Maldives Immigration, on Tuesday, launched 'Atholhu Module', a portal to identify and monitor the movements of illegal immigrants.
Immigration Controller General Mohamed Ahmed Hussain and Hoarafushi MP Ahmed Saleem inaugurated the portal at a function held at the Immigration head office.
According to Immigration, the portal will require island councils to contribute information concerning expatriates. If an immigrant is found to be illegally residing in the country, a certain period will be allocated for them to acquire necessary documentation.
MP Saleem opined that the issue of illegal migrants was exacerbated due to local councils previously not being given certain authorities. He stated that the portal, launched under the policy of decentralisation, would facilitate cooperation between the councils and government institutions in the effort to curb illegal immigration.
Speaking at the event, Controller General Hussain stated that the portal would aid the challenging task of tracking the movement of illegal immigrants between islands and atolls, thereby providing convenience for law implementation bodies.
The Controller General also stated that the portal was created for the benefit of not only Immigration but all regulation bodies in Maldives. He added that Immigration was working to further develop the portal to enable the provision of more services.
The portal will initially be introduced in the northernmost atoll of Haa Alif and will be extended to the rest of the country within two years. Additionally, facial recognition technology will be incorporated into the 'Atholhu Module' portal in June.
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