Kuwait now requires DNA samples from tourists.
KUWAIT is taking homeland security to new heights — or, as some see it — new lows.
Later this year, the Persian Gulf nation will require its citizens, temporary residents and tourists to submit DNA samples to a $500 million security database.
Kuwait’s National Assembly passed the law in July, a month after an ISIS suicide bomber killed 27 people and injured 227 in the country’s capital.
“We are prepared to approve anything needed to boost security measures in the country,” Jamal al-Omar, a parliament member, told Agence France-Presse.
The government will collect saliva and blood samples from anyone living there. Tourists will have to submit their own samples before entering the country.
Be prepared. Picture: Lindsay Silveira
Disobeying the law will cost you. Those who refuse to provide samples can face up to a year in jail and a $42,000 fine; falsifying DNA samples will result in seven years behind bars.
While the Kuwait’s department of criminal evidence insists that the database won’t affect personal freedoms, the law has sparked outrage. Some travellers tweeted that they won’t be returning to the country anytime soon.
@elizabeth_joh Kuwait becomes the last place on earth I'll visit
— A guy down under (@Fremean) April 20, 2016
@UnacceptableOne Are we left to wonder why their tourism spending is a fraction of UAE's? Oh yeah, no booze either. Hard pass.
— rick (@PlunkettPrime) April 20, 2016
Ummm how is this legal? #Kuwait is set to enforce DNA testing on all who enter country. Including tourists. https://t.co/UGGimf2Q8A
— Anna Ahronheim (@AAhronheim) April 19, 2016
This story originally appeared on The New York Post.
It’s a tall ask. Picture: Rob Faulkner
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