Maldives To Track Foreign Travellers Under New Digitisation System

MALE (Maldives), May 17 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- The Maldives will introduce a tracking system for foreigners travelling within the country after completing its Maldives 2.0 digitisation programme, a minister said on Saturday, reported Xinhua.

Minister of Homeland Security, Labour and Technology Ali Ihusaan told Maldivian state media PSM News that the system would allow authorities to identify and register foreigners boarding and leaving vessels at each point in the transport network.

He said the system would help authorities respond faster during maritime emergencies, including cases where passengers go missing during boat trips.

The minister said the plan also forms part of a wider government effort to manage foreign workers and address illegal immigration in the island nation.

He said authorities were working to deport undocumented immigrants while improving legal channels for bringing foreign workers into the country.

The government is also developing a "white list" of foreign employers with clean regulatory records and a history of paying required fees. Companies on the list will receive faster approvals through the digitised system, Ihusaan said.

The Maldives has also launched Operation Kurangi, a nationwide effort to collect information on foreign workers. The program includes biometric registration at local councils to improve identification and documentation of foreign nationals. 

--BERNAMA-XINHUA