freerider 0 Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 Clickity Click "Australians and other foreign visitors could soon be fingerprinted and photographed when they arrive in Japan under a proposed law to fight terrorism." I guess all countries will one by one start doing the same... Link to post Share on other sites
bushpig 0 Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 well that is only going back to what it was a while back. I was fingerprinted when I first registered in Japan. Link to post Share on other sites
me jane 0 Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 They do that already when you enter the US. Link to post Share on other sites
xxx 2 Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 The Australian bit was brought about by irate people in Niseko. Link to post Share on other sites
Thunderbird2 0 Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 I didn't have my fingerprint taken but I sure was photographed when I went to the US late last year. Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Quote: Originally posted by Thunderbird2: I didn't have my fingerprint taken but I sure was photographed when I went to the US late last year. They finger printed me, took my picture and stamped my passport. The customs officer doing all of this was immaculately uniformed like a Nazi officer and packing a holstered gun. She was very polite but used that most annoying American phrase "ok, could you please go ahead and put your finger on the glass. Thanks. Now please go ahead and look in the camera. Ok, lets go ahead and stamp your passport. Ok, why don't you go go ahead now and collect your luggage for your connecting flight. Customs officers have seldom harassed me in Japan. Once they accidentally searched by dirty sock department containing 3 weeks snowboarding grubbiness. I have seen more than one customs passport stamper in Japan who had very clear semen stains on the trousers of his filthy poorly fitted polyester suit. UK customs are a weekly occurrence for me. They look like otherwise unemployable appallingly presented and drab slobs, but usually pretty friendly. No security aspects what so ever (except for the occasional patrolling policeman with a small automatic rifle strapped to his chest) Australian customs are efin c's. They randomly roam the baggage collection areas harassing people who have just landed in a trying to be polite but using an arrogant wanker voice. They question you from beginning to end: what are you doing here, where are you bags, who else is in your party, show me your passport, do you have a business card to prove you are a banker.... and on it goes. I once saw them give a group of Japanese photographers and their pretty female models a third degree interrogation right next to the baggage carrousel. And this is before reaching the customs desk! Some welcome to the country. I have seen it more than once. The worst is when they bust out the pidgin English like the unfortunate Latin American tourist is stupid. Australia is xenophobic. It is impossible not to be when we are such isolated Anglo Saxons surrounded by all those yellow Asians taking our jobs. And if they are going to come here they should at least be able to speak 'stralian! Italian customs dudes are wanna be male models that have perfect pencil line facial hair sculptures. They are too busy being cool to care about security . I quite like them, they are cocky but funny. Link to post Share on other sites
bobby12 0 Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 When I went to australia the customs guy scanned by bag with started going mental at me and I thought someone had planted drugs in my bag. We opened up the bag and there was a packet of potato chips in there, and that was the problem - 'you are not allowed to bring food into australia'. I have no idea why he overreacted, or even what the big deal is about bringing in potato chips. Link to post Share on other sites
LiquidX 0 Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Potato chips? Thats wild. Surely food is things like meat, not packets of crisps. Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Go ahead. I like that. That's one of those 'manufactured consent' expressions - "Sir, you know you want to offer up your fingerprints - go ahead." Travelling on Christmas day showed what a dumb farce all this security and customs is. Not a nylon-clad slob anywhere to be seen at Heathrow. You could have taken a wheelbarrow of white powder topped off with an RPG through the lobby and no official would be there to see it. Link to post Share on other sites
snobee 0 Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 l'spud - I agree with your sentiments re ozzie customs. They, (p'raps not all) take smarminess and officiousness to stupefying heights. I don't know what's worse - a cold, blank, couldn't give a **** attitude or the above. I suppose one could say, that at least by not ignoring you "They care". HA ****IN HA. Indifferent, pompous little hitlers on too many occasions for my liking. Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 snobee, it appears we agree. There is a nice homely 50 year old customs lady that I often see as I return to the UK. She is a shining star along side her bedraggled coworkers. I once had a customs guy in Jakarta winking and giving me camp lip pouts whilst using an extremely gay sounding voice. It was quite surreal. Ocean - I hear the 'why dont you go ahead and verb' phrase quite often these days from Americans. Link to post Share on other sites
HoTRoD 2 Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 Heathrow customs are a joke. So encouraging for would-be bad guys. Link to post Share on other sites
snobee 0 Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 l'spud - Had a similar experience in malaysia with a campish guy. He was the senior boy and acted the benevolent bitch type to the other workers. But with me, with a group of 15 in tow, he bantered and cooed and of course I reciprocated. In no time at all we were all checked in, good seats and smiles abounding. I forget his last words, but I winked. A nice flight was had. Link to post Share on other sites
snobee 0 Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 Sorry to add - that was check in - not customs. Nary an expression of gaiety amongst that lot. Link to post Share on other sites
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