'Smart card' travel discussed

Wed, 21 Mar 2001 | Source: AFP

BANGKOK (AFP): ASEAN delegates met here on Tuesday to discuss ways of standardizing immigration laws so that "smart cards" could one day replace passports and visas for member nationals, officials said.

Under the proposal to facilitate travel between member states, the cards would first be issued to government officials, then to business investors and finally tourists as the scheme became fully operational, they said.

Representatives from all 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) were to discuss "recommended measures towards harmonization of immigration regulations among ASEAN member countries", according to a statement.

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi said last month that the smart card proposal was part of ASEAN's efforts to link the region electronically under the e-ASEAN project.

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