MANILA, Philippines — Immigration chiefs from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Tuesday agreed to discuss the Philippine proposal to adopt a common visa for non-ASEAN nationals to boost tourist receipts and combat transnational crimes in the 10 member-countries.
Dr. Termsak Chalermpalanupap, ASEAN secretariat director of political and security directorate, said there is a “tacit agreement” to discuss the common visa proposal on Wednesday, the last day of the 13th meeting of ASEAN Directors-General of Immigration Departments and Heads of Consular Affairs Division of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs (DGICM) at the New World Hotel in Makati City.
He said ASEAN nationals were already exempt from the common visa proposal when travelling within the region.
“A common visa is for outsiders coming into our ASEAN region. For example, Australians and Americans just need to file one visa at any ASEAN embassy. With that one common visa, he can travel to any of the 10 member-states—that’s the idea,” Chalermpalanupap said in a press conference.
Main proponent
Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan, the main proponent of the common visa proposal, likened this to the Schengen visa that allows its holder to move freely in member states of the European Union who signed the Schengen agreement.
By adopting a common visa, a non-ASEAN national could enter ASEAN member-states without securing another entry visa, he said.
Once approved, ASEAN member-states will be consulted in every common visa application filed within their jurisdiction. Information from the visa application will be matched with an ASEAN database or website to check if the applicant has any bad record before issuing a visa.
“For example, we have information that a lot of pedophiles prey on Southeast Asian countries. So a known pedophile who committed an offense in any ASEAN member-state will have a derogatory record,” Libanan said. “A denial of that visa will affect the entry to other member-states and would save our children from the menace of pedophilia.”
Chalermpalanupap said he did not expect any new agreement, including one on the common visa, to be approved at the end of the three-day conference.
“We don’t expect it to be immediately approved. It’s a work in progress,” Libanan said.
Asked how the visa could increase tourist arrivals, the Immigration Chief said the non-ASEAN visa holder could visit any one or all of the 10 member-countries which are: Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Laos, Cambodia, Burma (Myanmar) and Brunei.
Libanan said the ASEAN forum sought to strike a meaningful balance among ASEAN member-countries in promoting regional tourism, trade and investments without sacrificing national security.
The forum was convened to craft a comprehensive plan of action of the ASEAN against counter-terrorism, discuss the terms of reference of information sharing among member-countries on lost and stolen passports and other travel documents and identify contact persons in each member country. Cynthia D. Balana
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