MIAMI VICE CLAIM OVER 'STRIP SEARCH' X-RAY

MIAMI International Airport, a principal gateway to America that only a few
years ago was regarded as one of the most dangerous places in the US, has
now become one of the safest.

The difference is a new X-ray body-imaging system that can electronically
strip clothing from passengers and probe internally into their most private
places to seek out drugs and other contraband - all without human
intervention.

But as the number of would-be smugglers dwindles, civil liberties
organisations are complaining that the new machines infringe human rights
and are open to abuse by their operators.

Howard Simon, the director of Florida's American Civil Liberties Union, has
complained that the scanner has a joystick-driven zoom option that allows
the machine's operator to enlarge parts of the image.

"This machine can also be used for the vulgar pleasure of customs agents
while tracking so-called contraband," said Simon. "Nobody is safe."

But Peter Williamson, the vice-president of the company which supplies the
machines, said: "The image quality of our machine allows for easy detection
of contraband hidden anywhere on a person. You are not looking at an actual
nude person, rather a white statue without a clear face. But people tend to
hide contraband in private places."

The system uses reflected X-ray energy to produce images of objects
concealed under a person's clothing.

The beam does not remain stationary on any part of the body and is called a
body scan. The amount of X-ray dosage, it is claimed, is equal to the amount
a person receives on a five-minute flight at 35,000ft. At Miami, a new type
of passenger gate has been installed that allows large numbers of passengers
to be scanned as they pass through.

Now other airports at New York, Los Angeles and Chicago are studying Miami's
apparent success in discouraging smugglers.

"We can now see everything," a Miami official said. "There is no way to get
through with contraband."