Jimmy Chan |
Like many Hong-Kong Chinese
business people, I need to undertake
international travel from time
to time for my import-export
company. Last May, I visited
the United States for one week
to meet with some business contacts.
The flight from Hong Kong to
Chicago was smooth although long,
and I landed early in the morning
Chicago time, which by then was
nighttime in Asia. I went to
the passport control area and
queued up at the visitors' entry
counter. There were about 30
to 40 visitors in front of me
so I needed to wait patiently
for my turn.
I saw that we were organized
one behind another with two officers
directing us to the proper counter.
Everything moved along and it
was not chaotic at all. A female
Asian-American police officer
was among the security personnel
assigned to the area.
A sign warned us not to turn
on our mobile phones and that
anyone who broke that rule could
have their phones confiscated!
Since I was no longer aboard
the aircraft, I was a bit puzzled
about this restriction and couldn't
imagine why using a cell phone
would be a problem. I have since
learned this is another security
precaution.
It took about 15 minutes for
me to reach the front of the
line and be directed to an immigration
officer who asked me a few questions.
Being satisfied with my responses,
she asked me to put my right
and left index fingers on a screen,
one at a time, for electronic
fingerprint scanning. I followed
the instructions, she put a stamp
on my HKSAR (Hong Kong Special
Administration Region) passport
and granted my entry into the
United States. The whole process
took only two to three minutes
and I did not experience any
problems.
Although when traveling to other
countries it has not been necessary
for me to go through fingerprint
scanning, my personal feeling
is that the extra measures now
required by the United States
cause me only a little extra
inconvenience. I don't believe
that the personal data the U.S.
authorities obtained from me
will pose any risk of harm to
me personally or to my country
and, by requiring it of all visitors,
it helps them to ensure the safety
of their homeland.
As a Chinese citizen living
in Hong Kong, I remember that
we also suffered drawbacks after
the 9/11 terrorist attacks. I
feel that it is in our interests
as well to see that the United
States remains a safe and prosperous
country for its citizens. The
cost that I, a visitor, now pay
for doing my part for better
security is minimal, and one
which I am quite happy to bear.
