Re: Good comments on (djf) fingerprinting in Japan

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

I have found that citizens always get priority (in Japan, USA, EU  
etc(. Most likely for the same reason that high taxes apply to rental  
cars etc (they can VOTE)

Begin forwarded message:

From: Denis Russell <D.M.Russell () ncl ac uk>
Date: November 24, 2007 1:03:26 PM EST
To: dave () farber net
Subject: [IP] Re:   Good comments on (djf)  fingerprinting in Japan

At 15:27 -0500 23/11/07, David Farber wrote:
> From: Jonathan Weinberg <<mailto:weinberg () msen com>weinberg () msen com>
> Date: November 23, 2007 1:50:59 PM EST
> To: David Farber <<mailto:dave () farber net>dave () farber net>
> Subject: Re: [IP] Re:   fingerprinting in Japan

...

> But it's apparently decided that it doesn't want to deal with the  
> political fallout of such a move; in terms of their ability to push  
> back politically, folks entering the US on temporary visas or  
> through the Visa Waiver Program are an easier target.
...

A personal anecdote on this. I embarked on an Alaska cruise from  
Vancouver earlier this year. Arriving at the port we went through US  
immigration before boarding the ship since the rest of the cruise  
would land only in US territory. Holders of US and Canadian passports  
were separated from the rest of us, and we were shepherded into a  
large room containing several hundred would-be passengers bound for  
several cruise ships. Effectively there was a very long and slow- 
moving crocodile of people, some of whom had chairs. Those entering  
typically stood for half an hour or more until either some generous  
younger souls took pity on the elderly, or the queue moved up  
sufficiently for chairs to become available.

We eventually learned that the queue moved only slowly because the  
separated US and Canadian natives took absolute priority (behind  
tasteful screens), and the foreigner holding queue was only serviced  
when all natives had gone through immigration. We eventually joined  
the real queue after a delay of nearly three hours. The cruise  
departed several hours late.

I have nothing but praise for the cheerful forbearance of the delayed  
passengers, for the local officials who had an impossible job of  
shepherding the passengers through the holding queue, and for the  
immigration officials who dealt with us efficiently and courteously.  
Indeed our official even joked with us and his neighbour (certainly a  
first in my experience).

... oh, and the reason for all this? We were told it was because of  
the additional delay through immigration control caused by the fact  
that we were photographed and fingerprinted, again, and this took  
longer. Interestingly, this trip to the USA included two side trips  
into Canada and back all on the same green card. On initial entry, and  
this the second re-entry, we were fingerprinted and photographed. On  
the first trip to Canada and re-entry to the US we were passengers in  
a car driven by a US citizen and his Canadian wife (resident in the  
US), and our passports were given the briefest of glances - certainly  
no fingerprints nor photographs that time.

        Denis.


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