I am another of the fortunate ones.
Here in Thailand, like in other areas, they now issue "biometric" passports. The scam is that the price has gone up by around 30%, but also, instead of my usual 48 pager, they now only issue 32 page passports. So that is 30% more for a third less. Thieving
s! I am also forced to visit the embassy more frequently to renew, thus adding to the congestion. AND it now takes 16 working days, instead of the previous 5!
The "biometric" consists of what I think is a small RFID, onto which are encrypted information that is already available on the previous details page. Something that a nerd with a laptop can duplicate in a few seconds.
Every time I see something like this I can't help thinking Bin Laden has already won.