USA - They treat everyone like cattle
US 'sorry' for frisking of India ex-leader Abdul Kalam
The United States has apologised after former Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam was frisked at a New York airport.
The government in Delhi complained after the 80-year-old was frisked on board the aircraft, and had his jacket and shoes briefly taken away.
India has complained in the past about its treatment of dignitaries by US air staff - including a previous incident involving Mr Kalam in 2009.
Protocol exempts former presidents and other dignitaries from such searches.
The incident happened after Mr Kalam had taken his seat on board the Air India flight at JFK airport on 29 September.
Security staff forced the crew to open the plane door, and then took away Mr Kalam's jacket and boots because they had not done the necessary checks before boarding, the Press Trust of India (PTI) quoted sources as saying.
"The United States government extended its apology that appropriate procedures for expedited screening of dignitaries had not been followed," a statement from the US embassy in Delhi said.
India demanded an apology last December after its ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar, was pulled from an airport security line and frisked by a security agent in Mississippi - even after her diplomatic status had been revealed.
Some reports said Ms Shankar, who was on her way from a conference, was singled out because she was wearing a sari.
why no other Indian politicians are getting checked in American airports? Only Abdul Kalam is traveling to the US? I remember this is his second time in the airport.
Rofl...
britexpat - Fun it certainly is. Pulling passengers aside whom you want to harass or to have a closer look up the skirts or sarees of the ladies from the orient. I suppose the security guys at american airports just enjoy and cherish the experience
I've applied for a job as Airport Security. Sounds like fun :O)
oh darn, i'm so dumb i forgot to breath again, better count my 6 figures i'm paid to work here because they can't find anyone in india to do my job for 4 figures, duh.
and thank you very much surinder...I would not like to get dirt on my Loubs from the QL sewers....so thoughtful of you! :)
Mercurie, quoting Abe and concluding what you did shows that...hmm, let me put it that way...you might want to stay at home ;)
Look who is generalizing now:0
For every wannabe immigrant, there is a million who prefer to stay in India. I also do not forget that Abraham Lincoln (one of the men whom I admire the most) was born in the same country which gave gave birth to GWB.
are excempt from security checks... quite frankly, I don't care who you are - president or low paid worker, you get on the same flight as me - you get searched, just like I did - it's more likely you than I that would carry a bomb through customs!!!!
Something else that facinates me... is how many asian cultures are clambering to get western nationalities - aren't they scared they will be hit with the Dumb, dumber, dumbest stick;-p
Nomerci, you are mercy-less ;) Reminds me of the Keats poem, La Belle Dame Sans Merci!
How can anyone help generalizing Americans as dumb when their ex-president once said :
"I'll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what really happened inside this Oval Office"
or when he said
"I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace."
or when he said
"More and more of our imports come from other countries."
oooooohhhh juicy
Mercurie, then I seriously hope that your country will make sure that none of its intelligent citizens lose their intelligence by passing through or immigrating to America.
In fact, I think QL should go global!
Why?
So that ALL citizens of this world get the benefit of reading the comments made on their countries and then will be able to adjust their immigration laws and visiting requirements accordingly!
Now, THAT would be the perfect solution for all, non?
RedTreble, chill out man :) Seems as if my comment about your cousins really got to you. My generalization is based on experiences passing thru American airports.
I think it is an acquired characteristic.
My sis is also a naturalized American, and I have found her and the kids getting dumber each time I visit her. She was perfectly all right when she left India 10 years back :)
Mercurie, I’d say you’re the ‘dumberest’ for making such a stupid generalisation about Americans being ‘dumb’.
I am sure any of you who have travelled to the US will agree with me, when I say that the average American is dumb, and the average American in uniform is 'dumb and dumber', and the US immigration/airport security guys are the 'dumberest' :)
Good, this is turning into a proper bun fight...
He's got his talent. He is a Ranter!
well, if they are so smart and talented, why are they leaving india? Obviously because they are making the smart and talented choice. maybe you should go back to school and get smart and find some talents that way you can go to america also, no need to be a hater because others have it better than you.
to the point and in brief Asians are low category people for most of the USans
There are two factors one Rationalistic and latter is religious. to count there are many many instances.
But it was really a shameful act Former Indian President being treated this way.
Even Most shamefull fact is that still Indians think america as heaven land and still prefer to land there despite receiving lots humiliation. where as India has 1000 times better talents than those rationalists.
WOW man! Some ppl over here really got it bad! “Inferiority complex” at work!
Like an American only has to fart sneeze or cough for ‘em to be offended and agitated!
Redtreb - and up yours too
Salute, not only are you a moron but you're a drama queen to boot.
this is the tip of the iceberg with the implementation racial profiling, the loss of civil liberties and the death of democracy. People like JJ and redtreb say - "get over it"
then maybe a bug was placed either in the jacket or shoes! Possible? MAybe!
Good for them...they made a mistake and corrected it (they searched the shoes and jacket after realizing they had forgotten) Good for them!
"In Brazil some years ago, there was a separate queue at the immigration counters for US citizens, they were finger-printed and photographed because Brazilian citizens were being finger-printed when they went to the USA
None of the other nationalities were but American citizens were because they were doing it to Brazilians in United States, so the same can be applied as reciprocal treatment
Doha-Chap2022 - any guesses why the shoes and jacket were not checked the first time that he walked through the security guys. If this is the way american securty agencies work and they keep on going to passengers on the plane saying we did not check this or that, then it may not be long before we have many more disasters in the sky
Salute, if you could just explain your comments otherwise it just looks like you are trying to equate a frisking at the airport to thousands of violent deaths???
when the rulers or those who are trying to be rulers dont know even basic geography, you can very well know that goose is cooked.
Salute, are you truly moronic enough to compare a minor diplomatic incident with 9/11?
Good grief, you’d think America had launched a nuclear strike on Tehran from some of the responses on here. Truly pathetic.
It was a diplomatic faux pas which I’m sure America regrets now. Jjj75 is right when he says it was nothing in the grand scheme of things. If the US is a little OTT when it comes to security at airports, I’d say they have good reason to, wouldn’t you?
JJJ75 - "Get over it"
Just like 9/11 ay????
and more often than not have their heads so far up their arses that they are oblivious of what's happening around them or the wrong they are doing :-(
and just for the record, Security at US airports is the worst (unsecured) I have seen in comparison to other airports around the world.
If you clearly study the history of civilization, then you can get the answer. There were plenty of civilization who were killing ,torturing other nations & going beyond the limit like US now do on the planet. They all had there time. And finally all of them come to an end. Most of them with terrible end.
Get over it, it probably was silly and direspectful but in the grand scheme of things not terribly important. This is very small potato
come on 000sjO, don't say that, your going to dash the dreams of our Al Qaeda and Taliban subscribers.
no body can wipe out anybody !!
such a narrow mind INDSON, do you know how many americans are named "Abdul" and how many millions of americans are "Muslims"? With a comment like that I think you should go back home and join your Al Qaeda brothers.
This self-victimization mentally makes me feel sick in the stomach!
they done this only by his name was a muslim name.they noticed only 'ABDUL'.They are thinking all muslims are terrorists.
they dig their grave theirself
in my opinion in all way america will wipe out from the world map asap
Mr. Qatar former President Abdul Kalam is a die-hard Atheist.
It is not a shame or ridicule for the people of India. Former President Abdul Kaalam is a revered scientist famous all over the world. But the US department of security has their own laws to obey and implement and they only carried out their formality and the apology also was a formality in international politics.
It’s got nothing to do with his Religion or ethnicity.
Unfortunately many of the US security people that work at airports are low paid flunkies, which brings in the old saying "you get what you pay for". It's not just people from abroad, it's own citizens sometimes endure similar or worse situations often. In the US, laws are laws, doesn't matter where your from or what your name is or who you know. I agree, Political leaders should have a more efficient search process, but should still be searched in accordance with US law. You would think though, they would have their more professional people inspect people of importance.
Is that an informed opinion yusuf123?
US government wants to dominate the whole world with der political dominance n suck each country with any resource dry...
I can understand them doing this to anyone else but a former head of a country? No way. It certainly seems like they were deliberately singling him out and showing disrespect and that's just not right. Imagine how the American government would have felt had it been their former heads of state being treated in this manner at an Indian air port?Do unto others...!
Sack them.... sack them all I say!!
This american security guys are not known for being smart people. They think they can do anything and get away with it
They (usa) said that they forgot to check his shoes & jaket in the airport.. This shows how poor their security is.. But I, you & the whole world knows that they are lying the reason of all this is his religion nothing else.. And second thing is that to prove that they can do anything no matter whoever the person is? But wait guys Asia will show them that who they are & who we are... China, Iran, Pakistan, India will dominate the worlds economy sooon...