Monday, June 16, 2014

Unjust system creates Frustration

I was travelling to attend a summer research fellowship at Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST). As soon as, I reached at immigration officer's desk, I started to hate myself and the society, I belong to. The behavior of officers was too casual, they were laughing and mocking people. In front of me was a guy from some rural area with simple clothes on, who was probably travelling abroad to find employment. First, the officer abused him, literally, he did and then in rude manner asked him to pose in the camera. He was treating him like an animal. It was my turn, when he considering me as young looking vulnerable prey asked the friend of him in a funny way that the visa looks fake and asked him for cross checking. His friend asked me, what was my occupation? I told him that I was a lecturer at a university. He said, let him go but the other officer was still of the view that I should be treated bad, ultimately bribing them but I think his friend was intelligent to know, I was a difficult person to deal with. Meanwhile, besides the counter , I was on, another poor rural guy was being treated badly. The officer said to him that your visa is fake. Later, I met that guy in departure lounge where I learned that they were teasing him to get their pockets filled. Another fellow on the same research program as I were in GIST, told him, how immigration officer abused him, while he was travelling to Korea. He was graduate engineer from the best university of Pakistan, yet humiliated and literally abused at the airport by a C class employee/clerk at the airport. What more shame, you need for a society like that.

I also, remember my first time travel to South Korea via Beijing back in 2010. I was allowed 20 Kg in luggage and 7 Kg as hand carry. I put my hand carry and luggage both on weighing machine and it weighed 25 Kg. The person dealing told me its 5 Kg above and I had to pay for that. I told him, I will take my hand carry with me and he can weigh, the rest of luggage. His response was unexpected for me, He told that I can not do that. I asked, why could not, as this is my choice and right to take hand carry with me. He said, no you can not do that and you need to pay for extra weight. I stayed and argued with him for about fifteen minutes. It was my first international travel and what kind of farewell, I was having. Do you still wonder why people would not return back to this country?

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