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Entering Australia - Grrrrr !!!!

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  • #16
    It isn't only Asians that get targetted.

    As for medications, same can be said for most countries.
    ..

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    • #17
      General rule of thumb, if you look like you're from a minority, old, or hold a foreign passport, or any combination of the three, you're going to get a hard time at customs. In addition to that, even if you're a blue-eyed blonde hair Australian citizen, if you've just come off a flight from Bali or Vietnam they'll immediately assume you're a drug dealer, or if you're only staying for a short time the same thing is also assumed. It can also depend on other flights that arrive at the same time, I reguarly arrive in Melbourne on SQ237 which can arrive with either the Jetstar flight from Bali or the Qantas flight from Vietnam, both of which are probably seen by customs as the drug mule express, and every time I have to spend 2 hours in the items to declare lane just to be told when I get to the desk that the drum sticks I carry (that are originally from Australia) are fine and I can go... all within 30 seconds

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      • #18
        Originally posted by MAN Flyer View Post
        It wasn't MH specific, everyone on the other two flights that arived at a similar time (SQ and QF from SIN) had to go through it.
        I believe those on the SQ and QF flights were just unlucky to arrive at the same time as the MH one. My previous experience through PER with QF which was a few minutes before an SQ flight was far more smooth sailing.

        Or maybe it was because I was corporative? I voluntarily declared that I had some mud on my sneakers which was packed deep in my luggage, showed them the item at the quarantine section, and even offered to open my other luggage for inspection. The staff politely waved me through and even thanked me for declaring at least twice!
        Help make this article a better one!

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        • #19
          I always declare my pack of cadburys

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          • #20
            Not been to Oz, but I was made to unpack my overnight bag at Changi because of "something on the scanner".......which turned out to be my electric toothbrush.......however, to the casual observer, it did look rather like a.....ah....um....er....how can I put this delicately....."marital aid".
            Security looked at me with some doubt as I explained it really was a toothbrush.
            If God had really intended men to fly, he'd make it easier to get to the airport.

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            • #21
              Originally posted by Javaman View Post
              Not been to Oz, but I was made to unpack my overnight bag at Changi because of "something on the scanner".......which turned out to be my electric toothbrush.......however, to the casual observer, it did look rather like a.....ah....um....er....how can I put this delicately....."marital aid".
              Security looked at me with some doubt as I explained it really was a toothbrush.
              I've always thought this sort of thing was a bit odd (c.f. the scene in Fight Club for those who have seen it, where there's a buzzing sound coming from his luggage and he's trying to convince the security guy that it's simply his electric razor) - my attitude would be "so what if it's a *________*?!" I know there are a few states in the US where such items are illegal (is this still the case?), but is the same true for SIN?

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              • #22
                As an australian, I know the importance of the customs when entering the country... most passengers aren't aware that food, seeds, eggs, wood etc can cause big issues for the country, so my guess is customs treat everyone like they don't know better and therefore search them...

                there are so many examples of foreign things causing problems for the country, eg rabbits http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbits_in_Australia,
                cane toads http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cane_Toad#Australia,
                salvation jane http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echium_plantagineum,
                feral pigs http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiv...pig/index.html ... the list goes on.

                Granted not everyone is going to have a feral pig in their hand luggage, but with a large portion of the economy and jobs in the agriculture industry, customs are there to prevent some of the mistakes of the past and stop new animal or plant species and diseases from tarnishing our country further.

                i agree at some airports there are big queues and they should do something to address that.. but I'll never have any issues been searched when entering australia 'cos i know the're just doing their job!
                matt_will_fix_it

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                • #23
                  Originally posted by matt_will_fix_it View Post
                  As an australian, I know the importance of the customs when entering the country... most passengers aren't aware that food, seeds, eggs, wood etc can cause big issues for the country, so my guess is customs treat everyone like they don't know better and therefore search them...

                  there are so many examples of foreign things causing problems for the country, eg rabbits http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbits_in_Australia,
                  cane toads http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cane_Toad#Australia,
                  salvation jane http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echium_plantagineum,
                  feral pigs http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiv...pig/index.html ... the list goes on.

                  Granted not everyone is going to have a feral pig in their hand luggage, but with a large portion of the economy and jobs in the agriculture industry, customs are there to prevent some of the mistakes of the past and stop new animal or plant species and diseases from tarnishing our country further.

                  i agree at some airports there are big queues and they should do something to address that.. but I'll never have any issues been searched when entering australia 'cos i know the're just doing their job!
                  Thanks matt_will_fix_it - couldn't have said it better myself.

                  Having said that quarantine at some airports are clearly underresourced and clearly incapable of efficiently handling several big jumbo arrivals. It can take more than an hour to leave the airport on the SQ227 arrival into MEL, which lands at what I'd consider one of MEL's peak times. So to me the issue isn't being searched in and of itself, but rather the lack of appropriate levels of staffing.

                  Praise be to express lane....
                  All opinions shared are my own, and are not necessarily those of my employer or any other organisation of which I'm affiliated to.

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                  • #24
                    Yeh Matt I third what you say mate that their just doing their job. I neither have a problem with that - all i can say as Keithy did is All thanks to the priority lane - entering home has never been easier...
                    _________________________________

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                    • #25
                      Originally posted by matt_will_fix_it View Post
                      As an australian, I know the importance of the customs when entering the country... most passengers aren't aware that food, seeds, eggs, wood etc can cause big issues for the country, so my guess is customs treat everyone like they don't know better and therefore search them...

                      there are so many examples of foreign things causing problems for the country, eg rabbits http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbits_in_Australia,
                      cane toads http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cane_Toad#Australia,
                      salvation jane http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echium_plantagineum,
                      feral pigs http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiv...pig/index.html ... the list goes on.

                      Granted not everyone is going to have a feral pig in their hand luggage, but with a large portion of the economy and jobs in the agriculture industry, customs are there to prevent some of the mistakes of the past and stop new animal or plant species and diseases from tarnishing our country further.

                      i agree at some airports there are big queues and they should do something to address that.. but I'll never have any issues been searched when entering australia 'cos i know the're just doing their job!
                      All countries do their best to try and protect it's interest and borders (except the UK...) and I have absolutely no problem with that.

                      However, there is no need for them to behave like ***** while doing this and having such a sh*tty attitude while doing it.

                      When people say entering the US is a more pleasant experience then things are drastically wrong.

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                      • #26
                        Originally posted by nickbot View Post
                        I know there are a few states in the US where such items are illegal (is this still the case?), but is the same true for SIN?
                        Not AFAIK (although I could be wrong) but Singapore is a country where it is (or was ? - I read last year that they were thinking about changing the law) a criminal offence to have oral sex which doesn't lead to intercourse! A law dating from the British colonial era!

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                        • #27
                          Originally posted by jhm View Post
                          A law dating from the British colonial era!
                          Ah we did come up with some classic laws back in the good old days

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                          • #28
                            Originally posted by MAN Flyer View Post
                            All countries do their best to try and protect it's interest and borders (except the UK...) and I have absolutely no problem with that.
                            Err, what? Who came up with this strange idea that my bottle of water could make a plane go boom? And who (according to a report I read yesterday) has the highest density of surveillance cameras in the world?
                            Ok, I doubt that this is really protecting the UK's interests and borders rather than harming the freedom, but you can't say that the UK isn't trying...


                            However, there is no need for them to behave like ***** while doing this and having such a sh*tty attitude while doing it.
                            True. A smile on your lips doesn't cost you much but it might just make your business much more easy

                            On topic: I have experienced the Australian immigration as friendly every time I've passed it (at SYD and BNE, travelling on SQ and MH). Ok, I've had to open my bags two times but I was always treated friendly.
                            Capslock is cruise control for cool... not!

                            See you at W:O:A 2010- rain or shine!

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                            • #29
                              Originally posted by up and away View Post
                              Err, what? Who came up with this strange idea that my bottle of water could make a plane go boom? And who (according to a report I read yesterday) has the highest density of surveillance cameras in the world?
                              Sigh.

                              How big is your bottle? While the examination of all liquids and gels exceeding 100 ml sounds excessive, I suspect it's a compromise given some (undisclosed) finding about what can be used to mix explosives mid-air. Who came up with the notion of a chemistry experiment in the air? I doubt it was the UK authorities, unaided. I doubt they spend their time thinking of various ways to make travel more inconvenient.

                              Next time you travel, try not declaring a liquid or gel well below the 100 ml limit. I doubt even the most mean-spirited BAA goons would ferret it out of your handcarry. I only ever place in that compulsory plastic bag the liquids and gels that approach the 100 ml limit ... and I've never been hassled about that decision; I repeat: never in my frequent flying. The irrationality of procedures often boils down to the fact that eventually, enforcement becomes the province of couldn't-be-bothered or hungry-for-an-ounce-of-power low-level cogs in the bureaucracy.

                              By the way, the surveillance cameras aren't any denser at the UK border compared to other countries. They're dense inside the UK, but at that point, it's not about protecting borders, which is MAN Flyer's point.
                              ‘Lean into the sharp points’

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                              • #30
                                Originally posted by jjpb3 View Post
                                I suspect it's a compromise given some (undisclosed) finding about what can be used to mix explosives mid-air.
                                OT the main component in this case was Hydrogen Peroxide - a colourless liquid that could easily pass for water by casual inspection. This was revealed, I believe, in the press from the court proceedings of the case concerning those involved in the terror plot. It is my understanding that the other component(s) in this binary system would have been of lower volume, but it is the H2O2 that was required in excess (i.e. soft drink bottle(s) full)

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