Beginning Oct 1, US immigration inspectors will subject travellers who have made but are not able to give credible reasons for their previous visits to Malaysia to "special registration measures".

The US Department of Justice's four-page memo dated Sept 5 did not specify what the measures were but said the new policy will be implemented "in a phased approach beginning on Sept 11 and expanded on Oct 1".

The memo has been posted on the Internet ( Page 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ).

"These criteria may be updated routinely in the future based on current national security, law enforcement or intelligence information," the memo added.

Visitors who have been to Indonesia will also receive the same treatment.

Eight countries

The memo also authorised immigration inspectors to impose the special registration measures on nationals from eight countries Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Libya, Syria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

"It is imperative that the officers remain vigilant and verify the age of all males from these countries in order to properly identify those who are subject to special registration," it said.

Males aged between 16 and 45 years from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen have been targetted for screening while males aged 14 years and above from the remaining five countries will fall under this category.

Malaysia does not require the nationals from the list of 'watched' countries, with the exception of Pakistan, to apply for visas to enter the country.

In addition, the new policy will apply from Oct 1 to any persons who have "engaged in travel not well explained by the (their) jobs or other legitimate circumstances" or if they meet "characteristics established by intelligence updates and advisories".

The directive also allowed for the same rules to be applied to any persons said to exhibit "behaviour, demeanour, or (whose) answers indicate that (they) should be monitored in the interest of national security".

Not implemented yet

When contacted, US consular section official G Rani declined to elaborate on the special registration measures that would be implemented.

"These are only suggestions. Nothing has been implemented yet so we cannot say what these special registration measures might be," said Rani.

Malaysian visitors to the US are subjected to increasingly stringent immigration checks since al-Qaeda operatives were said to have established links to domestic Muslim groups such as the Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia.

The latest move by the US appears to be in direct response to intelligence reports that two of the Sept 11 hijackers had met in Kuala Lumpur in January 2000.