Staff Reporter :Customs officials have seized 170 gold bars weighing 27 kilogrammes from a North Korean diplomat at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in the capital.The diplomat identified as Son Yang, first secretary (commercial and economics) to the North Korean embassy in Dhaka. He landed at the airport in a Singapore Airlines flight around 11:00pm on Thursday.Following the incident, Customs officials, Armed Police Battalion (Apbn) and officials of Foreign Ministry held a series of meeting since Thursday night till Friday morning. The incident also created sensation among the Customs officials, members of law enforcing agencies, Foreign Ministry as well as foreign diplomats. The Customs officials termed gold smuggling by the foreign diplomat as a concern, saying if they indulge in such crime it will be very difficult for tracing them. After completing the immigration procedure when Son Yang tried to pass through the green channel, he was asked by the Customs official for scanning the luggage.”But Son Yang hiding his own identity debated the customs officials for not scanning his luggage. Even, he behaved rough with the officials and issued threat,” Kazi Md Ziauddin, Joint Commissioner of Customs, told The New Nation on Friday. According to the Vienna Convention, he said they have no authority to file any criminal case against the foreign diplomats. Because of diplomatic immunity, he was not arrested but had been kept for hours under Customs custody. “He (Son Yang) has been released and now staying at his official residence right now. But the government will take necessary steps against him as he committed crime beyond diplomatic norms,” he said, adding the diplomat later gave a confessional statement to the authority while under custody. “As he gave confessional statement, the authority has decided to release him under embassy custody. Then, the diplomat was handed over to the Foreign Ministry,” said Ziauddin.The four other officials of North Korean embassy who had come to the airport to receive Son Yang were also taken under custody and released later.Ziauddin said as the diplomat’s luggage is not scanned it is apprehended that more diplomats are involved in gold trafficking. Talking to The New Nation, Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque said they would take decision about the diplomat — Son Yang – the next working day. “It is very unfortunate that when we have to see that the diplomats are involved in gold smuggling. Decision against him will be taken next working day,” he said. The irregularities at the HSIA are still rampant despite different measures to ensure security to passengers as well as to stop smuggling, airport sources said. Smugglers, cheats, brokers, snatchers and human traffickers in association with a group of corrupt officials of police, customs, Biman and Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) are very much active at the airport, a high up of APBN told The New Nation. Replying to a query, he said from time to time, the customs recover smuggled gold, currencies and other valuable goods, and arrest some people but the real culprits always remain behind the scenes. But most of smugglers escape punishment for lack of convincing evidence. The CAAB and the smugglers who use the country as transit route for trafficking gold and foreign currencies the airport always remained untouched.They get protection and patronage of the crime syndicates who have an unholy alliance with a group of corrupt officials of police, customs, Biman and Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, added the airport sources. “We have been assigned to ensure security at the airport partially. As the members of CAAB and other agencies are also assigned to do the job, it is very difficult for our team to work in a coordinated manner. If the APBN is given the total responsibility, I think all sorts of crimes and immoral activities will be reduced,” said the APBN official preferring not to be named. “Gold is being smuggled into Bangladesh from various countries, while foreign currencies like the US dollar, pound, euro and Saudi riyal are being smuggled out everyday,” a CAAB official said.
