Starting tomorrow, travelers to the US are to undergo security interviews at check-in counters, with possible additional questioning prior to boarding, the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) said yesterday, advising people flying to the US to arrive at airports as early as possible to avoid missing their flight.
The administration said the interviews are part of enhanced security measures requested by the US Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Security Administration, which issued an emergency amendment on June 29 that applies to all flights heading to the US.
The measure first intensified inspection of electronic devices larger than smartphones, including tablets, laptops, electronic reading devices, DVD players, games machines and cameras, which has been enforced since July 17, the CAA said.
The second part of the measure requires US-bound travelers to be asked security questions, CAA officials said, adding that the requirement applies to passengers of all airlines offering flights to the US.
According to a forum on flytalk.com, the questions could be divided into two tiers.
The first, usually asked by airline staff at check-in counters, includes questions such as: “Who packed your baggage?” “Has your baggage been in your possession since it was packed?” or “What electronic devices are you carrying?”
Passengers subject to secondary questioning might be asked to provide detailed information about themselves and their travel plans through questions such as: “What do you do for a living?” “What company do you work for?” “Where are you staying in the US?” and “How many children do you have?”
The behavior of passengers while responding to questions would be observed, the forum said.
Passengers who fail to provide the requested information or refuse to answer questions could be asked to undergo more extensive security procedures, the forum said, adding that travelers who have “SSSS” marked on their boarding passes are expected to be subject to heavy screening.
As the security interviews could significantly delay the boarding process, the CAA advised travelers to arrive at their boarding gate as early as possible after checking in their luggage to avoid missing flights.
Travelers should consult their airline if they have further questions about the security measure, the CAA said.
In related news, travelers to Thailand this week might experience reduced service hours at department stores, convenience stores and bars, as the nation is scheduled to hold a five-day ceremony for King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died on Oct. 13 last year.
Leaders and politicians of more than 50 nations and an estimated 3 million Thais are scheduled to attend the ceremony, which is to begin today.
The late king’s cremation at a newly completed royal crematorium is to take place tomorrow, and many stores are to start closing at 2pm.
To allow more Thais to pay tribute to the late king, the Thai government has made tomorrow a national holiday and public transportation in Bangkok is to be free, while traffic into downtown Bangkok is to be restricted.
Strict security measures are to be enforced around the Royal Plaza, with a number of roads to be closed. Air and sea spaces around the Grand Palace are to be inaccessible.
No drones are to be allowed within 19km of the Grand Palace and Royal Plaza, with violators facing fines of 40,000 baht (US$1,206) or one year in prison.
The consular section of the Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei will not provide any services tomorrow, as it is to hold a sandalwood flower offering ceremony to commemorate the king’s cremation.
‘TAIWAN-FRIENDLY’: The last time the Web site fact sheet removed the lines on the US not supporting Taiwanese independence was during the Biden administration in 2022 The US Department of State has removed a statement on its Web site that it does not support Taiwanese independence, among changes that the Taiwanese government praised yesterday as supporting Taiwan. The Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, produced by the department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, previously stated that the US opposes “any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.” In the updated version published on Thursday, the line stating that the US does not support Taiwanese independence had been removed. The updated
‘CORRECT IDENTIFICATION’: Beginning in May, Taiwanese married to Japanese can register their home country as Taiwan in their spouse’s family record, ‘Nikkei Asia’ said The government yesterday thanked Japan for revising rules that would allow Taiwanese nationals married to Japanese citizens to list their home country as “Taiwan” in the official family record database. At present, Taiwanese have to select “China.” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the new rule, set to be implemented in May, would now “correctly” identify Taiwanese in Japan and help protect their rights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The statement was released after Nikkei Asia reported the new policy earlier yesterday. The name and nationality of a non-Japanese person marrying a Japanese national is added to the
AT RISK: The council reiterated that people should seriously consider the necessity of visiting China, after Beijing passed 22 guidelines to punish ‘die-hard’ separatists The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has since Jan. 1 last year received 65 petitions regarding Taiwanese who were interrogated or detained in China, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. Fifty-two either went missing or had their personal freedoms restricted, with some put in criminal detention, while 13 were interrogated and temporarily detained, he said in a radio interview. On June 21 last year, China announced 22 guidelines to punish “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists,” allowing Chinese courts to try people in absentia. The guidelines are uncivilized and inhumane, allowing Beijing to seize assets and issue the death penalty, with no regard for potential
‘UNITED FRONT’ FRONTS: Barring contact with Huaqiao and Jinan universities is needed to stop China targeting Taiwanese students, the education minister said Taiwan has blacklisted two Chinese universities from conducting academic exchange programs in the nation after reports that the institutes are arms of Beijing’s United Front Work Department, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) published yesterday. China’s Huaqiao University in Xiamen and Quanzhou, as well as Jinan University in Guangzhou, which have 600 and 1,500 Taiwanese on their rolls respectively, are under direct control of the Chinese government’s political warfare branch, Cheng said, citing reports by national security officials. A comprehensive ban on Taiwanese institutions collaborating or
RSS