Juba Airport officers accused of harassing Indian Ambassador
By James Gatdet Dak
January 18, 2009 (JUBA) – A number of unidentified Security and Customs Officers deployed at Juba International Airport have been accused of harassing a senior diplomat on Thursday.
The incident which ended peacefully after some other interventions forced the Indian Consul General in Juba to present a complaint to the Government of Southern Sudan through the Ministry of Regional Cooperation after informing the Ministry about the incident.
The Government of Southern Sudan’s cabinet after being briefed on Friday by the Minister of Regional Cooperation, Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin, on the incident immediately resolved to direct the Minister of Internal Affairs to take some immediate measures that included identifying the culprits who involved in the incident, investigate and prosecute them.
The incident disappointed the Government which described it as “embarrassing.”
In his narration to the Council of Ministers meeting chaired by the Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, the GoSS Regional Cooperation Minister told the cabinet that the incident started when the Indian Consul General in Juba went to the Airport on Thursday morning to check-in the baggage of the Ambassador who was traveling to Khartoum. He said four security or customs officers emerged and asked the diplomat to open the baggage for inspection.
Marial explained that it happened despite the fact that the baggage which consisted of four packages were clearly labeled as “Embassy of India Khartoum” which unfortunately the Officers did not respect.
He further explained that the diplomat tried to explain to the Officers that it was not necessary to search the baggage since the Ambassador had privileges and immunities that exempt him from such searches, but they still insisted on opening the baggage.
Under the international Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the baggage of the Head of Diplomatic Mission is exempt from Customs searches.
The incident was resolved after intervention by another senior officer from the Security Detachment at the Arrival Section who immediately authorized check-in of the Ambassador’s baggage without inspection.
Unfortunately, the matter did not end there. When the Ambassador, Deepak Vohra himself arrived at the Airport and went to the VIP lounge, two other personnel in plain clothes who were not present among the first four officers accosted him in the lounge and told him rudely that they would open his baggage unless he produced the relevant “documents” or gave them money.
“When the Ambassador politely asked what documents were needed, they were unable to answer. In order to avoid an unpleasant situation, Ambassador Vohra offered to travel without his baggage. As he was on his way to the aircraft, the two officers rudely tried to block his way, but seeing other passengers looking at them, they moved away,” lamented the Minister.
“When the Ambassador’s diplomatic passport and Identity Card were shown to them, they shouted, “We don’t care throw the passport away,” he added.
The cabinet discussions on the incident also recalled other similar unpleasant incidences involving not only diplomats but also senior GoSS officials at the Airport.
One of the many incidences that involved GOSS senior officials at the Airport was when the Minister of Gender, Social Welfare and Religious Affairs, Mary Kiden Kimbo, was also harassed by some security officers during this New Year’s holidays when her plane was prevented from taking off as she was traveling to Kaji-Keji (her constituency).
Madam Kiden said the security officers told her that they would first ask for permission from the Minister of Internal Affairs before they would allow her plane to take off.
Even so, the Airport management that deals with issues of flights (landing and taking off) of planes is under the Civil Aviation (i.e. GoSS Ministry of Transport), not under the security (i.e. Ministry of Internal Affairs), officials also observed.
Another incident occurred during the same holidays when $500 dollars belonging to the GoSS Minister of Housing and Public Utilities were robbed by unidentified security personnel at the Airport. The Minister gave about $2,000 dollars to a Kenyan business man who was traveling to Nairobi so that he could take the amount to the Minister’s family in Nairobi.
Inspecting the baggage and getting the money inside the bag, the security personnel demanded to take $500 dollars in order to leave the Kenyan man with the remaining $1,500 dollars.
After taking the money by force and hurriedly leaving the Airport compound, the Kenyan man alerted the Office Manager of the Minister who then rushed to the Airport to rescue the situation. The security personnel who already left the Airport was traced and found later as he was shopping in town with the money.
In the light of the embarrassing and unpleasant incidences, the Council noted that there were uncoordinated and parallel deployments of security, customs, civil aviation (from both Government of National Unity and Government of Southern Sudan) and the SPLA intelligent officers at the Airport.
In order to prevent from recurring what the officials say was “embarrassing to the Government,” the Council of Ministers passed a number of resolutions that called for streamlining of the different agencies that seemed to be working independently or in parallel of each other without proper coordination.
It also resolved on the immediate need to further train or educate such agencies or officers deployed at the Airports on international Conventions or protocols that deal with diplomats, VIPs, etc.
The cabinet through the Ministry of Regional Cooperation also urged diplomats and other relevant international bodies to continue to coordinate their travels (arrivals and departures) to and fro Southern Sudan and Juba in particular with the Ministry of Regional Cooperation.
(ST)
Nelson Turdit
Juba Airport officers accused of harassing Indian Ambassador
wow, India Diplomat harassed at the airport? this is all about corruption that ,s why security offiecrs at the airport misbehave toward Diplomat and demand money. all those who are depolyed in the airport are not qualified for the job to protect the integrity of this country. in advance countries where there is proper security, any person assigned to the airport duties must take a aoth in front of the judge for transparency, accountability and other involvment of dealing with Dipolmats and maintain international imigration law. i believe that, those who are working at the airport know nothing about dipolmat or protection of the people rather than money to get rich quickly and be at the same level with corrupts bosses.
Gen. Double Wood
Juba Airport officers accused of harassing Indian Ambassador
It is not only Embarrassment, but this is a situation will would leave most of our GOSS official looking at each other. I don’t see any reason our untrained Airport security officers would like to retard their career by doing such appalling moves. Remember Juba Airport is a baby type airport which is subjected to terrorists which all of us understand but could not allow our security officers to harass such a world renowned person.
For this culprits, there is no terrorist or drug dealer caught in the world leading Airports(london, Tel aviv, london)who is of this Man’s age leave alone the Diplomacy status he owns.
Ashame on You. You deserve termination from the duty and will never be accepted anywhere as airport security personel.
Malou Manyiel
Juba Airport officers accused of harassing Indian Ambassador
Hi guys, this is to show our government that nothing is secret but cannot appear. What has happened has happened and it is a shame to the government, not either to those who posted their views on this site. The leadership have been talking about corruptions every day and night but it has been a word of mouth not by action. This is how it began and it will never stopped unless some actions are taken.
Malou Manyiel in Khartoum
Buk Dan Buk
Juba Airport officers accused of harassing Indian Ambassador
Its too early and very awkward for us to begin such activities at the moment. We are still learning and that meant there is no room for corruption at the moment.Those unidentified officers must be identify and terminate immedaitely, they should not be given another chance for whatsoever.
Those are not the reasons why we where fighting for 21 years. Airport security is not a joke, its number one job all over they world this days. That meant they must be well trained and they must also follow the rules.
Justin Chicago opiny
Juba Airport officers accused of harassing Indian Ambassador
Lack of discipline and little education is responsible for
all that we hear happening in south sudan. As south sudan is
emerging into a new country in the future discipline and respect must be planted into our bloodstream. If we do not plant strict disciple in a wide array of our daily life we shall always be a laughing stock before other countries. One
good example is that of corruption that has become an addicted thing in every official in the GOSS. We should behave ourselves and have respect for ourselves so that in return we get the respect although we as sudanese are known for our kindness.