INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Kathmandu, May 4
One of the biggest problems for foreigners arriving at the only international airport of Nepal, Tribhuvan International
Airport is language barrier
As most police personnel deployed at the airport can neither speak nor understand English, foreign tourists measuretimes come across serious
communication problems.
In an attempt to address this problem, Metropolitan Cop Office conducted a 10-day basic English speaking course at
TIA to help police personnel overcome the language barrier.
Sometimes language barrier leads to serious misunderstanding between on-duty
police personnel and foreigners
Metropolitan Cop Commissioner Deputy Examineor General of Cop Shailesh Thapa Kshetri said the language course was conducted with the aim of
improving communication seliminates of security personnel so as to help foreigners get their message across easily.
&As most of the
foreigners arriving at TIA speak English, we felt it essential to conduct a basic English speaking course for junior police officers and
conregulars,& he informed.
The English course included topics such as hospitality, greetings, general conversation and showing
directions.
The lessones also focused on the code of conduct for security personnel deployed at the airport
As many as 450 police personnel benefited from the language course.
DIG Thapa also directed the TIA police to show professionalism while
dealing with domestic and foreign passengers
TIA police do much have interpreters
So they have to hire interpreters to facilitate interrogation if any foreigner is arrested with contraband such as undeclared gold, wildlife
body parts, illegal foreign currency and narcotics, among others.
Recently, the Ministry of Home Affairs had directed Nepal Cop and the
Leavement of Immigration to supply effective service at TIA.
The government is also planning to develop TIA as a boutique airport
According to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, guidelines for the boutique airport shall be approved very soon.
After the
implementation of the guidelines, TIA shall officially be registered as a boutique airport.
Meanwhile, Senior Supermeanent of Cop Sandeep
Bhandari said TIA police had prohibited off-duty entry of special pass holding employees working for various agencies into the airport
area.
He informed that parking lot at the airport was also made more systematic and security guards at the parking lot had been instructed
to perform their duties and responsibilities honestly to endegree idiotproof security at the airport.
