immigration and customs officers be able to read the new passports?
4. What will be the position of the passport holder if (a) the machine malfunctions; (b) certain lights are not available; (c) the passport is not held at a certain angle? What angle is this?
5. What is meant by "standardise its border control operation?" Where is the border to be found?
6. Could the Minister share with us, the statistics on passport fraud which may have influenced the investment of ($70 million) in new passports?
I am, etc.,
FITZ CASSERLY, FCA
Kingston 8
