ID :
11279
Wed, 07/02/2008 - 10:56
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/11279
The shortlink copeid
Security checks tightened at airports ahead of G-8 summit
NARITA, Japan, July 2 Kyodo - Airlines expanded passport checks for passengers at boarding gates at Narita and other international airports Tuesday for all departures ahead of the July 7-9 Group of Eight summit in Hokkaido.
The action is intended to prevent terrorists or stowaways from using forged or
other people's passports to board flights, airline officials said.
Airline staffers spent about five seconds per traveler to cross check
identities using passports and air tickets, the officials said.
Earlier, passport checks at boarding gates had been conducted only on
U.S.-bound flights operated by Japanese and foreign airlines and on all flights
operated by American or U.S.-linked airlines, following the Sept. 11, 2001
hijacking attacks against the United States.
Until Monday, most departing passengers could board flights without undergoing
checks at boarding gates if they completed check-ins, security checks and other
travel procedures.
At Kansai International Airport, a woman in her 60s on a sightseeing trip to
Seoul said she was aware of the tightened security measure and that it might be
helpful to maintain public safety.
But a 28-year-old businessman on a business trip to Seoul questioned why he is
required to undergo security checks repeatedly.
At Narita International Airport, a 57-year-old museum curator boarding a
Taipei-bound flight said the tightening of security measures cannot be helped
in a dangerous world where something unthinkable could happen.
Meanwhile, police tightened security in Sapporo, where leaders of various
countries, other than G-8 members, are scheduled to stay overnight around the
summit at the Lake Toya resort.
On Tuesday, police with dogs searched for suspicious substances around the
summit venue, the Windsor Hotel Toya, in the town of Toyako. Police divers went
into Lake Toya to check for suspicious objects.
More security cameras have been installed in Hokkaido, with the Sapporo city
government increasing their number for the municipal subway network and newly
setting them up at water distribution facilities while the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism also installed more than 20 cameras along
national highways around the Toyako town.
Hokkaido Railway Co. said it will restrict the use of baggage lockers at stations.==Kyodo
The action is intended to prevent terrorists or stowaways from using forged or
other people's passports to board flights, airline officials said.
Airline staffers spent about five seconds per traveler to cross check
identities using passports and air tickets, the officials said.
Earlier, passport checks at boarding gates had been conducted only on
U.S.-bound flights operated by Japanese and foreign airlines and on all flights
operated by American or U.S.-linked airlines, following the Sept. 11, 2001
hijacking attacks against the United States.
Until Monday, most departing passengers could board flights without undergoing
checks at boarding gates if they completed check-ins, security checks and other
travel procedures.
At Kansai International Airport, a woman in her 60s on a sightseeing trip to
Seoul said she was aware of the tightened security measure and that it might be
helpful to maintain public safety.
But a 28-year-old businessman on a business trip to Seoul questioned why he is
required to undergo security checks repeatedly.
At Narita International Airport, a 57-year-old museum curator boarding a
Taipei-bound flight said the tightening of security measures cannot be helped
in a dangerous world where something unthinkable could happen.
Meanwhile, police tightened security in Sapporo, where leaders of various
countries, other than G-8 members, are scheduled to stay overnight around the
summit at the Lake Toya resort.
On Tuesday, police with dogs searched for suspicious substances around the
summit venue, the Windsor Hotel Toya, in the town of Toyako. Police divers went
into Lake Toya to check for suspicious objects.
More security cameras have been installed in Hokkaido, with the Sapporo city
government increasing their number for the municipal subway network and newly
setting them up at water distribution facilities while the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism also installed more than 20 cameras along
national highways around the Toyako town.
Hokkaido Railway Co. said it will restrict the use of baggage lockers at stations.==Kyodo
