Be careful what you put in your backpack – especially if you’re going to India.
Fans of outdoor mountain trips know perfectly well that it is worth having gadgets with you on the trail, such as good-quality power banks, durable flashlights or smartwatches for monitoring vital signs, and in the case of extreme hikes, GPS transmitters and satellite communication devices. However, before we pack them into our backpack, it is worth checking whether they are legal in the place we are going to. Otherwise, you may end up like the Canadian runner.
Garmin inReach Mini – it can save your life or cause trouble
51-year-old Tina Lewis – a runner and lover of off-road escapades – went on a “trip of a lifetime” through the mountainous wilderness of India, taking with her a device necessary for trips to areas far from civilization. We are talking about the Garmin inReach Mini satellite communicator, a compact GPS device intended for people staying in remote places without access to a cellular network.
It enables two-way text communication over the Iridium satellite network and has a built-in SOS button that, when pressed, sends an emergency signal to the GEOS global rescue center. Such equipment is useful in the event of undesirable events that threaten the life or health of the traveler. It was this Garmin that caught the attention of guards at the airport in Goa and caused the 51-year-old to be treated almost like a terrorist. Why? Well, to answer this question, we need to go back to 1885, i.e. to colonial times.
Passport confiscation and the specter of imprisonment – all because of a satellite communicator
India gained independence in 1947, but more than 60 years earlier, when the law that was the source of all the confusion was created, the country was functioning as a British colony. In 1885, the Indian Telegraph Act was introduced, a law regulating the principles of telegraphic communication, which was a tool for information control by the then government throughout India. In 1933, the law was updated to include wireless technologies, and in 2008, after the Mumbai terrorist attacks, regulations on the possession and use of satellite communicators were tightened – all because of perpetrators who used these devices to coordinate bomb attacks.
Today, Indian law prohibits the possession of satellite messengers that are unlicensed and unregistered by the government. The Garmin inReach Mini is not such a device, so during the security check Tina Lewis was pulled out of the queue by armed guards and sent to a 4-hour interrogation, which caused her to miss her flight. The authorities took the woman’s passport for 6 days and dragged her to court – only by hiring a team of lawyers she managed to avoid prison.
Ultimately, the Canadian runner was found guilty of ignorance of the regulations, thanks to which Tina Lewis was able to leave the country after paying a ridiculous fine of $11 – but the bail and legal fees amounted to over $2,000.
On the one hand, you can feel sorry for the woman, but on the other hand, even Garmin itself warns users about the possible consequences of using satellite messengers in selected countries. Apart from India, the list of potentially problematic countries includes: Afghanistan, Cuba, Georgia, Iran, North Korea, Myanmar, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Vietnam, China and Russia. If you are planning a trip to the locations mentioned, make sure to double check what electronic devices you can take with you.
Stock image from Depositphotos
