Small islands may be used as entry point by terrorists • FAA security liaison officer cites need to install tighter security measures

Small islands like the Northern Marianas and Guam can be used by international terrorists as transit point to launch destructive activities in major Asian countries, as well as in Australia and the mainland United States.

Federal Aviation Administration Security Liaison Officer Donald A. Slechta disclosed that although the Pacific Region is less likely to be the target of international terrorists, it can be the hopping point of agitators bound for other countries.

Terrorists who target bigger countries like the mainland US can easily travel from one island nation to another armed with fictitious documents and falsified travel papers.

Because of these possibilities, the Commonwealth Ports Authority has stepped up efforts to improve security measures at the Saipan International Airports, as well as in all other entry points throughout the Northern Marianas.

CPA Executive Director Carlos H. Salas explained that tighter measures have been enforced to ensure that visitors arriving in CNMI had gone through routine questioning by labor and immigration officials, in addition to stricter inspection of baggage.

Mr. Salas cited the same reason behind the ports authority’s determination to improve airport facilities. CPA hopes to achieve the highest standard to deter terrorists and contrabands from using the CNMI as their point of entry to other countries.

But Mr. Slechta said that a trained terrorist can easily adapt to any eventuality as he advised airport officials to be prepared in determining suspected individuals using fake documents to block their entry to the US territory.

“It is so easy for them to put device on the bag and utilize every possibility,” the FAA security liaison officer explained.

Presently, he said terrorists do not pose a great danger to the island nations and that there is less possibility that an attack could be aimed to the Pacific Region.

Small airports are prone to be the staging point of terrorists and hop to one island to another until they reach their area of destination where the attack is likely to happen.

This is one of the reasons why FAA has been very adamant on stricter airport security policy which every member country should comply with, Mr. Slechta explained.

CPA last week hosted an aircraft rescue and fire fighting conference where over a hundred participants from other countries in Asia and the Pacific discussed present status of their airport security, as well as improvements on facilities. (EGA)