Malayali actress Navya Nair fined ₹1.14 lakh by Australian authorities for wearing jasmine flowers in her hair: Read what happened
Malayali actress Navya Nair inadvertently landed herself in the soup while travelling to Australia to attend Onam celebrations. The actress was fined AUD 1,980 (₹1.14 lakh) at Melbourne Airport in Australia for carrying jasmine flowers without informing the Australian customs department. Nair was going to attend the Onam celebrations organised by the Malayali Association of Victoria. She posted pictures of herself on the flight on Saturday (6th September), in which she could be seen dressed up in a saree and wearing jasmine flowers in her hair. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Navya Nair (@navyanair143) As per reports, the actress opened up about the incident during a recent interview. Nair said that she was shocked by the hefty amount of the penalty and even requested the Australian agricultural department to waive it. “I was kind of shocked. It’s a significant penalty. The thing is that I was not carrying flowers in my bag. The flowers were in my hair, so it was nothing hidden, but I didn’t declare it because I missed it. They mentioned that parts of plants and flowers are included. The sniffer dogs sniffed it because I had kept the flowers in my bag at the beginning of my travel,” Nair said in a conversation with HT City. She reportedly sent an email to the authorities requesting waiver of the fine before the deadline for payment of the fine. “I have 28 days’ time for payment. They also told me that I can send an email telling all these details to the agriculture department. So, I sent them an email that night itself. I am just waiting for a reply. I have asked them to waive off the amount, and if they don’t waive off, then I have read in many articles that they charge 300 dollars, and they charged AUD 1980, and it is written 6 units, so I don’t know what it is. As a foreigner, I had no idea,” Nair added. Nair explained that the fine was imposed as per the law of the country, but she tried to explain to the authorities that she did not do it intentionally. “It’s the law of a country, and I have to abide by it. I have no other option. I requested them and tried to tell them that it was not intentional. On a humanitarian aspect, they can simply take the flowers and keep them there. They could have let me go because I didn’t have any intention, but I think it depends on the officers, so I cannot comment on that,” she said. “Before I came here, it was my father who bought jasmine for me. He cut it into two parts and gave it to me. He asked me to wear one in my hair from Kochi to Singapore, since it would wither by the time I reached. He told me to keep the second one in my handbag so I could wear it on the onward journey from Singapore. I put it in my carry bag,” Nair revealed. Pointing out the silver lining in the case, the actress said that the incident has caught the media’s attention and has alerted other Malayali people, who would now be more careful regarding the customs rules. “My issue has become very popular with all the Malayalis, so they will be more alert in doing things. These rules are quite strict and very rigid. So it’s not very easy. The declaration form is a very small paper, which can be easily missed by travellers,” the actress cautioned. What are the rules that Nair inadvertently violated According to the rules of Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, passengers can carry up to 6 small boxes or bouquets of fresh flowers on a flight or cruise ship after first declaring them. This is because plants and flowers are capable of carrying insects, bacteria, viruses and fungi, which are considered biosecurity risks. After such items are declared by passengers, they are verified by biosecurity officers to check if they are free from pests before entering the country.
Malayali actress Navya Nair inadvertently landed herself in the soup while travelling to Australia to attend Onam celebrations. The actress was fined AUD 1,980 (₹1.14 lakh) at Melbourne Airport in Australia for carrying jasmine flowers without informing the Australian customs department.
Nair was going to attend the Onam celebrations organised by the Malayali Association of Victoria. She posted pictures of herself on the flight on Saturday (6th September), in which she could be seen dressed up in a saree and wearing jasmine flowers in her hair.
As per reports, the actress opened up about the incident during a recent interview. Nair said that she was shocked by the hefty amount of the penalty and even requested the Australian agricultural department to waive it. “I was kind of shocked. It’s a significant penalty. The thing is that I was not carrying flowers in my bag. The flowers were in my hair, so it was nothing hidden, but I didn’t declare it because I missed it. They mentioned that parts of plants and flowers are included. The sniffer dogs sniffed it because I had kept the flowers in my bag at the beginning of my travel,” Nair said in a conversation with HT City.
She reportedly sent an email to the authorities requesting waiver of the fine before the deadline for payment of the fine. “I have 28 days’ time for payment. They also told me that I can send an email telling all these details to the agriculture department. So, I sent them an email that night itself. I am just waiting for a reply. I have asked them to waive off the amount, and if they don’t waive off, then I have read in many articles that they charge 300 dollars, and they charged AUD 1980, and it is written 6 units, so I don’t know what it is. As a foreigner, I had no idea,” Nair added.
Nair explained that the fine was imposed as per the law of the country, but she tried to explain to the authorities that she did not do it intentionally. “It’s the law of a country, and I have to abide by it. I have no other option. I requested them and tried to tell them that it was not intentional. On a humanitarian aspect, they can simply take the flowers and keep them there. They could have let me go because I didn’t have any intention, but I think it depends on the officers, so I cannot comment on that,” she said.
“Before I came here, it was my father who bought jasmine for me. He cut it into two parts and gave it to me. He asked me to wear one in my hair from Kochi to Singapore, since it would wither by the time I reached. He told me to keep the second one in my handbag so I could wear it on the onward journey from Singapore. I put it in my carry bag,” Nair revealed.
Pointing out the silver lining in the case, the actress said that the incident has caught the media’s attention and has alerted other Malayali people, who would now be more careful regarding the customs rules. “My issue has become very popular with all the Malayalis, so they will be more alert in doing things. These rules are quite strict and very rigid. So it’s not very easy. The declaration form is a very small paper, which can be easily missed by travellers,” the actress cautioned.
What are the rules that Nair inadvertently violated
According to the rules of Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, passengers can carry up to 6 small boxes or bouquets of fresh flowers on a flight or cruise ship after first declaring them. This is because plants and flowers are capable of carrying insects, bacteria, viruses and fungi, which are considered biosecurity risks. After such items are declared by passengers, they are verified by biosecurity officers to check if they are free from pests before entering the country.
