[Live To Jive]

Here's an interesting Letter to the Editor in Goa's oldest Daily "Herald".

Serves him right!
Geraldine Patel, Caranzalem
In the furore about the ‘security frisking’ of our ex-President, the point that has been forgotten is why did Dr Kalam not travel by our national carrier Air India? I think it serves him right for continuing to kowtow to the White Man and his products. When will we get over our colonial servant mentality?

However I agree that as a former President he's exempt and that should be respected by all Airlines.

[diabloo]

Pity that Kalam didn't knew about the protocol. If he indeed knew it, then he must have protested and could have avoided embarrassment to Indian Govt.

Look who is making noise: Fernandes demands public apology from US for Kalam frisking

But when he was Defence Minister, Fernandes strip-searched during visit to US

[sgiitk]

The apology from Continental was on all the major international channels - BBC, CNN for sure.

@Live... For all you know he may have been invited by someone else who sent the ticket on an airline of their choice!

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by Rocky_Balboa

PS: I would have taken-off anything for that female officer in HongKong.

...and how much would you concede the pot bellied pandu at IGIA?!

[WasavaTyres]

Originally Posted by filcord

The general opinion was that our VIPs get too much fuss made of them

What do you reckon would have been the scenario if a George Bush or a Colin Powell would have been meted out similiar treatment at the hands of Air India. They would not have raised even a murmer ?? And AI's formal apology would have been sufficient to end things ??

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by vivekiny2k

this caught my attention though. Is it humiliating only because he is ex-prez, or it's always been humiliating?

Because he is ex-president he represent the nation and not just himself in his personal capacity even when he is on a private visit and thats why protocol is extended to 17 such individuals ( Not to every MP or Minister as some people here believe ) so teh humiliation is not of the individual named Kalam but of the entity which extends protocol to the person that is Republic of India.

Originally Posted by diabloo

Pity that Kalam didn't knew about the protocol. If he indeed knew it, then he must have protested and could have avoided embarrassment to Indian Govt.

Look who is making noise: Fernandes demands public apology from US for Kalam frisking

But when he was Defence Minister, Fernandes strip-searched during visit to US

Fernandis was just defence minister as a courtsey he may expect not to be stip searched as you and me but he did not have immunity from security check as per protocol on US soil , unlike in the case of Kalam on Indian soil so there lies a difference.

I simply do not understand why sympathy lies here with CA ?

Foreign airlines have this habit of flouting rules because enforcement is weak in India. As per H1N1 guidelinesby India airlies are supposed to distribute the flyers and moniter passangers with symptoms of flu , I found Lufthansa violating these whereas Cathay pacific fully following them.

Can Lufthansa afford to flout some mandatory health procedure of China risking it's landing rights ? Quarantine procedures there send strong signal where as our laxity is taken as birthright to violate rules by Indian and foreign entities alike.

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by amitk26

Foreign airlines have this habit of flouting rules because enforcement is weak in India.

Thats an oxymoron statement.

So who according to you needs to be blamed CA or Indain authorities for Mr Kalam's insult as many here are calling it. LOL.

[johy]

I think this is a nice take on the issue.

Source: The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Opinion | frisk them all

FRISK THEM ALL
Strange fits of passion have erupted in Parliament over the frisking of a former president of India by an American airline flying out of Delhi. The Centre has show-caused the carrier, and MPs of every political hue have condemned this breach of protocol as an insult to the nation that could even be racist and communal. The only thing befitting a modern democracy about this palaver has been the ‘insulted’ former president’s indifference to the whole matter. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam seems to have found the necessity of being frisked perfectly reasonable. And so should it be, as the airline itself has firmly but politely insisted. There is no reason why India’s archaic, and often obnoxious, VIP culture has to be endorsed by everybody. This is a commercial airline and the aircraft being boarded by Mr Kalam was full of ordinary people from all over the world who have no reason to share the Indian political elite’s officious concern for the honour of its members.

Safety and security ought to be the great levellers in today’s world. Just as Mr Kalam would not expect to be treated differently from the other passengers in an emergency, there is no justification for exempting him, or anybody else for that matter, from standard international procedures. Indian VIPS should learn to dissociate their natural sense of privilege, and their vanities, from such matters and stop wasting their own, and the nation’s, time trying to make a big deal of such an incident. To see racism, religious prejudice and grievous insult in such slights to authority is to take the country back a couple of centuries towards notions of feudal prestige for which the modern world should have no time and patience. An exemption list that includes 24 people, from the Dalai Lama to the Congress president and her family (including her son-in-law), is not only absurd but also offensive. The American airline is quite right: there should be no special rules for VIPs when human lives are at stake.

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

Thats an oxymoron statement.

So who according to you needs to be blamed CA or Indain authorities for Mr Kalam's insult as many here are calling it. LOL.

In this case CA is on the Indian soil and Indian rule ( not frisking ex prez) applies so it need to be followed and enforced so no oxymoron.

Most of the people have this firm belief that foreign rule / law is a law and not Indian law. it does not matter how quirky the rule is but as long as it is there a business need to follow.

If CA is perticular on American rule and operating from Indian soil does not work out due to above rule they can stop flying probably forcing India to amend it's rule or not depending on how big the loss of CA flight is.

One more example is blackburry they were not bothered about Indian telecom regulators requirement of security key whereas no one can dare to operate on US soil voilating CALEA Law ( Communication Assistance for Law enforcement Agency) requiremnts , Also I do not expect BB to run with out providing decrypted acess in China.
But people came up with same kind of sympathy for BB as we are seeing for CA in this case.

There are so many other examples like IMEI enforcement, Grey / black list of mobiles etc which were voilated for years by MNC players.

[RX135]

Originally Posted by johy

I think this is a nice take on the issue.

You think it is a nice take on the matter. I respect that but I think, it is a totally callous approach towards the incident, not even understanding underlying issue in first place.

There can be separate debate over if there should be frisking of VVIPs or not. I'll will vote for frisking everyone there, but this issue is just not about that. It is about knowingly breaching protocol and humiliating ex "First Person" of India, that too on Indian soil. Reason? To follow rules of TSA. And here we think it's a trivial issue sensatitionzied by Media. I am not sure if any self-respecting country will tolerate that. Looks like we have become too Americanized to respect symbols of Indian sovereignty.

For a change, I'll side with Indian politicians than with intellectuals, who share such views.
Anyway, it now looks like to me.

[diabloo]

Thats a noble idea but impractical.

Originally Posted by johy

FRISK THEM ALL

Will that American airline dare to frisk American VIPs too?

The American airline is quite right: there should be no special rules for VIPs when human lives are at stake.

[Samurai]

Even American VIPs, if they are flying in personal capacity, do get frisked like every other traveller. Only if they have secret service (D.S.S) protection, they can escape frisking.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by RX135

It is about knowingly breaching protocol and humiliating ex "First Person" of India, that too on Indian soil. Reason? To follow rules of TSA.

+1 to that.
When in India, follow Indian rules.

We dont go to US and drive on the left side of the road, do we? Well, atleast not intentionally

The last line was a joke, btw. Dont take it seriously.

[simply_sunny001]

Update :

Indian Govt filed the FIR against CA for breaching the protocol.

Lets see whats next and what actions are taken against the airline

[Thad E Ginathom]

Let them try frisking HM Elizabeth! Strict protocols insist that nobody lays such as a finger on her!