India-US Strategic News and Discussion

Vayutuvan · Post by **Vayutuvan** » 19 Jan 2014 07:00

vina wrote:Papa Khobragade should be brought to book in India. US of course stays out of it.

Exactimento. But some PIOs/RNIs are making it into India's fault. That should not be acceptable to India - establishment and the citizenry alike.

Vayutuvan · Post by **Vayutuvan** » 19 Jan 2014 07:08

ramana: Not Minerva. This incident was 26(

)0 yrs back. Minerva came later. Now, of course, the beggars have reduced (that is my hope) or have been shooed away from these posh areas (Himayat Nagar was not a posh area but reasonably upscale 20 yrs back).

KLNMurthy · Post by **KLNMurthy** » 19 Jan 2014 07:08

vina wrote:Oh, I am sure that papa Khobragade reeks of being corrupt to the core. No one gets doled out stuff like an apartment at a criminal enterprise like Adarsh by the Netas, unless there is a solid quid pro quo and if you aren't as thick as thieves with them and in bed together.

That DK was a recipient of that largesse just makes it even worse. Papa Khobragade should be brought to book in India. US of course stays out of it.

In some ways, the US problem is that they picked the wrong target. If they had picked up a traditional IFS type (upper caste and apolitical), they could have gotten away with it and also milked the "Upper Caste oppressing the Daleeet" angle. Here they picked a very political SC/ST woman and it blew up on their faces big time. Obviously, the American mind with it's cliched middle school and rubbish media based knowledge of India with it's cliches and stereotypes possibly cannot grasp that DK was what she was and NOT "Upper Caste" . Big mistake.

I think we should push back on Khobra-daddy is corrupt etc. theme, because it is completely irrelevant, and stressing it only feeds the propagandu that India is a culture of elitism, influence and corruption whereas the US is a paradise where law rules in the abstract. Scams similar to Adarsh happen all the time in the USA, and just like in India, a few of them come to light and even fewer of them end in prosecution and conviction. Business, politics and public administration above a certain level are very much a matter of "who you know". There is an impression of the application of law being stricter in the US, which is true at a lower level--US pandu who gives you challan for speeding is not going to be bought out by chai-paise because he is well-paid with comfortable pension and health plan after retiring at 45, and is not a fool to jeopardize all that.

[I know I am slipping into OT here but ...]
When the stakes are higher as in business and property development, it is normal in the US to do what is called corruption in India, in the US the usual channel is called election contribution. There are ethical rules of procedure etc. but they can always be circumvented, and unless one is stupid enough to make a statement in front of witnesses that "you give me X and I'll give you Y", it is quite hard to prove corruption and get a conviction.

This is the context for saying that we shouldn't contribute to the "UK is corrupt" propagandu when talking about the abuse of DK by the US govt.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 19 Jan 2014 07:11

UlanBatori wrote: Which is what induced him to quit work and sit still so long that anthills covered him and he was inducted as an Honorary Member of the Kerala State Secretariat in recognition of his inertia.

Welcome.

Vayutuvan · Post by **Vayutuvan** » 19 Jan 2014 07:16

Kerala State Secretariat

RB, sorry wonlee. Yes, a random newbie.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 19 Jan 2014 07:29

remember the old saying.. all that glitters is not gold. BO did glitter well to even get a nobel peace prize.

i'd still back SB from the tribal regions of the midwestern grass lands

vera_k · Post by **vera_k** » 19 Jan 2014 09:00

vina wrote:Oh, I am sure that papa Khobragade reeks of being corrupt to the core. No one gets doled out stuff like an apartment at a criminal enterprise like Adarsh by the Netas, unless there is a solid quid pro quo and if you aren't as thick as thieves with them and in bed together.

Getting a cheap flat through the government is not unusual in Maharashtra. For long, the state government has been running a scam, where ordinary users subsidize housing purchased by government-linked persons. Even the current chief minister has taken advantage of this. Of course, what was normal in prior years is now considered borderline criminal activity thanks to the scrutiny generated by Adarsh. But this is no reason to single out Mr. Khobragade for taking advantage of an official loophole.

High income CM has low income flat

Yagnasri · Post by **Yagnasri** » 19 Jan 2014 09:24

ramana wrote:Minerva?

Chantnees has no ground floor. I am not sure how old is it. Gives quite good food though. eaten there few days back.

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 19 Jan 2014 09:26

OT - I would like to understand the anmauled event chronology a bit better. Can anmol PM (not enail) me a short summary of what he did after caching FB. dhanyavad.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 19 Jan 2014 10:37

Whoever talked of arrest of Richards' in India? There was no such instance. DK registered a case in India based on advise of MEA since NYPD and USD refused to take coginzance of disappearance of SR who was on A-3 Visa to USA as IBDA to DK . DK was responsible for SR as long as her whereabouts were not established. NYPD said only close relatives can register a case of disappearance and took no action. It was laughable excuse as there could not have been any close relative of SR in USA. Clearly they were told to keep off. Theft cases were also not registered by NYPD on some excuse of asking list of inventory of items stolen and prices. DK hubby claimed that they had given the details but NYPD did not take any further action on that complaint.

Hubby of SR did not help the matter by telling that he knew SR was safe in USA as it would give rise to suspicious disappearance of SR as illegal alien in US and DK could have been charged on that account. Clearly , one can infer that hubby of SR was in the know of plan of SR to become illegal alien and was complicit in the whole plan.

After filing of case on two aspects, one theft of valuables in Diplomat's house and disappearance of SR her hubyy could have been called to Station for inquiry. Police would have visited the house to inform him to present himself for inquiry. Hubby filed a writ petition in Delhi HC which he later withdrew. When he failed to present himself before the Judicial Magistrate with whom police filed report naturally warrant was issued which was not executed a and he later fled the coup along with his family. InLaws of both SR and her hubby are still in India and not likely to leave on T3.

If Police or MEA wanted to harass hubby then why Passport was issued by MEA even after filing of case by DK . Clearly there was no intention to stop them from having passport nor were they put on ECL. Warrant was also issued only for appearance and not for arrest. Arrest is only done when person summoned repeatedly fails to appear before the inquiring magistrate. I am sure USA would have similar procedure in criminal jurisprudence and citizens are liable to follow that aren't they.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 19 Jan 2014 10:48

Papa Khobragade is a clever play of words to insinuate like Papa Doc who is well known in USA.

BTW if he was corrupt or Dk was influential , how does it matter in the DK case. Anyway , the issue has moved beyond that and now firmly focussed on money laundering , tax evasion and visa fraud by embassy and AES in a systematic and deliberate manner resulting in istitutionalised fraud by US Embassy in India and its personnel some of whom are having immunity and some not.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 19 Jan 2014 11:04

ramana wrote:Ok.

UB, Here is the first mention of the husband being arrested in Delhi. Quotes a ReDiff report.

http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewto ... 8#p1559698

There never was any arrest. Summons are issued which includes the clause that if one does not appear before the judicial magistrate then one is liable for arrest. Repeated failure to appear before the magistrate results in warrant. It would not even amount to arrest unless Magistrate orders it after production of the person.

vic · Post by **vic** » 19 Jan 2014 11:14

Under which US law, if papa is corrupt, one can gang-rape the daughter?

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 19 Jan 2014 11:16

UlanBatori wrote:

Karan, I am not sure what to make of the "arrest" of the India-based members of the Richards family. Not enough has come out about the legal proceedings in India - and what led to the court injunction to SR against making complaints. How can a court say to someone: "YOU SHALL NOT COMPLAIN!" unless there is clear evidence that there is a move to file a slanderous and/or deliberately malicious complaint. I have heard of Anticipatory Bail, but not Anticipatory Prohibition Against Complaints. Strange, and warrants some explanation, so we don't blunder into this and allow PB to make us look foolish.

Being Indiana involved in the whole matter, Indian courts have the jurisdiction in the matter. What they ordered is that to pursue this in Indian judiciary. Courts can not curtail an individual's right to complain or take matters to appropriate fora which was Indian courts in this case.

BTW the courts are empowered to issue injunctions of any kind as deemed fit under Art 226 of the constitution and is much wider than writs. Individuals can be restrained and there was clear evidence that a green card chasing greedy maid was in cahoots with maid chasing immigration lawyers trying to extort money blackmail etc. And why I say maid was greedy?? Early on in one of the reports it was revealed that she left her marital home after learning of poor financial condition of philips, within days of her marriage, and returned only after learning that by that time she was pregnant.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 19 Jan 2014 11:17

matrimc wrote:
SaiK wrote:I told them wait, and asked the restaurant service to pack two of the same i ordered asap. the order came within few minutes, and the two seekers went happy with hot idli+vadas.
SaiK: I did go out and gave the kid some money. But all said and done not much, eh? in the over all scheme of things?

Because you can't do everything is never a reason for doing nothing.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 19 Jan 2014 11:20

The history of Richards' working for various US diplomats over a period of time,in the media today,and just who they are and where they are now is a revelation.He was not working for run-of-the-mill diplomutts.One worthy former Political Counsellor,is now the ambassador to the Ukraine.Richards was therefore trusted enormously by the US embassy which lends speculation to the entire issue being an intel/spying case.

On the issue of brain drain,I agree with those who say that there is a huge brain drain to the US from India,whose cost cannot be ascertained.The cream of our universities and IITs are virtually hijacked into the US's educational,R&D,industrial complex.The GOI should insist that Indian students studying abroad ,taking loans,must serve at least two years back in India in Indian companies or in Govt. service,before being allowed to migrate/work abroad.Edu loans should also be given with discretion and an all round policy-to a variety of countries,univs,whatever, in application,not mainly for the US.I would further advocate some form of compulsory military service for those technically qualified as we are desperately short of scientists,etc. for our defence labs,def. DPSU and armed forces.Two years serving the nation-and salaries and perks in such institutions are decent,would be of immense benefit to the nation and help instill a sense of patriotism that has been gravely eroded post-Independence.A large proportion of our talent end up working for the US Military-Industrial-Complex,why should they benefit and not India? I know one gent,recently deceased at a ripe old age,who was one of the world's top technocrats,responsible for Motorola's six sigma rating,awarded numerous US govt.def. awards.intl. awards.

disha · Post by **disha** » 19 Jan 2014 12:42

^^ Phillip Saar there will be no brain drain if simple opportunities are given!

One example, do companies allow students in Master's program to work part time? Even 20 Hrs a week? How about allowing 16 year old high schoolers to volunteer for community services? Going to local angaanwadi and taking care of labourer's kids or teaching them some art or just playing with them (big brothers/big sisters!)

The point is - where are the opportunities? When the economy was growing - people were doing RTI in droves!! The jokes of queuing up for "hara patta" in Indian Embassy looked so true. And now?

Also it should be noted that west has a better standard of living for its "middle class" and for several "middle class" in India, just by migrating, there is a quantum jump in standard of living!

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 19 Jan 2014 13:51

disha wrote:^^ Phillip Saar there will be no brain drain if simple opportunities are given!

One example, do companies allow students in Master's program to work part time? Even 20 Hrs a week? How about allowing 16 year old high schoolers to volunteer for community services? Going to local angaanwadi and taking care of labourer's kids or teaching them some art or just playing with them (big brothers/big sisters!)

The point is - where are the opportunities? When the economy was growing - people were doing RTI in droves!! The jokes of queuing up for "hara patta" in Indian Embassy looked so true. And now?

Also it should be noted that west has a better standard of living for its "middle class" and for several "middle class" in India, just by migrating, there is a quantum jump in standard of living!

Yeah it happens a lot. You might not be knowing about it or many may not like to avail such opportunities as it does not add to their certification except for experience. Of course one could pay more attention to this area and make it a part of curriculum or school/college activities. Major schools certainly have these programmes. Govt schools are lagging.

As regards standards of living, this could be a vicious cycle. We train people to better our conditions and instead of they working hard and making it good for future generations they seek better opportunities abroad to make it good for themselves. So we train next batch and so on so forth. Remember, those who were trained in higher institutions , are those with high intelligence and capabilities selected from among such individuals and are likely to make more impact. The education in these institutions are highly subsidies since beginning and even now , with increased fees, they continue to be ssubsidised. There are data on per capita spending in each sector of higher education. They have been selected over many deserving Indians who might have served in India otherwise. So when ,instead of repaying back to the society, they choose to make it better for themselves personally, the society looses out. The question is that of balancing individual aspirations and societal expectations and hence , Philips point should be well taken note of for re-balancing.

But those who make it good abroad are also an asset to India as they can learn better things ,new ideas and perhaps come back and implement here. Even when they stay there and remit money that is also good for India. So I would not ask them to come back but in some way to serve India even by remaining abroad. The opinions expressed in the wake of L'Affaire DK by many Indians settled abroad disturbs and question about their loyalty ( not that of MUTUs/PIOs) towards India. If they are MUTUs or PIOs I don't bother about them.

But there is another point I want to make it here is that I have alsso interacted with many American Indians or Indians employed in American Administration and most of them want to do good for India while taking care of US interest. Our interaction is also to take care of and protect our interest. So I would treat few cases of likes of PB as aberration rather than rule. Same goes for NRI/PIOs/OCIs. Any generalisation will not be true at all.

JMT

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 19 Jan 2014 16:56

Papa Khobragade is a clever play of words to insinuate like Papa Doc who is well known in USA.

Not for everyone. Papa Doc is phorgotten onlee - how many Americans even have heard of Haiti, let alone its history, is a good pooch. However, Papa BUSH is not so.
He is remembered by all as a shining example of the American Dream:
As POTUS Dubya demonstrated, ANYONE can become President of the US of A and it is ENTIRELY on their merits (e.e. IQ, achievement), NOTHING to do with parental influence, which American parents NEVER exert. The term "Helicopter Parent" is unheard-of in American schools, universities, businesses and the Little League.

Q.E.D.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 19 Jan 2014 17:14

Also, I feel that all this chest-thumping about "Brain Drain" is perhaps a bit ot on this thread. Here the issue is Drain Brain. I wish to place that on BRFee copyright onlee.

:

1. Drain Brain : One who operates on that bedrock thesis of British and other Lynchmobs

Guilty Unless Proven Innocent, and even despite that if Accused is not Culturally Propah. Further elucidated by former (phuh) US Attorney General and Real Estate Manipulator Edwin Meese, who proclaimed: "Why would one be a Suspect if one is not Guilty?"

Recently this has been demonstrated by the WH, SD, May Family, AES administrators, and PB.

2. Drain Brain: One who gets out at a Scenic Outlook opposite Mt. Kanchenjunga and rushes to take a photograph - of the dogpoo in the gutter by the roadside, to post on FaceBook under MY TRIP TO THE HIMALAYAS

Recently illustrated by the May family of US "diplomats", in the tradition of Miss May(o) of yore.

While we talk of Brain Drain and what it has done in every major boost to the US, UK, UAE and Australian economies, the Drain Brains in the Obama Administration are spending 100% of their time thinking of how to rob, rape and destroy those who came up on merit, under their theme:

Rob Da Rich And Feed Da Poor, and We Are Da Poor

And they are ably assisted by Preet Bharara, all those letter-writers in the NYT such with the Kolkotta Commie names, and recently by the esteemed Parthiv Parekh, editor of "KHabar", the Voice of the Paki Community in southern US of A.

This is the core issue here.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 19 Jan 2014 17:19

Chanakya: Thx a Karod. Now the timeline and the sheer fraud beneath this affair have become quite clear.
Any gyan on whether AES is inside or next to US Embassy in Dilli (how about Mumbai and Chennai consulates?) and whether access control is by same US Marines in addition to Indian polis?

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 19 Jan 2014 17:23

AES is outside the Embassy Campus but on the land allotted to USG by GOI. It is just across the street Chandragupta Marg. ACSA is inside the Embassy campus. Road is obviously GOI property.

Local guards there. May be some marines but not sure.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 19 Jan 2014 18:20

[deleted, no longer needed]

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 19 Jan 2014 18:25

UlanBatori wrote:One more question: the name RICHARDS. I am aware of many Christian names used in India, but I never heard that one before. It is classic American/British, not Anglo-Indian or Portuguese or Spanish. Any gyan on this pls? Is the Richards family somehow US-descended?

Richards is quite a common anglo Indian name. It's use does not necessarily imply an anglo Indian descent. Many born again folks may also use it.

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 19 Jan 2014 18:32

[delete

Nesoj · Post by **Nesoj** » 19 Jan 2014 18:37

Richard is most probably either a Kerala Latin Catholic or Church of South India (CSI Anglican) - both groups usually being from the backward / dalit community (majority of them) .. who take such western names on conversion to Christianity

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 19 Jan 2014 19:44

[deleted, no longer needed]

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 19 Jan 2014 19:54

OK, which brings up the improved version of a letter to go out to US lawmakers, that came in my email:

Dear {lawmaker}

Thank you for your continued leadership in improving the way that our government operates. The ongoing disruption in our relations with India, the world’s largest democracy and our best ally in Asia, raise particular concerns about the conduct of foreign policy by the present Administration.

It appears that in their zeal to raise the minimum wage, special interests appear to have misused the State Department of the United States to conduct a high-profile antic that has now backfired very badly. The serious damage that this stunt has caused to America’s reputation and interests around the world, call for investigation and exposure.

Starting in 2012, the family of Mr. Richards, an Indian worker in the US Embassy in New Delhi, appears to have been used in an elaborate scam on the promise of US Green Cards. His wife was employed with a senior US diplomat in India in 2002-2007; that diplomat is now in DC. His son was a chauffeur for the Mozambique Embassy in Delhi. The daughter-in-law applied as a live-in domestic worker/housekeeper for the Indian Deputy Consul-General in New York, Dr. Devyani Khobragade. The diplomat is married to an American university professor, and a mother of two small kids. She is a living counter to many stereotypes. She was born in a so-called “Scheduled Caste” family. Her father started as a manual laborer, but earned an education and retired at the top of the Indian Administrative Service. Perhaps helped by India’s Affirmative Action laws, she earned doctoral credentials. She then sought to repay her nation, working in India’s Foreign Service, especially devoted to empowering women. Before coming to the US she was posted in Pakistan, hardly a luxury posting! She was a friend that the US should have treasured, and an example of everything in which we Americans believe.

From all accounts, Ms. Richards who came to American in November 2012 as a live-in domestic assistant, was (a) trusted with all freedom of movement and association, (b) treated as a family member, (c) paid what she was promised and (d) paid well beyond the prescription of US laws. The kids loved her. In addition to her US pay, and her life of comfort in the diplomat’s home, she was also guaranteed an after-tax monthly saving of $573 deposited directly in India. Even in the wealthy suburbs of the USA, you know that many of us are not able to put away $573 a month after taxes and all expenses from a single income.

The scam was apparently orchestrated through the Bureau of Diplomatic Security (BDS) at the US Embassy in New Delhi, to raise a high-profile ruckus timed to resonate with the recent White House release of the Federal Strategic Action Plan on Services for Victims of Human Trafficking. This appears to be pandering to the worst xenophobic and racist sentiments that politicians solicit at election time.
A careful reading of the timeline and facts leaves little doubt that this was orchestrated from the start as a propaganda ploy, with absolutely no regard for the human toll it took. The facts also show that the Indian diplomats in the US, far from disregarding our laws, followed them in letter and spirit trying their best to communicate and work with the State Department and local police. The incident started in April 2013 with an illegal demand by the “maid” to be allowed to work outside the Consulate on her “off days” (strange given the later claim that she had no “off-days” and was so exhausted from over-work on her “on-days”). In June 2013, the diplomat left her two kids in Ms. Richards’ care while she went on a 2-day trip – and Ms. Richards chose this time to desert the kids, and disappear with money given for groceries, and the diplomat’s cellphone. The disappearance was not discovered until the diplomat returned.

In mid-July extortionary demands were made, leading India to cancel Ms. Richards’ official passport and demand her return. In mid-September, responding to the State Department, the Indians pointed out that Ms. Richards was seeking to subvert both Indian and American laws. In mid November, an Indian court issued an arrest warrant for Ms. Richards. On December 10, the US BDS officials violated Indian laws by acquiring tax-free diplomatic tickets, and American law by issuing “trafficking” visas, to Ms. Richards’ husband and children, and brought them to America to add to our numbers of illegal aliens. Compare this to the months that the US Embassy takes to issue visas to professionals to attend international conferences in the USA!

Two days later, the diplomat was arrested in a publicity stunt that would put the Keystone Kops to shame, as she dropped off her kids at school, based on charges filed by an agent of the BDS. They then proceeding to have her manacled, stripped and “cavity-searched”– Orwellian-speak for custodial rape - and the fact publicized. I ask the same question that outraged villagers asked in the 1970s movie “Ryan’s Daughter” set in 1940s Ireland: “Whose idea was the stripping up?” This was much worse here, in 2013 America!

I have read the “indictment” that the US attorney’s office in New York appears to have railroaded through a Grand Jury. With all due respect, it is asinine, describing the natural role of a live-in family member as “109 hours per week of work with no overtime pay” etc. Any school-teacher, policeman and I am sure lawmaker, works even longer hours than that, because we care about those entrusted to us, and think about it all the time! While looking after 2 school-age kids and keeping up an apartment are certainly full-time jobs, they are not slavery or abuse any more than “Alice” in the American Brady Bunch TV show who looked after six children was a slave.

From the facts that I can ascertain, I assume that any reasonable US court will dismiss all charges against the Indian diplomat. The brutality inflicted on her offends us all as human beings and makes me ashamed as an American that it was done in the name of my country by employees paid with our taxes.

After pleas to reason fell on deaf ears and inflated heads, the Indian government, responding to widespread outrage, is now proceeding to figuratively strip and expose our government’s duplicity and stupidity in no uncertain terms:

1. They expelled the BDS official. A Facebook search conducted by Indian kids revealed the shockingly offensive racist, bigoted and gratuitous public postings by the BDS official and his wife. Note that India could easily have tossed them in jail to face non-bailable criminal charges for ticket and visa fraud, and offending religious sentiments. A senior US Congressman has aptly described the couple’s actions as “offensive and moronic”, and pointed to the damage done to all the professionals in our Foreign Service.
2. India requested details on how the US Embassy pays and treats Indian employees. Not surprisingly, our Embassy is foot-dragging on that. We wait to hear of the salary and working hours of the elder Mr. Richards.
3. We now see that the American Embassy School, located on property provided to the US Embassy, has been deliberately and systematically violating both visa and tax laws for decades. Indian officials have cited this as “institutional fraud” and I cannot fault that description. The State Department’s lame claim that the school is not run by the Embassy is further evidence of the lack of leadership.

More is to come, I am sure, and will not be pretty.

We as citizens would appreciate your leadership in demanding common decency and accountability at the State Department and the White House. Even school teachers know better than to post racist rants on Facebook pages. Is the US Bureau of Diplomatic Security headed by someone who is unaware of basic Internet common sense? Has he not endangered all our diplomats? Who hired this man? Was it the recent Presidential appointee famous for having (literally) shot himself in the foot? Who employed the BDS official’s wife as an expert on international community relations, given her gross lack of sense? Are State Department appointments now done on nepotism? How did the Board of the American Embassy School, with two members directly appointed by the Ambassador, allow and even order its employees to blatantly dodge taxes and lie on visa forms, and give false ID numbers to deposit salaries? Should these people not be prosecuted under US racketeering and money-laundering laws?

And most of all, who concocted this whole Maid Scam, deliberately ignoring the best efforts by their victims the foreign consulate to observe the laws of the United States? They have set back by decades, the efforts of all of us who work for friendship and understanding between the few free democracies that survive in today’s world.

All this raises the terrifying question: Who is minding the store in the State Department and the White House? What else are they doing in other countries to destroy our nation’s hard-won reputation? I hope you will ask some of these questions and insist on accountability from the Administration.

Respectfully

member_28352 · Post by **member_28352** » 19 Jan 2014 20:09

^^^UlanBatori, AFAIK, DK is a Dr in the sense of a medical doctor aka MBBS, and not as in Piled Higher and Deeper. Other members may also confirm. On that note the author of the letter can also elaborate on the Orwellian Institutionalized Rape aka cavity search and say that given her background she would definitely be aware of what is cavity search. PB's lie, as paraphrased by the presidents of the US Marshals Union(didn't know that the Capitalistic Republic of Dera Amir Khan bolis could form unions), was that she was only strip searched. Yes the letter of the author could also highlight that the insinuations against UK are what they are, insinuations. I mean if he can't prevent his beti from being posted to Shitistan then what kind of a pappa is he.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 19 Jan 2014 20:11

Better and better! Pls confirm, may the dung of a Thousand Camels make your tent fragrant as the breeze outside Khartoum!

That actually puts a serious crimp in the "UK-DK-corrupt" model: WTF didn't he get her to emigrate to Khanstan instead of the maid, so she could pull in a cool $4500 per hour instead of per year scribbling prescriptions with illegible words like Acetomephormycinamide? One could even BUY an Adarsh phlat with that sort of $$.

Puts DK in an entirely new light, doesn't it? As in being a person of real substance? I was impressed by the fact that her prior posting was in that true Heaven for Indian diplomats - Pakistan! NO ONE has THAT kind of influence, to get their munni beti posted to PAKISTAN, hey?

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 19 Jan 2014 20:28

Yes, DK is a medical doctor rather than doctor of the useless kind.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 19 Jan 2014 20:46

We had earlier reviewed this DK SHEKAY shtuffs.. and this discussion can really be detrimental to Indo-Massan relationship. I'd seriously think about a new thread to discuss DK wali activities.

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 19 Jan 2014 21:08

The Double-cross of Diplomacy and Espionage

May and his wife Alicia had played an activist role in spiriting out the family of maid Sangeeta Richard, misusing their diplomatic privileges to buy tax-exempted air tickets. This was done primarily to frame Devyani with criminal charges of “human trafficking”—which have since been sensibly dropped. India should investigate the May couple, including Wayne’s activities in Colombia, apart from his contacts within India.

..
There was yet another case in which I was personally affected, when preparing to leave our Embassy in Washington in 1981 to succeed Mani Shankar Aiyar as Consul General in Karachi. South Block posted Prabhakar Menon, a Mandarin-speaking expert on China and later a key foreign policy adviser of PM Narasimha Rao, to succeed me as political counsellor. Around the same time, we rejected the visa for George Griffin to succeed my counterpart in US Embassy in Delhi. Griffin, while posted in Kolkata, clandestinely contacted Khondakar Mushtaq Ahmed, then ‘foreign minister’ of the Bangladesh government in exile in September 1971. These ‘contacts’ were evidently to ‘persuade’ Khondakar to undermine the Awami League’s position by commencing negotiations with Pakistan, bypassing the imprisoned Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Khondakar’s dubious credentials were exposed when he was sworn in as President immediately after Rahman was assassinated on August 15, 1975. This was followed by the murders of Rahman’s incarcerated Vice President Nazrul Islam and PM Tajuddin Ahmed. When Washington denied Menon a visa in retaliation, New Delhi upgraded his posting by nominating him as Ambassador to the German Democratic Republic in Berlin.

Covert activities in India by the US Embassy have continued. The most blatant case was the subversion of a Joint Secretary-level official, Rabinder Singh, who was found to be passing on highly classified intelligence documents to the US Embassy. When Indian counter-intelligence discovered what was happening, Singh and his family were spirited away to the US, via Nepal. They are now known to reside there. Strangely, New Delhi was unwilling to take up this issue seriously, whereas the least India should have done was to expel a senior official, with CIA links, in US Embassy. The US would not have acted in the Devyani episode in the manner it did if there were not assessments both from New Delhi and in Washington that given its behaviour in the Rabinder episode, India would make a few pro forma noises, but not retaliate in the manner it did. What transpired thereafter, shocked and surprised Washington and the whole world.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 19 Jan 2014 21:09

SaiK, I don't understand. Are you saying that questioning the actions of the US Keystone Kops is Detrimental - to what part of the US-India relationship? Why?

For that matter, in all the other "Indian Diplomats Ill-Treat Nanny" stories, I have not seen any real substance to the "Modern Slavery" allegations. Diplomats have to take small kids along - otherwise we should limit all diplomatic jobs to those over 80 like for Indian PM-ship. Little kids need constant monitoring, and round-the-clock attention or at least someone "on-call" in emergencies such as thunderstorms, post-ghost-movie issues etc. So it is logical that the diplos hire domestic help, esp. when they have to be also "on-call" for parties, travel a lot, and for all sorts of emergencies.

Would you rather insist that they hire local baby-sitters? Who overhear all the phone conversations? The Indian parents surely have a few issues with that, also, they may get transferred out any moment, and they try to retain the same nanny as far as possible for the kids' benefit.

This is not "slavery", surely? None of those other cases also involved any physical harassment, torture etc, it was all concocted extortion. It is a disgrace that the GOI chose to "settle" those with ransom payments on the "Log kya kahenge" theory. They should have hired a modern Johnny Cochran and gone after the GOTUS entities behind this scam.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 19 Jan 2014 21:52

chaankya, Can you document all the facts and post here and will get someone to put on a blog for easy citation?

Thanks, ramana

Shankk · Post by **Shankk** » 19 Jan 2014 22:25

Why it was so important to spirit away SR...

NSA can spy on offline computers wirelessly, says security expert

Independent journalist and security expert Jacob Appelbaum on Monday told a hacker conference in Germany that the NSA could turn iPhones into eavesdropping tools and use radar wave devices to harvest electronic information from computer even if they weren't online.

Another slide showcased a futuristic-sounding device described as a "portable continuous wave generator," a remote controlled device which - when paired with tiny electronic implants - can bounce invisible waves of energy off keyboards and monitors to see what is being typed even if the target device isn't connected to the Internet.

You just need an insider to plant such a device into interested computers.

Shankk · Post by **Shankk** » 19 Jan 2014 22:30

Good money for an Indian

Is it naive to believe that we're past the days of paying less to people who aren't white? And would it be too cynical to believe that a manager who stands up for a prospective employee is making a career-busting mistake? Sadly, the answer to both questions appears to be no when we're talking about Oracle.

Spandow, a native of Ireland who was working at Oracle on an L-1 visa, joined the company in 2005, trained hundreds of sales reps and managers, and was quickly promoted. In 2012 he was named a senior regional sales manager. Spandow says he exceed sales quota and won a number of company awards.

In September 2012, Spandow sought approval to transfer an Oracle employee from India to California, saying the man (his name has been withheld from the court filings) had a successful track record during his seven years with the company. That's when things got weird. Spandow suggested the man be paid what recent "Caucasian" hires had been offered, but was told he should make a substantially lower offer. "He knows everyone on the team, and will of course, know what they earn within days of arriving," Spandow then wrote in an email to his boss, Ryan Bambling. "Moreover, he has 6+ years Oracle experience ahead of them."

The filing alleges that Spandow was rebuked for his complaint and was told to offer the candidate a salary of $50,000, which Spandow described in his email as "nothing short of discriminating against him based on his ethnicity/country of origin." A fair offer, he says, would have been more than $60,000 a year.

When Spandow raised his concerns with sales director Keith Trudeau, he was again rebuked and allegedly told that the salary offer was "good money for an Indian." After more complaints and rebukes, he was fired in mid-December.

Spandow says he believes that Oracle has made a practice of underpaying Indian employees and in is in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and that his firing was illegal retaliation for his complaints.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 19 Jan 2014 22:36

Gives new meaning to the BRF aphorism: Oracle Coolies.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 19 Jan 2014 22:38

Also need to isolate the media MUTUs like Shekar Gupta and cut off his access. I am appalled that he was allowed to speak at KS memorial ceremony. Nothing is more far from that great man's memory.

Vayutuvan · Post by **Vayutuvan** » 19 Jan 2014 22:51

A_Gupta wrote:Because you can't do everything is never a reason for doing nothing.

Of course. There are two extremes - solve globally which scientists and industry leaders can do and at the grassroots like in on-the-ground social workers (MKG/Vinoba Bhave/Mother Theresa (?)/Anna Hazare) or voluntary organizations (religious or secular). Not everybody should and more importantly can change things from the top nor everybody should and more importantly do not have the EQ and connection with the populace to work at grassroots. IMHO and all that and also totally OT.