The new chairman of the British Commission for Racial Equality has expressed doubt about the government's plan to demand financial bonds from some visitors to Britain.

The CRE chairman, Gurbat Singh, said he was not convinced that the scheme was sensible, and said he would be making his views known to the Home Secretary, Jack Straw.

The British government recently announced a plan to demand a sixteen-thousand dollar security from visitors to Britain who immigration officials suspect might overstay their visas.

There have been strong complaints from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, which feel the scheme is aimed primarily at visitors from South Asia.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service