N Korean diplomat being suspended

The government has decided to suspend Song Yang Nam, first secretary (economics andcommercial) of North Korean Embassy to Bangladesh, over gold smuggling.
The foreign minister sources on Monday also said they will inform the matter to North Korea government.

Customs authorities at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, earlier on Thursday, detained the diplomat alongwith 27 kgs of gold.

The decision came after three days of the incident as foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali and foreign secretaryShahidul Haque were on foreign tour.However, the ministry is considering two alternatives besides the suspension of the diplomat.

These are­­­ Bangladesh might ask the North Korean government to withdraw Song Yang from Bangladesh andbring him to justice according to their law. In this regard Bangladesh will give the country three to seven days.

The second option would be the withdrawal of the diplomatic immunity of Song Yang Nam so that Bangladeshcan bring him to book as per its law”.
But, under the Vienna Convention, no country can bring the foreign diplomatsunder trial. So, the government isputting emphasis on the suspension of the North Korean diplomat.

After detention of the diplomat, North Korean Embassy held several meetings with airport customs, ArmedPolice Battalion (APBN) and foreign ministry from Thursday night to Friday.

As per Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations – 1961, Song Yang Nam was released on bond signed byhim along with four other officials of North Korean Embassy.