Team-BHP - Rashly Driven Consulate Cars

Dear all - now I know why I did not pay any toll on the expressway when I was driving an SUV with a cc number plate. I was just waved through at all check nakas. Anyways, traffic indiscipline must be severely punished, cc or no cc. Nobody should be above basic road manners.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

Quote:

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM (Post 1644280)

Hi Behram,

Which consulate vehicle were u driving. I bet if you were driving a ford explorer used by some of the consuls, nobody dare demand any toll.

A video is worth a thousand words. Expose them like youtube user, jdeakin72, does in this video: YouTube - jdeakin72's Channel

Also, lodge a written complaint with the police, follow it up, and alert the media.

In addition, let's have a Teambhp thread of video clips showing consulate cars being driven rashly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl (Post 1636394)

Thanks. The chit of the number is lying in my glove box. Will put up the number soon.

Actually, the whole reason of starting this thread was not what i can do or not. The reason is to reach a consensus of what can be done in case someone else runs into a consulate vehicle in the future.

- What are your police options?
- What are your legal options?
- Etc.

Tejas we simply don't have a legal option. They can not be prosecuted in India. And the Ministry of external affairs won't deem it important enough to bring it up at the diplomatic level.

The best option as quite a few have already suggested would be writing to the Consulate itself.

Going to the local police station won't be of any help either. IMHO.

May be if we can draw the attention of the media towards the nuisence and they decide to take up this issue. We would get not just a solution but you would also an apology from the concerned consulate, in all probability.

Maybe its because of the typical "chalta hai" India attitude. Imagine anyone, no matter how powerful or highly placed getting away with somehting like this in the western world. :deadhorse

If a diplomat breaks the law, he cannot be proceeded against in the host country; period.

If somebody breaks the diplomat's vehicle, the diplomat cannot proceed against the person, because that amounts to waiving the immunity.

Source :- Brownlie, Ian (2003) Principles of Public International Law, Oxford University Press, 6th Ed., ISBN 0199260710

Edit:- We are not alone!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diploma...nity#Vehicular

Quote:

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR (Post 1656254)

If a diplomat breaks the law, he cannot be proceeded against in the host country; period.

If somebody breaks the diplomat's vehicle, the diplomat cannot proceed against the person, because that amounts to waiving the immunity.

Source :- Brownlie, Ian (2003) Principles of Public International Law, Oxford University Press, 6th Ed., ISBN 0199260710

Edit:- We are not alone!!!

Diplomatic immunity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So Tejas - next time fit a big chrome bullbar in front of your jeep, and bang the living daylights out of that CC car! :D (just kidding - I DO NOT support road rage)

Quote:

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR (Post 1656254)

If somebody breaks the diplomat's vehicle, the diplomat cannot proceed against the person, because that amounts to waiving the immunity.

awsome,we can just ram our SUVs whenever we see a CC car, a few high profile cases and they will know how to behave clap:

Quote:

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM (Post 1644280)

I would love to know how you got behind the wheels of a consulate car !!

Quote:

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR (Post 1656254)

If a diplomat breaks the law, he cannot be proceeded against in the host country; period.

If somebody breaks the diplomat's vehicle, the diplomat cannot proceed against the person, because that amounts to waiving the immunity.

Source :- Brownlie, Ian (2003) Principles of Public International Law, Oxford University Press, 6th Ed., ISBN 0199260710

Edit:- We are not alone!!!

Diplomatic immunity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not strictly true. The host can ask the other nation to waive the immunity. This does happen, there was a case in London a few years ago where some idiot tried to rob a dimplomat at a supermarket...the diplomat got the criminals knife off him and stabbed him in self defence. The criminal died and the dimplomats country waived the immunity so he was tried in England.

There was another case in Birmingham (england) where a certain staff member at the Indian consulate was selling passports sent in to the consulate (for cancellation by people who had obtained British citizenship) to people trafickers. The Indians stood firm and the guy got away with his crimes and was just sent back for some posting in India.

In this case the driver was a local Indian so he would not have immunity but who can be bothered to argue with the folks when the guy in the back can make a few phone calls and get things smoothed over.

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamswift (Post 1662840)

The law states that inside the consulate building, the law of their own land applies. Not outside of the consulate building. Outside they are subject Indian laws. Maybe exemption to higher officials of consulate - It surely does not cover drivers.
But again this is India. :)

The individual diplomats have absolute immunity from laws of the host State.

They may (and usually do) carry firearms.

And they will be sitting behind the local driver. You challenge the driver, and there would be this diplomat looking at you down a barrel, over the driver's shoulder. What will / can you do?

P

And diplomacy works on the principle of reciprocity. You think Indian diplomats are saints??

So, we really do not have much choice. Unless you have the muscle power on the spot.

It is not only in India. See what happened in Singapore.

Quote:

Singapore - Romania's highest diplomatic representative to Singapore is not being ruled out as a suspect in a car accident that left one dead and two others injured a fortnight ago, according to a local news report Wednesday.
Dr Silviu Ionescu, charge d'affaires of the Romanian embassy, has gone back to Romania, as he was reportedly suffering from diabetes.
But police investigators said they have not ruled out any suspect in the hit-and-run accident around 3 am on December 15.
Ionescu had reported to police that a car belonging to the embassy was missing. Police later found the car abandoned in a suburban industrial estate.
The driver of the black Audi A6 had sped off after hitting three people at two junctions, according to a report by The Straits Times. One of the victims, 31-year-old Tan Kok Wai, suffered severe brain damage and died 10 days later when taken off life support at a local hospital.
Ionescu is the highest-ranking official at the Romanian embassy in Singapore, with diplomatic status and legal immunity under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

I have never thought that these kind of thing can happen in Singapore also. As we all know Singapore, but when it involves embassy rules are different every where in the world.

It is close to a month now and the diplomat in question has said that he will never come back to Singapore again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by smooth (Post 1671940)

It is close to a month now and the diplomat in question has said that he will never come back to Singapore again.

A wise decision, coz irrespective of which country this happens in, someone might try to cause him ( the Consulate officer, ie) some hard or even try to kill him.Although it wouldn't be an easy task, someone would try it.Kinda OT,but thats the reality.

Such people should be taken to court & tried for whatever reasons the crime was committed.On the grounds of a medical condition, not much would be done.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nitin (Post 1673295)

How come a wise decision? commit crime, kill people and then run away. This is not correct.
There is no medical condition kind of thing, it is all made up. The person in question previously mentioned that he went to Romania for Medical Checkup. Singapore health system is quite good in that regard may be better than Romania.
This all is full make up event. Embassy reported that the car was missing only after the accident. It was reported that the consulate officer was in office at that time 3am alone and nobody else was in the office. And prior to that around 1am he was in a karaoke bar seen drinking. In between his car got stolen and he reached office by cab and then after 2 days left for Romania.

As far as I have seen there are no rules for embassy people regardless of the country.

Yeah, its true that consulate cars enjoy the immunity of the laws specially in india where peope give extra preferance to white skin.(i dont know why ?)

so TEJAS, next time it happens just break couple of lights of the CC car and scare the living daylights of them.

this is a very very common phenomenon, trust me , after travelling 6 yrs round the globe due to my IT job and having a lot of white friends, they try to take india for granted.

they try to break even basic & simple rules in india which they would have followed till death in any other country.

so a lesson should be taught to such firangs.

what say guys ?