VIENTIANE, March 17 (Xinhua) -- The Immigration Department under the Lao Ministry of Public Security has launched an advanced passenger processing system (APPS) and passenger name record (PNR) for pre-screening of air passengers at international airports.

A press conference on the twin systems was recently held in Lao capital Vientiane and chaired by Director General of Immigration Department Saysaming Sivilay, local daily Vientiane Times reported on Tuesday.

APPS and PNR are a computer system that the public sector will use to manage and pre-screen air passengers checking in and out of Laos.

At the same time, it will be a system to record passenger travel details as a database for immigration officials to use in future.

This is accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organization and the recommendation of the UN Security Council, which has notified member countries to install systems for the management and inspection of passengers in advance.

At the end of 2016, the Immigration Department had coordinated with the Civil Aviation Department under the Lao Ministry of Public Works and Transport and other relevant government agencies and the private sector to conduct a feasibility study for the use of this system in Laos.

"In 2019, the government approved our department to install and use such systems in order to enhance security measures for passengers in Laos," Saysaming said.

The system had a test launch in February 2020 with immigration officials deploying it to check passengers entering and leaving Laos on international flights, he added.

APPS and PNR are the most advanced systems that will enable officials to carry out the technical task of managing passengers who travel in and out of Laos effectively and quickly.

Saysaming said passengers will feel more confident about the safety measures taken by the airlines, while the public sector will be able to reduce expenditure on security management tasks.

At the time of the outbreak of the COVID-19, the system will especially help manage and identify passengers travelling from countries that are at the risk of viral epidemic, said Saysaming. Enditem

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