Australian arrested for cracking bomb joke at airport in Philippines

Manila, July 4 (IANS/GURPUNEET SIDHU):- Philippine police have arrested an Australian national for cracking a bomb joke while checking in at an airport in Zamboanga del Norte province in the southern Philippines, a local news outlet reported on Thursday. The GMA News Online report said police detained a 69-year-old Australian national on Wednesday after he told an airport security officer in Dipolog City that he was carrying a bomb, reported Xinhua news agency. When the airport agent asked the man if his bag contained electronic devices, he allegedly said: “No, just an atomic bomb.” Sensing that the joke did not amuse the agent, the passenger said it was a joke. Authorities arrested the man, albeit no bomb was found in his bag. And he is now facing charges for violation of the anti-bomb joke law, the local media reported. Bomb jokes are banned in the Philippines. Security and law enforcers seriously take jokes that refer to bombs, explosives, or any instruments of violence while at the airport or on board any flights. Eight bomb jokes were reported in 2023, and the airport authorities logged three incidents as of January 2024. The incidents happened in different airports, check-in counters, hold baggage areas, and inside aircraft. In May, the Philippines’ immigration bureau warned that foreign nationals involved in bomb jokes may face denial of entry to the Southeast Asian country or deportation. —