The United States embassy in Kuala Lumpur today announced new entry and exit regulations which will require some Malaysians to be specially registered, fingerprinted and photographed on entering the US.

In a press statement today, the US embassy said the country's National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS) will be expanded from Oct 1 to include registration of "some Malaysians" as well as "some individuals from every country".

"We wish to advise Malaysians to allow extra time to make travel connections after arriving at US ports of entry. This new procedure may result in delays for some people entering or leaving the US," said the statement.

The embassy said the decision of which individuals will be asked to register will be based on "information about the current threat of terrorism".

Backlog clearing

Last Wednesday, malaysiakini obtained a leaked US Justice Department document published on the Internet stating that the 'special registation measures' will apply to any non-US citizen who has visited 15 countries, including Malaysia and Indonesia.

The 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.

Meanwhile, the US embassy said the backlog of US visa applications by Malaysian citizens is now being cleared out.

"Thousands of foreign travellers whose applications previously encountered delays in processing will now see speedier visa decision. In future, most US visa applications for Malaysian applicants should be ready within one month from the time of application," said the embassy.

Malaysians were however advised to apply for visas early to ensure that they would be able to leave on schedule and to make allowances for delays at US airports due to the registration measures.

Malaysian visitors to the US have been 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.

Male applicants for US visas are now required to fill in new forms and undergo an interview process for additional background and security checks.

Last Tuesday, the Canadian government had also lifted the visa exemption for Malaysian citizens citing "security concerns" over Malaysian passport and passport issuing system.