N Korea may be asked to remove diplomat

The ministry of foreign affairs (MoFA) will soon take a decision against a top North Korean diplomat, who was arrested with 27 kilogram (kg) gold worth around Tk 135 million by customs authority on Thursday night.
Sources said the matter was discussed among the ministry officials and the high-ups on Sunday to take an appropriate decision against the diplomat.
Within a day, the decision of asking the North Korean Embassy in Dhaka to withdraw the diplomat from Bangladesh is likely to be taken, said one of them.
He said officials concerned at MoFA have reviewed related norms and practices as well as impact of the decision being considered against the criminal offence.
The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relation 1961 allows diplomat immunity from trial in the country of assignment.
However, sources said the country of posting may consider several actions against this kind of act, including requesting the mission's country concerned to deport the diplomat, declare him persona non grata, or a waiver of diplomatic immunity to start trial in local court.
Customs officials and Airport Armed Police (AAP) personnel arrested the first secretary of North Korean Embassy along with 27 kg gold in his luggage at Hazarat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA), after he landed from a flight of Singapore Airlines at 11 pm. The Korean diplomat was later released as per the immunity provision.
In a similar case, a Pakistani diplomat was withdrawn from the country recently after local intelligence agencies traced his involvement in terrorist financing and currency forgery.
    smunima@yahoo.com