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US official lauds Taiwan’s e-passport
‘WORLD-CLASS’: A US security official said there were
still ‘technical’ issues to be resolved before Taiwan would be eligible to join
the US’ visa-waiver program
By Shih Hsiu-chuan
STAFF REPORTER
Thursday, Apr 29, 2010, Page 3
From right to left, Mongolian and Tibetan
Affairs Commission Minister Kao Su-po, US Department of Homeland Security
official Mariko Silver, Office of Homeland Security Director Chang Chih-yu and
Singaporean national security expert Kumar Ramakrishna appear at an
international seminar on homeland security in Taipei yesterday.
PHOTO: CHIEN JUNG-FONG, TAIPEI TIMES
Mariko Silver, acting assistant secretary for international policy at the US
Department of Homeland Security (DHS), yesterday praised the measures adopted by
Taiwan’s government to ensure the integrity of its passports.
Speaking in Taipei on the first day of a two-day conference sponsored by the
Cabinet’s Office of Homeland Security, Silver said: “Taiwan’s adoption of
e-passports is a major step forward and we applaud that. Taiwan’s passport
itself is truly world-class.”
The government’s continuing efforts to make the visa application process more
secure are also “essential for the security of the traveling public,” she added.
Experts from the US, Japan, Singapore and Indonesia are in Taipei to discuss
issues such as travel security, maritime security, immigration and border
security, as well as critical infrastructure protection.
In her presentation, Silver addressed the ongoing challenges of disrupting and
interdicting terrorist travel and how her department is working to prevent
threats by terrorist travel, attaching great importance to international
cooperation and developing robust travel and security procedures.
The department’s approach to identifying and screening international travelers
hinges heavily on maximizing cooperation with foreign partners, Silver said,
adding “Terrorists and criminal actors actively seek to exploit loopholes and
gaps in the international travel system ... Our task is to ensure these
vulnerabilities are correctively identified, assessed and remedied.”
On securing travel documents, Silver said biometrics and individuals’ unique
physical characteristics are at the core of the DHS’ approach.
Asked by the Taipei Times if the measures adopted or to be implemented in Taiwan
to strengthen passport application procedures would enhance the possibility of
Taiwan being included in the US’ visa-waiver program, Silver said Washington
welcomed Taiwan’s efforts to cooperate with the US to enhance passport security.
Asked about other issues to be resolved before Taiwan is eligible for the
program, Silver said: “There are always technical discussions and there are
always technical issues to resolve, with any partners.”
She said that “the primary issues are related to technical security,” when asked
if pressure from China was a factor.
Huang Ching-shyong (黃清雄), deputy director-general of the Bureau of Consular
Affairs (BOCA), said in his presentation that the launch of e-passports at the
end of 2008 would help Taiwan’s case for obtaining visa-waiver treatment from
other countries.
“In addition to e-passports, the BOCA has implemented a new facial recognition
system to enhance integrity verification ... and will apply the system more
widely in the future. For example, it will consider integrating the national ID
image database into the passport issuance process,” he said.
The government is also in the process of amending the Passport Act (護照條例), which
will require applicants to appear in person to deter unlawful acquisition, Huang
said.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), American Institute in Taiwan Director William
Stanton and Chief Representative of Japan Interchange Association Tadashi Imai
were invited to give opening remarks.
Ma said Taiwan was more than willing to cooperate with the international
community to address challenges facing the world such as public health and
climate change.
Regarding conventional security matters, Ma said Taiwan also benefited from
international cooperation in obtaining intelligence to prevent possible security
incidents during the Kaohsiung World Games and the Taipei Deaflympics last year.
Stanton, meanwhile, said: “The US and Taiwan enjoy close cooperation in
stemming the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. For example, for the
past three years, the US and Taiwan have been working together to enhance
Taiwan’s export controls.”
“In that time, Taiwan has made significant progress in its nonproliferation and
counter-proliferation efforts,” he said.
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