Airports of Thailand (AOT) Begins a One-Month Test of a New Body Scanner at Suvarnabhumi Airport

Many passengers are objecting to having the size of their body parts viewed, however the Generation 2 (GEN2) made by Brijot Imaging Systems Inc and imported by Law Enforcement Technology Solutions Co Ltd. full body scanner  is said to offer a secure and discreet method for detecting hidden items, such as explo-sives, money, weapons, or restricted good like bottles of famable liquids.

The manufacturer says it does not cause them pasangers radioactive harm, because it uses a 'passive radiometric scanning' technique. However skeptics point to the new revelation on the amount of radiation on use of CT scans not previ-ously disclosed.

The GEN2 relies on a millimetrelong wave imaging system and can do full motion and real-time passive scans. Each unit costs Bt3.5 million. For screening, passengers have to stand without their jewelry, watch, coat or outer garments in front of the GEN2, before turning around for 5-10 seconds for a full scan, without security guards touching people's bodies, but viewing their shape.

The new scanner will be used on a trial basis to screen passengers departing on international fights at Suvarnabhumi Airport for the next month. AOT will evaluate the new scanner's accuracy, ease of use and its impact size.

"Firstly we will set the new GEN2 as a choice for passengers. After passing walk-through metal detectors, they can choose to be screened by hand-held metal detectors or the GEN2 if they want to be comfortable," AOT deputy director Narongchai Thanantchangsaeng said.

General manager of Law Enforcement Technology Solutions, Tachit Tivaruan-grong, said: "Its accuracy is about 80 percent. Other countries testing the GEN2 body scanner are England and Indonesia. In a month,  the GEN2 will show  its ability to detect suspicious hidden items and I hope in the future we will have the GEN2 to mainly use at Suvarnabhumi Airport."

Normally, passengers have to walk through metal detectors and are then screened for suspicious hidden items by hand-held metal detectors, or frisked by security guards a task that takes 45-60 seconds.