KUWAIT CITY, March 23:  The Ministry of Interior will soon start taking the fingerprints of incoming and outgoing passengers at various points of entry in the country, reports Al-Anba daily quoting sources.

Sources explained the ministry decided to implement the system after noticing the rising number of deportees returning to Kuwait on forged passports.  Sources also confirmed the installation of fingerprint machines at Kuwait International Airport and other entry points.

In a related development, Assistant Undersecretary for Criminal Security Affairs Major General Abdulhameed Al-Awadi visited the airport recently to check the machines and finalize preparations for the implementation of the system.

Meanwhile, violators of residency law must avail of the Amiri grace period to leave the country without paying fines, reports Al-Seyassah daily.

The daily quoting Undersecretary at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor Mohammad Al-Kandari said violators will be able to return to Kuwait if the leave the country through legal channels. He added that violators opting to stay beyond the June 30 deadline will be subjected to stiffer penalties, and noted the extensive media campaign by many state institutions to raise awareness of the Amiri grace period stresses the need for all violators to follow details of the amnesty so that each violator may benefit from its terms and conditions, providing they are not under investigation or awaiting court sentences.