India-tears-into-Bharara-for-defending-action-against-diplomat

[Naina_Marbus]

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WASHINGTON: Husain Haqqani, former Pakistan ambassador to the United States, has castigated US prosecutor Preet Bharara and state department officials who signed off on the arrest of Devyani Khobragade for failing to be sensitive to the international dimension of an alleged domestic crime. "The arrest and mistreatment of an Indian consul in New York is particularly galling considering how American diplomats are extended considerations over and beyond the law in most countries," Haqqani wrote in The Daily Beast.
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This item was already posted in post #44.

 

[Naina_Marbus]

U.S. Diplomat Flees Kenya After Killing Man In Car Crash

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/02/us-diplomat-kills-flees-kenya_n_3695957.html

In August 2013, Joshua Walde, an American embassy driver in Nairobi, who police say was speeding, crossed the center line in his SUV and rammed into a full mini-bus, killing Haji Lukindo, a father of three whose widow is six months pregnant.

U.S. Embassy officials in Nairobi rushed Joshua Walde and his family out of Kenya the next day, leaving the crash victims with no financial assistance to pay for a funeral and for hospital bills for the eight or so others who were seriously injured. Shortly after the crash, Walde updated his work history on the networking site LinkedIn to put his time in Nairobi in the past tense, from July 2012 to July 2013.

The U.S. government is concerned about the impact the accident could have on bilateral relations with Kenya, a U.S. government official said. The official noted that embassy employees are typically evacuated for medical evaluations after traumatic events but are also flown out of a country to avoid any possible retribution or attack from others involved in an accident.

The Kenya police say the case remains under investigation. The Nairobi traffic police chief said he is seeking assistance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to liaise with the U.S. Embassy. He said authorities didn't detain Walde because, 'we don't take diplomats into custody.' 'If you're a diplomat and you commit any crime in Kenya, the case is investigated and is forwarded to (the) embassy.'

Haji Lukindo, leaves behind his pregnant wife Latifah,38, without a source of income to support her family. Latifa told The Associated Press that neither the American driver nor anyone at the US Embassy has contacted her, and she doesn't know how she will provide for her soon-to-be-born child and three children, ages 20, 10 and 7.

Does any one know the current status? Did any one care about Latifa, the way they seem to care about Sangeeta?

 

[Nacchinarkiniyan]

Has Obama concluded that India is dispensable? by The Siege Within : MJ Akbar's blog-The Times Of India

When all pontificating is over, faults will be visible on all sides. Where there are human beings there are problems. Where there are problems, there can be solutions. That is why nations employ a corps of diplomats. Diplomats know that civilized answers can only be found through dialogue; so the first and abiding requirement of international behaviour is courtesy, from whence the phrase ‘diplomatic courtesy’. But instead of finding a calm way out of a pinprick problem, some worthies within the Barack Obama establishment decided that the time had come to “teach” India, and Indian officials, a “lesson”. They downgraded India from friend to “gotcha” nation.



This is the fate of the weak, for even rivals are treated with kid gloves, not least because there is fear of consequences, as Russia’s tough foreign minister Sergei Lavrov reminded everyone. Just before India’s acting consul general in New York, Devyani Khobragade , was humiliated, Bharara brought criminal charges against 49 Russian diplomats for medical insurance fraud. Eleven of them are serving in New York. Not one of them has seen a handcuff. Washington knows that Comrade-President Putin has lots of handcuffs in the cupboards of the Kremlin. Russians were accorded diplomatic immunity. Devyani was denied such consideration on the sort of specious interpretation that would not travel very far if host nations applied them to American diplomats in their capitals. Neither did it occur to any wise egg in Washington that such behaviour with a woman is transgression of a more important human code than breach of any protocol signed in Geneva.

 

[sangom]

Has Obama concluded that India is dispensable? by The Siege Within : MJ Akbar's blog-The Times Of India

Dear Shri iniyan,

The problem is India and the affluent indians have mortgaged their minds (& souls too?) to the US and its ways of life. We as a country (not nation) are now mental slaves ("kottaDimais") of the white US people.

What was needed was definitive ACTION but what we could do was to produce most noise like headless chickens running around! But, at the same time, think how many of us people (hum lOg, as the late Ashok Kumar used to preface that serial) will be able to live without us$ remittances from kids, the fancy modern brands from US and so on? Hence, as a slave nation beholden to its master, the best policy is to keep quiet unless and until some new Bhagat Singh, Rajguru or Sukhdev take birth in this land. Instead of a Bhagat Singh what we now have is an 'Italian bhagat' singh

 

[Vaagmi]

Dear Shri iniyan,

The problem is India and the affluent indians have mortgaged their minds (& souls too?) to the US and its ways of life. We as a country (not nation) are now mental slaves ("kottaDimais") of the white US people.

What was needed was definitive ACTION but what we could do was to produce most noise like headless chickens running around! But, at the same time, think how many of us people (hum lOg, as the late Ashok Kumar used to preface that serial) will be able to live without us$ remittances from kids, the fancy modern brands from US and so on? Hence, as a slave nation beholden to its master, the best policy is to keep quiet unless and until some new Bhagat Singh, Rajguru or Sukhdev take birth in this land. Instead of a Bhagat Singh what we now have is an 'Italian bhagat' singh

This is just to restore some balance:

What US has done is wrong. There can never be two opinions about it. It needs to be corrected by talks with that country. If left unchecked one action will follow another and the relation will go completely out of control.

But to call Indians working in US as slaves of Dollar etc., is stretching it too far. If Indians are the preferred lot in US in certain jobs, it is not because out of pity for the plight of India US is employing them and paying them Dollars. US needs indians as much Indians need the US dollars. India lived honourably even before the advent of free markets and liberalisation swept the world. only we would be getting back into our cocoon. Convertibility of Rupee will be back in square one, import restrictions through the instrument of licenses will get back to their place, those going abroad will have to spend on a shoe-string budget and get back quickly etc., But that will also result in building up of fully owned Indian assets from savings in the country. Earlier too we built nuclear reactors, fuel reprocessing plants, boiler plants etc., and built our coaches for the trains ourselves. And who will miss the limos of today? We can do without them. And ultimately who will get hurt more? The countries of the world- because India is a huge market with a lot of buying power, and the rich of the country who will have to do with the Marutis and hyundais. That is okay. We can still live happily.


It wont require a bhagat singh or rajguru for that to happen. The reality will automatically kick in and things will settle down at their optimum levels of efficiency.

 

[zebra16]

This is just to restore some balance:

What US has done is wrong. There can never be two opinions about it. It needs to be corrected by talks with that country. If left unchecked one action will follow another and the relation will go completely out of control.

But to call Indians working in US as slaves of Dollar etc., is stretching it too far. If Indians are the preferred lot in US in certain jobs, it is not because out of pity for the plight of India US is employing them and paying them Dollars. US needs indians as much Indians need the US dollars. India lived honourably even before the advent of free markets and liberalisation swept the world. only we would be getting back into our cocoon. Convertibility of Rupee will be back in square one, import restrictions through the instrument of licenses will get back to their place, those going abroad will have to spend on a shoe-string budget and get back quickly etc., But that will also result in building up of fully owned Indian assets from savings in the country. Earlier too we built nuclear reactors, fuel reprocessing plants, boiler plants etc., and built our coaches for the trains ourselves. And who will miss the limos of today? We can do without them. And ultimately who will get hurt more? The countries of the world- because India is a huge market with a lot of buying power, and the rich of the country who will have to do with the Marutis and hyundais. That is okay. We can still live happily.


It wont require a bhagat singh or rajguru for that to happen. The reality will automatically kick in and things will settle down at their optimum levels of efficiency.

This post does not rebut the points raised by Sri Sangom even one bit.

It is a fact that substantial house hold expenses of Indian homes, at least of affluent tambram families are run from Dolla remittances of their U S based sons and/or daughters. Sri Kunjuppu has on many occasions made fun of Indians queuing up at US embassies wanting to emigrate and many, including me, would be wanting to give a befitting response. But alas we cant, because what he said is undeniable.

It is fooling nobody to say that US also needs these skilled or extra skilled or super skilled Indians. The question to be asked is why India does not need them or why cant they remunerate them adequately.

The response in the political circles, Indian community in India, media etc. to the Khobragade episode is one of outrage and whining that US could do it. But one should realise it is just an impotent rage and impotency can hardly deliver any productive result.

When Indian Government cant pay adequate salary to the maids and nannies working in Embassies (such staff are being shown as personal/household assistants of the embassy staff only because the GOI is reluctant to take them on their regular payroll), do you think the Government can pay adequate compensation to retain the talent at home?

What Sri Sangom has indirectly said viz the persons of Indian origin residing in USA (whether as citizens or green card holders) have tied the hands of GOI to a very large extent in working out an effective response should also be borne in the mind.

 

[Nacchinarkiniyan]

An open letter to President Barack Obama by Outraged : V Raghunathan's blog-The Times Of India

 

[Nacchinarkiniyan]

Reciprocity key to progress in Indo-US ties: Omar Abdullah - The Hindu

 

[sangom]

It is true that India and many Indians are outraged but to me it only shows that even in this type of news Indians are as gullible as they are in matters of religion, swamijis, godmen and what have you.

Devyani Khobragade is a person prone to greed as becomes evident from her (and her father's) involvement in the Adarsh Housing Society scandal, and her obtaining a second residence in that society. She seems to have repeated much the same tendency in getting a full-time housemaid for serving her household in the NY household but her well-laid out plans misfired probably because, like a spoilt child, she thought she could have her way through thanks to her diplomatic status and home-grown hubris. Once roundly caught, arrested, hand-cuffed, strip- & cavity- searched and lodged in jail, such a person would have felt that the earth is itself exploding and. again thanks to her IAS father and foreign service contacts she saw to it that a media blitz was unleashed. The media also found this salacious in parts (like the Curate's eggs) and latched on.

The GOI seems to view this as a case of SC/ST and has its eyes firmly fixed on election dividends if any. So, GOI is also letting the tempo build up.

But the US seems to be firm. And, we should not forget that UN also has the US for its funds provider and UN also will sing to the US' tune only. Best thing for us people () in TBF as also in India is to simply give it a silent burial.

 

[kunjuppu]

This post does not rebut the points raised by Sri Sangom even one bit.

It is a fact that substantial house hold expenses of Indian homes, at least of affluent tambram families are run from Dolla remittances of their U S based sons and/or daughters. Sri Kunjuppu has on many occasions made fun of Indians queuing up at US embassies wanting to emigrate and many, including me, would be wanting to give a befitting response. But alas we cant, because what he said is undeniable.

It is fooling nobody to say that US also needs these skilled or extra skilled or super skilled Indians. The question to be asked is why India does not need them or why cant they remunerate them adequately.

The response in the political circles, Indian community in India, media etc. to the Khobragade episode is one of outrage and whining that US could do it. But one should realise it is just an impotent rage and impotency can hardly deliver any productive result.

When Indian Government cant pay adequate salary to the maids and nannies working in Embassies (such staff are being shown as personal/household assistants of the embassy staff only because the GOI is reluctant to take them on their regular payroll), do you think the Government can pay adequate compensation to retain the talent at home?

What Sri Sangom has indirectly said viz the persons of Indian origin residing in USA (whether as citizens or green card holders) have tied the hands of GOI to a very large extent in working out an effective response should also be borne in the mind.

dear zebra,

while i nod my assent at your above post, i beg to demur, that at no time i recall that i 'on many occasions made fun of Indians queuing up at US embassies wanting to emigrate'. not saying that i wouln't have, but just that i dont recall. that is all.

in fact, that 'making fun' would be against my personal policy, which is, that tambrams are best equipped to deal with modern life, by emigrating - the more orthodox ones to singpo, and the rest to australia europe or north america.

now that brazil and argentina are opening up their doors, these may be considered too. too bad, their embassies are in far away new delhi.

emigration solves many issues - relieves the stress of living with quotas. live under a more honest government. life is easier. though today lifestyle in india is comparable to the west in terms of luxuries, the quality re pollution corruption bureaucracy is huge. also there is perceived loss of respect and standing among many tambrams. all this becomes irrelevant once you are abroad.

living in canada, i am only aware of the 'right of law' in the usa. it is this right that brought down richard nixon, almost topped clinton, and ashamed, and dominique strauss-kann, who was 100 times more influential than khobragade, to be shamed. prett bararra is known to be a thorough investigator with a 100% hit rate.

btw this news is seldom reported in the usa. it has garnered a column each past few days. khobragae is not the first diplomat who was abusive to her servant. most 3rd world diplomats do the same. it is just that she had a smarter servant, who had plans of her own. except that in usa, where there is a will, a way is always found. after all it is truly a land of the enterprise, free or not.

that much i think is true.

so in this case the law has to take its course. no retroactive immunity for khobra. the best scenario is that she is deported. right now i think she would be unable to leave the usa. worst case jail and fine. and lots of money for lawyers, to be paid, by indian tax payers.

 

[sangom]

< snipped >
and lots of money for lawyers, to be paid, by indian tax payers.

You said it, Kunjuppu!!

 

[Nara]

....What Sri Sangom has indirectly said viz the persons of Indian origin residing in USA (whether as citizens or green card holders) have tied the hands of GOI to a very large extent in working out an effective response should also be borne in the mind.

Oh zebra, really, we have tied the hands of GOI? It is the taste for American made boot polish that has tied GOI hands.

 

[Nara]

I am copy/pasting the following poem by Ravi Kumar of VCP from Facebook:

ஓ! அமெரிக்கா..

நீ சமத்துவத்தின் சின்னம்
கறுப்பர் உன் அதிபர்

நீ நீதியின் காவல்
சர்வாதிகாரிகளை சகிக்கவேமாட்டாய்

ஒளித்தலும் மறைத்தலும்
இயலா உன் உலகில்
காதலும் புணர்ச்சியும் உன்
கண்முன்னால்தான்

நன்றி சொல்கிறேன்
எமது நாட்டின் பெண்கள் சார்பில்

எமது நாட்டில்
ஒரு பெண்ணை அவமதிக்க
அவர் பொய் சொல்லியிருக்கத் தேவையில்லை
சட்ட மீறலும் அவசியமில்லை
பெண் என்பதே எமக்குப் போதும்

குடும்பத்தின் மேன்மை
சாதியின் கௌரவம்
மதத்தின் இனத்தின் தூய்மை
அனைத்துக்கும்
பெண்தான் திருப்பலி
நீயோ
தேவயானியைக் கொலைசெய்யவில்லை
உனக்கென் நன்றி!

கைவிலங்கிட்டதாய்
குமுறுகிறார்கள்
கண்ணுக்குப் புலப்படா விலங்குகளோடுதான்
ஒவ்வொரு பெண்ணையும் உலவ விட்டிருக்கிறோம்

ஆடையைக் களைந்ததாய்
சொல்லுகிறார்கள்
தலித் பெண்ணென்றால்
நிர்வாணமாக
ஊர்வலம்விடுவதே எங்கள் வழக்கம்

குற்றவாளிகளுடன் சிறையில் அடைத்ததாய்
கொதிக்கிறார்கள் தேசபக்தர்கள்
எங்கள் நாட்டில் லாக் அப் என்பது
சீருடை அணிந்தோர் அபலைப் பெண்களை சீரழித்திட
ஒரு ஏற்பாடு

தேவயானி
தலித் எனத் தெரிந்தும்
நிர்வாணமாக்கி ஊர்வலம் விடாமல்
காவலர் எவரும் கற்பழிக்காமல்
விடுவித்துவிட்டீர்
நன்றி சொல்கிறேன் இந்திய நாட்டின் தலித்துகள் சார்பில்

 

[Nara]

....living in canada, i am only aware of the 'right of law' in the usa. it is this right that brought down richard nixon, almost topped clinton, and ashamed, and dominique strauss-kann, who was 100 times more influential than khobragade, to be shamed..

US is very good in projecting this image that it is a nation where rule of law is sacrosanct. As George tutored Seinfeld in how to lie, if you believe it to be true, then it is not a lie. For those who believe in this lie I recommend the book "With Liberty and Justice for Some: How the Law Is Used to Destroy Equality and Protect the Powerful" by Glenn Greenwald of Snowden revelations fame.

And while we are at it, this case is not about rule of law per se... or how brilliant or ambitious Preet Bharara is.

IMO, there are two angles (a) Devayani underpaying her maid and (b) Diplomatic protocol.

(a) why consular officials need a full-time live in maid is puzzling to me, I have lived in the US for 35 years now and I have not come across one Indian American, even rich doctor couples, who had one. I am sure there are some super-rich who do have a live-in maid, but that is a rarity I have no personal knowledge of.

But, it seems it is pretty common to have this kind of maid service among the consular staff and Devayani is probably no exception. Under this prevailing reality the Indian Consulate should have had guidlines and rules that protected the staff from getting into troubles likes this. Devayani -- greedy or not, who among us can say she is more greedy than any of us, I find it depressing that she is being painted as greedy, complete non-sequitur -- became an unwitting victim in this nebulous situation where everybody does this but it is against the local laws --this again is debatable as the minimum wage in NY city is a paltry $7.25 per hour and slated to increase to $8 in January and if food and lodging is taken into account this maid is getting paid more than this minimum)

(b) It is obvious that US State Department did not act sensibly. If it was Russia or China nothing like this would have happened. Members have provided many links of cases from the past when diplomatic cover was provided for much worse cases like the Saudi prince upon whom diplomatic sanctity was conferred retroactively by this same State Department.

In any case, if GOI goes back to status quo ante without the US making suitable amends it would be a devastating blow to all the non-western countries. This is no longer about Devayani.

 

[prasad1]

Those of you who are "so very learned", for your information there are 14 other diplomatic staff who have maids from India. If US is not challenged, what will happen to all of them.
May be all Indian diplomats should en mass leave USA.
This should be escalated. May be India can detain a US diplomat in retaliation?

 

[Nara]

...
This should be escalated. May be India can detain a US diplomat in retaliation?

Fat chance of that, after scolding India to grow up NYT has moved on, after scant coverage in corporate media, this topic is already old news. If India insists on standing up for some self-respect, everyone, most of all middle-class Indians, especially those who live here in the U.S. and their beneficiaries living in India, will lecture GOI that if they have any aspirations for being a major power, then they should continue to lick the US boots harder.

Khurshid is already walking back and trying to find a way to get out without standing up to the bully, the U.S. Billions of dolla at stake. Total capitulation is written all over it. So sorry for India, they can be much more, they have the power, the question is whether they have the spunk and common self-respect. I have never felt more Indian and sorry for India than now.

 

[sravna]

In my view U.S. is a dying nation. They definitely are not as formidable as they were earlier. They will continue to weaken because they do not have real long term vision with the country's selfish interests solely dominating their policies and I think no nation can survive for long with such an agenda.

In my view India should not bother about pleasing U.S. to realize its aspirations of becoming a major power and should do all that it can to counter the bullying tactics of the U.S.

 

[prasad1]

MMRDA Grounds, where Modi's rally was held, is in the same Bandra area where the US consulate is located. India conveyed to the US that expressing concern about a "legitimate political rally" by a mainstream party on the basis of "specious" security concerns was completely unacceptable. US ambassador Nancy Powell was also invited for the rally initially but the invitation was later withdrawn by BJP.As the two countries seek a way out of the Khobragade crisis, India is also going ahead with other reciprocal measures it took after the diplomat's humiliation. US consular officials in consulates in all parts of India are to submit their identity cards by Monday.

India, it is understood, will insist that the new identity cards for consular officials and diplomats have the same language which the US has for Indian diplomats posted in consulates in the US, making it clear they will be liable to be arrested in case of contravention of Indian laws.

 

[prasad1]

India's new ambassador to the United States S Jaishankar arrives in Washington DC on Tuesday amid a rocky phase in US-India ties caused by the Khobragade episode. A familiar hand in the capital's sub-continental circuit because of his central role in the US-India civilian nuclear deal and other initiatives, Jaishankar is expected to hit the ground running soon after Christmas break to extricate his beleaguered junior colleague Devyani Khorbragade, charged in New York with visa fraud in connection with bringing a domestic assistant from India.
So, besides extricating Khobragade from the jam, he also has to quickly oversee rewriting the ground rules of bringing domestic personnel to make sure they are in compliance with US laws. It helps that he has had a previous stint in the embassy in Washington DC (as First Secretary in 1985-1988), and two postings on the Americas desk of the external affairs ministry in New Delhi, and so knows the background and the build-up that has led to this horrendous diplomatic mishap, seen purely through a legal lens by mid-level officials of the state department and US law enforcement.


Jaishankar succeeds Nirupama Rao, during whose tenure the whole affair came to a boil, before spilling over just after she demitted office, leaving the newly arrived deputy chief of mission Taranjit Sandhu holding the can. Rao has been pilloried by some of her own former colleagues for allowing the issue to fester and get out of hand. But in a series of tweets, the former ambassador, who will be returning to US in January as a fellow at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, said "the incident has created a deep crater in the bilateral relationship and we in India have reason to protest as we have done."

 

[sarang]

Nanny Terror in New York

T P Portions of an article by T P Sreenivasan (Indian Foreign Service, 1967) is a former ambassador of India to the United Nations, Vienna, and a former Governor for India at the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna.

Indian diplomats are allowed to take one or more India Based Domestic Assistants, IDBA, at government expense precisely because domestic help is essential to perform their representational duties and because hiring such services in Western countries is prohibitively expensive.
Some years ago, the US government began insisting that IDBAs should have contracts, indicating their wages, which should not be below the minimum wages in the country, and hours of work, etc for facilitating the issue of the necessary A3 visas.
Everyone understood that no Indian diplomat, or for that matter, any other diplomat would be able to pay nearly $10 per hour. The diplomats themselves are not paid that much!
Therefore, contracts were produced for visa purposes and they were given accommodation, food, clothes, medicine etc and wages, which are reasonable by Indian standards.
In most cases, this did not pose a problem. Those who stayed with the diplomats for three years managed to stay back as immigrants and prospered.
Some others, lured by Indian employers, restaurants and others in the early days of their stay, simply deserted the diplomats and made a living.
She disowned her Indian contract and sought to enforce the US contract in the hope of getting a huge compensation, as it happened in the case of another diplomat in the same consulate.
The US authorities, which are aware of the existence of such a technical irregularity in several cases, should have normally alerted the consulate and sought a solution. Even in more serious cases, the two countries have withdrawn their diplomats by mutual agreement to avoid the operation of the law.
A former diplomat has made a calculation that these amount to an average of $1,958 per month, amounting to $12.2 per hour.

Nanny Terror in New York - Rediff.com India News

 

[Vaagmi]

Fat chance of that, after scolding India to grow up NYT has moved on, after scant coverage in corporate media, this topic is already old news. If India insists on standing up for some self-respect, everyone, most of all middle-class Indians, especially those who live here in the U.S. and their beneficiaries living in India, will lecture GOI that if they have any aspirations for being a major power, then they should continue to lick the US boots harder.

Khurshid is already walking back and trying to find a way to get out without standing up to the bully, the U.S. Billions of dolla at stake. Total capitulation is written all over it. So sorry for India, they can be much more, they have the power, the question is whether they have the spunk and common self-respect. I have never felt more Indian and sorry for India than now.

I also sleep like some members here and wake up once in a while, but I also dream when asleep.. So yesterday when I was sleeping I dreamt. This post must have caused that dream. I found the Bigriver who has talked a lot about self respect lecturing to Obama about the self respect of Indians. Obama was coolly listening first. As the tirade was getting more and more abusive (as is usual with Bigriver) he called his assistant and whispered something in his ears. The Courageousbell who was also in the room by the side of Bigriver smiled understandingly. The assistant brought a bag full of something and handed it over to the Courageousbell. Obama continued to pretend listening to the Bigriver as the Bigriver continued with his lecture. Courageousbell went into a side room in the whitehouse and after spending some time returned with a broad smile on his face and told the Bigriver in his ear "I counted it It is one million in USD". That was enough. The atmosphere completely changed. Bigriver started praising Obama and started a fresh lecture about how the dalits of India would be orphans if people like Obama are not there to spirit them away at extremely short notice to US. He asked whether he can come to US and live there on a greencard. Obama politely said India needs the Bigriver and Courageous bell more than the US and promised his support. Holding the bag tightly all by himself Bigriver left the place with Courageousbell in tow who could not take away his eyes from the bag. LOL.

 

[sarang]

Our terror nanny has tweeted or facebooked that she is very happy, the madame and sir are polite and good bosses, she had sufficient time and money to go out and buy an ipad - all these within 4 months - feb to june. Trouble started when she was not allowed to earn extra working outside and her demand to convert the status of her passport was rejected by devayani.

Only devyani's indian contract of rs 30000 per month has landed her in trouble according to some legal luminaries. The embassy had no other reference of the wage deal - promised or given.

Devyan's lawyer has said that the case will not hold, as when some saudi families related to the royals, were staying illegally; when an attempt was made to arrest them based on a complaint from a domestic staff, the police had to withdraw after physical assault. The saudi govt. immediately gave them exalted diplomatic status and accepted by the 'true law abiding' US govt. The case was dismissed saudis were cleared and no arrest was made.

Many spouses of consulate staff do work as teachers in american schools. The indian govt can arrest them for working without permit or apply 377 against some staff. Obama will then wake up.

 

[ashwin_ash]

I also sleep like some members here and wake up once in a while, but I also dream when asleep.. So yesterday when I was sleeping I dreamt. This post must have caused that dream. I found the Bigriver who has talked a lot about self respect lecturing to Obama about the self respect of Indians. Obama was coolly listening first. As the tirade was getting more and more abusive (as is usual with Bigriver) he called his assistant and whispered something in his ears. The Courageousbell who was also in the room by the side of Bigriver smiled understandingly. The assistant brought a bag full of something and handed it over to the Courageousbell. Obama continued to pretend listening to the Bigriver as the Bigriver continued with his lecture. Courageousbell went into a side room in the whitehouse and after spending some time returned with a broad smile on his face and told the Bigriver in his ear "I counted it It is one million in USD". That was enough. The atmosphere completely changed. Bigriver started praising Obama and started a fresh lecture about how the dalits of India would be orphans if people like Obama are not there to spirit them away at extremely short notice to US. He asked whether he can come to US and live there on a greencard. Obama politely said India needs the Bigriver and Courageous bell more than the US and promised his support. Holding the bag tightly all by himself Bigriver left the place with Courageousbell in tow who could not take away his eyes from the bag. LOL.

It is pathetic that Mr Nara talks about Indians in India 'licking US' boots' while he himself is in the United States. Now we really know who is licking the boots!! I am always grateful to any country which provides me my bread, be it the US (now) or any other. If DK had not committed a crime, I might have criticized the US' policies, but not use bombastic phrases such as "licking boots" etc. Shows a person's true caliber. He can make a start by preaching atheism and spreading Big River's philosophies in the Bible Belt of the US and see how people react.

It is extremely disturbing that people like Mr Nara condemn the US' actions, while they have earned their bread in the US. Most people even in India are coming around to the view that DK is not all white, she has definitely committed crimes, serious ones.

 

[sarang]

US local embassy wants more time:
to return id cards and passes
to supply information on salaries paid to embassy staff
to supply information and salary of embassy staff and spouses working in american schools for additional income.

Obama may play a different tune and withdraw or dilute attacks on DK. One thing is certain - locals will not give the information needed as it may shock the american public; indians paid a fraction of what the americans get for the same job.

Many US friendly politicians, babus and spies may not get christmas and new year gifts as the container is held up pending clearance.

US action has nothing to do with sanctity of law. They wanted to rub and humiliate the indian govt. The real reason may come out later.

 

[sangom]

US local embassy wants more time:
to return id cards and passes
to supply information on salaries paid to embassy staff
to supply information and salary of embassy staff and spouses working in american schools for additional income.

Obama may play a different tune and withdraw or dilute attacks on DK. One thing is certain - locals will not give the information needed as it may shock the american public; indians paid a fraction of what the americans get for the same job.

Many US friendly politicians, babus and spies may not get christmas and new year gifts as the container is held up pending clearance.

US action has nothing to do with sanctity of law. They wanted to rub and humiliate the indian govt. The real reason may come out later.

re: highlighted sentence— It seems this has something to do with the ship taken into custody in Tuticorin.