More information about the shoplifting Filipino ambassador has been released and needless to say this whole episode gets more and more interesting with every new release of information:
Kasammako claims to have received direct information from individuals concerned in the incident, including security officers who were on duty at the Post Exchange store at the U.S. Army Yongsan garrison on Nov. 28, the day of the alleged incident.
"The security officers recount that a security camera clearly shows Ambassador Castrence took the stolen items," the statement reads. It goes on to say that the wife of a senior U.S. officer in charge of the commissary facilities confirmed the details of the incident.
According to Mark Padlan, a journalist and Kasammako executive committee member who is currently in Manila, the manager of the PX, knowing that Castrence is a diplomat, approached her in a bid to resolve the matter discreetly so as to avoid any embarrassment.
"In response," the press release said, "Castrence told the manager she wanted to smoke a cigarette first before they talk. In the act of taking and lighting the cigarette out of her bag, she dropped the stolen items and kicked them back inside the PX shop. She then tried to deny any wrongdoing."
The embassy confirmed that the ambassador is a smoker but said these allegations are now "really going over the top."
Ambassador Castrence told The Korea Herald, "I was actually the one who volunteered to let them search my bag." She added that she had bought an ice cream at the counter near the check-out and wanted to go outside and eat it because it was beginning to melt.
It will be interesting to see how this turns out, but never the less, talk about a black eye for the Filipino Embassy in Seoul.
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1:12 pm on July 8th, 2007 1
There must be video footage of this from several different locations. A PX. On a foreign base. There should be camera footage covering basically almost every square inch of the place, including and especially the front entrance.
I would bet a fair penny there are tapes in somebody’s desk drawer, under lock-n-key, being witheld as to not cause any more friction with the embassy, but it is getting to the point those videos need to make the light of day…
2:48 pm on July 8th, 2007 2
“It goes on to say that the wife of a senior U.S. officer in charge of the commissary facilities confirmed the details of the incident.”
Interesting paragraph. This paragraph makes no sense. The PX (AAFES) and Commissaries (DeCA) are in no way related. They are 2 seperate agencies. Furthermore, the paragraph seems to indicate that a U.S. (military) officer is in charge of the commissary facilities. Commissaries are run solely by civilians with oversight from Congress. Even the Director of DeCA is an SES civilian.
http://www.commissaries.com/inside_deca/organization.cfm
6:43 pm on July 8th, 2007 3
10:57 pm on July 8th, 2007 4
True, the Commissary is a separate entity. When you get
confirmation from un-named sources you don’t really have anything.
Diplomatic immunity is something special. We can probably figure what happened is at least partially accurate. Cameras may hold evidence. I believe I heard the person has left Korea. If that is true, it may never appear in Korean or US news again.
2:40 am on July 9th, 2007 5
10:06 pm on July 10th, 2007 6
It’s b.s. that non-American diplomats get to shop at the PX. I’m an American, and I don’t get to shop there. WTF? It’s not like the Philipinos have got some kick ass PX somewhere else in the world and they let the American diplomats shop there. This weird relationship smells of a stinky one-way street.
3:31 am on July 29th, 2007 7