Back in Beijing for a few minutes only and... what a surprise ;-)
June 2006 Archives
That's one aspect of China that I won't miss for sure.
A piece of answer from the US Department of Homeland Security regarding the systematic additional security screening I am subjected to when travelling to the US and/or on a US carrier:
"TSA prepares and maintains watch lists of persons who are known to pose, or suspected of posing, a threat to civil aviation or national security. These watch lists are compiled from information provided by Federal intelligence and law enforcement agencies. Inclusion on one watch list, the No Fly List, involves a prohibition from traveling by commercial aviation. TSA also maintains a Selectee List. Individuals on the Selectee List are permitted to fly, but are subject to enhanced screening at the passenger screening checkpoints.
TSA recognizes that some people have been inadvertently subjected to frustrating delays at airports as a result of being mistaken for an individual who, in fact, is on a watch list. We regret this inconvenience and have developed a procedure that is designed to expedite the clearance process for individuals who experience these delays."
Ok, so I have been systematically mistaken for an individual who is known to pose, or suspected of posing, a threat to civil aviation or national security ! Great... Supposedly, all I have to do to clear the misunderstanding is to fill a form and join a whole a bunch of certificates !
