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Gold smuggling

Fcw75

By Fcw75,
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Fcw75

Fcw75

Hypersonic
(edited)

Any thoughts on this?

 

27kg of gold is a lot. Shouldn't there be a limit here? If you have to declare how much money you have, then why not gold?

 

 

 

http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2015/04/nk-envoys-gold-smuggling-no-lapse-at-changi-airport-says-minister/

 

NK envoy’s gold smuggling – no lapse at Changi Airport, says minister

April 15, 2015by andrewlow in News · 3 Comments

news.jpg

Second Minister for Home Affairs S. Iswaran told Parliament on Tuesday that there were no security lapses in the case of a North Korean diplomat who had apparently carried some 27kg of gold bars through Changi Airport and onto a flight to Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The incident took place in March this year.

Mr Iswaran was replying to a question posed by non-constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP), Gerald Giam, of the Workers’ Party (WP).

Mr Giam had asked what was the weight limit on the transport of gold and other precious metals in and out of Singapore by individual travellers, and if diplomats are exempt from this limit.

And referring to the case of the diplomat, Mr Giam asked what measures are in place to ensure that diplomats do not abuse their diplomatic immunity to carry precious metals, drugs or weapons in and out of Singapore in their luggage.

Son Young-Nam, the first secretary at the North Korean embassy in Dhaka, had departed on a flight from Changi, where he was screened before boarding.

“No security threat items were found on him,” local news in Singapore reported.

Mr Son was stopped when he arrived at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalam International Airport.

Rashidul Islam Khan, commanding officer of the airport’s armed police battalion, said the diplomat was passing through the “nothing to declare” channel in customs when an official asked to scan his carry-on luggage.

But Mr Son refused to allow customs officers and police to examine his bags.

“He insisted that his bags cannot be scanned because he’s carrying a red passport and he enjoys diplomatic immunity,” Moinul Khan, head of Bangladesh’s customs intelligence department told AFP.

“After more than four hours of drama, he gave in and we found gold bars and gold ornaments weighing 26.795kg (59lb), which is worth 130 million taka ($1.67m, £1.1m),” he added.

Mr Khan said the diplomat admitted under questioning that he was carrying the gold illegally.

The gold is reported to be worth some US$1.4 million.

Bangladesh has a limit of 2kg which can be allowed into the country by individuals.

Mr Khan added: “It’s a clear case of smuggling. We believe he would have sold the gold to a local criminal racket. He is being used as a carrier.”

The Bangladesh government summoned North Korean Ambassador Ri Song Hyon on Monday and gave him a 72-hour deadline to send the diplomat home, the Associated Press news agency reported.

“We told the ambassador to prosecute him in North Korea and update us about the action to be taken against him,” Mohammad Shahidul Haque, the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry secretary, told Reuters.

“We conveyed to him that the government would take serious action if any embassy official is found to be involved in any crimes in future.”

iswaran.jpgIswaran

Mr Iswaran said diplomats, just like other travellers, are screened before they board the planes at Singapore’s Changi Airport.

“This involves the use of metal detectors for checks on persons and X-ray screening for their belongings,” the Straits Times reported Mr Iswaran as having said.

In the event of a suspicion of a security threat, the authorities “are not constrained from making the appropriate checks on the items a diplomat carries.”

As for Mr Giam’s question about limits to the amount of gold and precious metals allowed to be transport in and out of Singapore, Mr Iswaran said there are no weight limits on these.

nolapse-450x267.jpgStraits Times

“The member should also be aware that it is not uncommon, especially for travellers to certain parts of the world, to carry what you and I might consider not insignificant amounts of gold on their person or in their personal baggage,” the minister said.

“If they are able to give a clear explanation that these are their personal effects or for personal consumption purposes, generally they would be allowed to carry on with their travel with those items.”

In the meantime, sources have said Mr Son was released by the Bangladesh authorities under the Vienna Convention which grants immunity to diplomats.

He is also reported to have left Bangladesh for North Korea.

 

Edited by Fcw75
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Joseph22

Joseph22

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He will face firing squad when return to NK ... [sweatdrop]

 

Fatty Kim will not let him off ... :ph34r:

When banga want an answer from n.korea, he is almost consider dead
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Vhtfhwlego

Vhtfhwlego

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maybe that NK diplomat is only transit in Singapore.

Thats why allow.

Anyone transit in Singapore carrying drugs will be jail/hang and why not gold.

Oh, its only cash of $20k need to report.

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Maxus-MIFA9

Maxus-MIFA9

Supersonic
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How come nobody asked what happened to the gold?

 

Hmmmmm......... left only 1 bar for prosecution use in court ..... [lipsrsealed]

 

and the judge believe that that one bar weights 27kg ..... [laugh][laugh]

Edited by Picnic06
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Fcw75

Fcw75

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maybe that NK diplomat is only transit in Singapore.

Thats why allow.

 

Transit in airport also subjected to the same law right?

 

Please correct me if I am wrong.

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Maxus-MIFA9

Maxus-MIFA9

Supersonic

 

Transit in airport also subjected to the same law right?

 

Please correct me if I am wrong.

 

When you come out from the plane and wait at the transit area, one need not have to pass through security checking (x-ray machine) to check hand carrier.

 

Only when leaving Immigration counter and onto collecting your check-in bag. Thats subject to the security officers on duty want to scan you or not ... [sweatdrop]

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Sabian

Sabian

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(edited)

Now then I know it's illegal if you don't declare cash exceeding 20k

 

but it's Legal to carry 27kg of gold when departing at Changi if you declare that it's for personal consumption (eg: I want to go Bangladesh to make a full gold [take that @Throttle2] chain mail for my own Game Of Thrones production.)

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Galantspeedz

Galantspeedz

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It's more about the limit.

 

27kg of gold is a bit too much for personal consumption or as personal effects isn't it?

 

not if you are a north Korean...... but maybe yes, if you are a Singaporean [:)]

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Fcw75

Fcw75

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not if you are a north Korean...... but maybe yes, if you are a Singaporean [:)]

 

That's true. :D

 

I will be happy with 1KG.

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Shibadog

Shibadog

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and tomorrow, we got tons of people trying to smuggle gold into singapore?

 

 

it's not smuggling if it's not illegal

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