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Hummers, Numbers and Oligarchs
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/politics23117.html
Published: 15:28:07 - 27/08/2011
WikiLeaks revealed a cable on Armenia's streets. It is dated to 2004-04-01
SUBJECT: HUMMERS, NUMBERS, AND OLIGARCHS: WHO'S WHO ON
ARMENIA'S STREETS
-------
SUMMARY
-------
SOMETIMES FOR PURE VANITY, SOMETIMES AS A CHARM AGAINST TRAFFIC
POLICE, ARMENIA'S RESIDENTS ARE PICKING THEIR OWN LICENSE PLATE
NUMBERS AND PAYING HANDSOMELY FOR THEM. FLASHY NUMBER PLATES HAVE
BECOME DE RIGUEUR FOR YEREVAN'S FLASHY CARS, AND IDENTIFY RELATIVES
AND CLOSE ASSOCIATES OF ARMENIA'S TYCOONS. AS EVEN THE MIDDLE CLASSES
CANNOT RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO PICK THEIR OWN LUCKY NUMBERS, CUSTOM
LICENSE PLATES HAVE BECOME A STEADY SOURCE OF INFORMAL INCOME FOR
ARMENIA'S TRAFFIC POLICE AND ANOTHER SIGN OF ARMENIAN SOCIETY'S
WILLINGNESS TO SUPPORT PETTY CORRUPTION.
END SUMMARY.
ARMENIA'S STREETS
ROYAL FLUSH: THE HIERARCHY OF NUMBERS
FOUR HUMMERS: A THEME AND VARIATION
THE FLAGSHIPS OF YEREVAN'S HIERARCHY OF NUMBERS ARE YEREVAN'S LARGEST
AND MOST CONSPICUOUS AUTOMOBILES: THE FOUR HUMMER HUMVEES. GAGIK
TSAROUKIAN (DODI GAGO), OWNER OF MULTI GROUP AND YEREVAN'S FIRST
HUMMER (AND NOW ALSO, YEREVAN'S FIRST ROLLS ROYCE) HAS DE FACTO
EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS TO THE VARIOUS POSSIBILITIES USING 08 XX 008 (XX
REPRESENTING THE VARIOUS POSSIBLE LETTER COMBINATIONS) FOR HIS, HIS
FAMILY'S, HIS STAFF'S AND HIS SECURITY GUARD'S CARS. SIMILARLY, SAMVEL
ALEKSIAN (LFIK SAMO), A PROUD OWNER OF YEREVAN'S SECOND HUMMER AND
ARMENIA'S SUGAR MONOPOLY, HAS RESERVED 06 XX 006 AND VARIATIONS
THEREOF FOR HIS FRIENDS AND FAMILY. RUBEN HAYRAPETIAN, A.K.A. NEMETS
(GERMAN) RUBO OWNS YEREVAN'S THIRD HUMMER, THE GRAND TOBACCO COMPANY
AND THE PLATES 05 XX 005. A FOURTH HUMMER, OWNED BY PRESIDENT
KOCHARIAN'S SON, BEARS THE PLATE 07 UU 007, THOUGH IN A NOD TO
DEMOCRACY (OR PERHAPS, JAMES BOND) VARIATIONS OF THE 007 PATTERN ARE
STILL AVAILABLE TO THE WELL-CONNECTED FOR USD 2,000 - 3,000, PAYABLE
TO THE HEAD OF THE TRAFFIC POLICE.
UPWARD MOBILITY
CUSTOM LICENSE PLATES AREN'T RESERVED FOR YEREVAN'S RICH. REGIONAL
BOSSES HAVE THEIR OWN THEMES: 03 XX 001 MEANS LITTLE IN YEREVAN BUT
TELLS RESIDENTS OF GYUMRI THAT THE OWNER IS FRIENDS OR FAMILY WITH
GYUMRI'S MINISTER OF PARLIAMENT. MIDDLE CLASS CITIZENS ARE PAYING MORE
MODEST SUMS FOR LESS PRESTIGIOUS PLATES--THAT IS, THOSE WITH
MISMATCHED NUMBERS OR WITHOUT THE TWO ZEROS. A LADA NIVA FOR SALE AT A
YEREVAN CAR MARKET WITH LICENSE PLATE 08 LT 009 COSTS USD 3,000
WITHOUT PLATES, USD 4,500 WITH. THE STRAIGHT 12 LL 345, OR THE FULL
HOUSE, 44 LL 333, CAN GO FOR AS LITTLE AS USD 150.
SAFETY IN NUMBERS
BESIDES THE BENEFITS OF VANITY AND PRESTIGE, LUCKY NUMBER PLATES BRING
IMMUNITY FROM HARASSMENT BY THE TRAFFIC POLICE. BECAUSE SPECIAL PLATES
SIGNIFY A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP--FIDUCIARY OR OTHERWISE--WITH THE HEAD
OF TRAFFIC POLICE, THE STREET POLICE ARE UNDERSTANDABLY RELUCTANT TO
STOP CARS BEARING CUSTOM NUMBERS. WHILE A BRAZEN TRAFFIC COP MIGHT
NEVERTHELESS STOP A CAR BEARING THE SIMPLE 12 XX 123 (WHICH SIGNALS,
AFTER ALL, LITTLE CONNECTION AND A WILLINGNESS TO PAY PETTY BRIBES), A
PLATE BEARING, FOR EXAMPLE, 05 XX 555 (BELONGING TO MANVEL GRIGORIAN,
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF DEFENSE, FORMER TRUCK DRIVER AND KARABAKH WAR
HERO, ONCE ACCUSED OF ACCEPTING KICKBACKS FROM PUBLIC UTILITIES IN
ECHMIADZIN) IS 'AS GOOD AS RED [DIPLOMATIC] PLATES' SAYS AN EMBASSY
DRIVER AND FORMER TRAFFIC POLICE OFFICER.
COMMENT: A LITTLE MORE EQUAL? EVEN THOSE ARMENIANS WHO ARE UNWILLING
TO PAY FOR CUSTOM LICENSE NUMBERS ARE SURPRISINGLY WILLING TO ACCEPT
THE PRACTICE AS LEGITIMATE. IT IS NOT PERCEIVED AS REAL CORRUPTION,
NOTED THE EMBASSY FRAUD INVESTIGATOR, BECAUSE ANYONE CAN RECEIVE A
NORMAL (RANDOM) LICENSE PLATE WITHOUT PAYING A FACILITATION FEE AND,
OF COURSE, ALL PRIVATE NUMBERS TECHNICALLY HAVE THE SAME LEGAL STATUS.
PERHAPS ARMENIANS ARE SO KEEN TO ACCEPT (AND SUPPORT) THE SYSTEM
BECAUSE IT SIMPLY ADDS CLARITY TO FAMILIAR SYSTEMS OF NEPOTISM AND
FAVORITISM. AT LEAST YOU ALWAYS KNOW WHO'S CUTTING IN FRONT OF YOU...
From: A. Papazian
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/politics23117.html
Published: 15:28:07 - 27/08/2011
WikiLeaks revealed a cable on Armenia's streets. It is dated to 2004-04-01
SUBJECT: HUMMERS, NUMBERS, AND OLIGARCHS: WHO'S WHO ON
ARMENIA'S STREETS
-------
SUMMARY
-------
SOMETIMES FOR PURE VANITY, SOMETIMES AS A CHARM AGAINST TRAFFIC
POLICE, ARMENIA'S RESIDENTS ARE PICKING THEIR OWN LICENSE PLATE
NUMBERS AND PAYING HANDSOMELY FOR THEM. FLASHY NUMBER PLATES HAVE
BECOME DE RIGUEUR FOR YEREVAN'S FLASHY CARS, AND IDENTIFY RELATIVES
AND CLOSE ASSOCIATES OF ARMENIA'S TYCOONS. AS EVEN THE MIDDLE CLASSES
CANNOT RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO PICK THEIR OWN LUCKY NUMBERS, CUSTOM
LICENSE PLATES HAVE BECOME A STEADY SOURCE OF INFORMAL INCOME FOR
ARMENIA'S TRAFFIC POLICE AND ANOTHER SIGN OF ARMENIAN SOCIETY'S
WILLINGNESS TO SUPPORT PETTY CORRUPTION.
END SUMMARY.
ARMENIA'S STREETS
ROYAL FLUSH: THE HIERARCHY OF NUMBERS
FOUR HUMMERS: A THEME AND VARIATION
THE FLAGSHIPS OF YEREVAN'S HIERARCHY OF NUMBERS ARE YEREVAN'S LARGEST
AND MOST CONSPICUOUS AUTOMOBILES: THE FOUR HUMMER HUMVEES. GAGIK
TSAROUKIAN (DODI GAGO), OWNER OF MULTI GROUP AND YEREVAN'S FIRST
HUMMER (AND NOW ALSO, YEREVAN'S FIRST ROLLS ROYCE) HAS DE FACTO
EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS TO THE VARIOUS POSSIBILITIES USING 08 XX 008 (XX
REPRESENTING THE VARIOUS POSSIBLE LETTER COMBINATIONS) FOR HIS, HIS
FAMILY'S, HIS STAFF'S AND HIS SECURITY GUARD'S CARS. SIMILARLY, SAMVEL
ALEKSIAN (LFIK SAMO), A PROUD OWNER OF YEREVAN'S SECOND HUMMER AND
ARMENIA'S SUGAR MONOPOLY, HAS RESERVED 06 XX 006 AND VARIATIONS
THEREOF FOR HIS FRIENDS AND FAMILY. RUBEN HAYRAPETIAN, A.K.A. NEMETS
(GERMAN) RUBO OWNS YEREVAN'S THIRD HUMMER, THE GRAND TOBACCO COMPANY
AND THE PLATES 05 XX 005. A FOURTH HUMMER, OWNED BY PRESIDENT
KOCHARIAN'S SON, BEARS THE PLATE 07 UU 007, THOUGH IN A NOD TO
DEMOCRACY (OR PERHAPS, JAMES BOND) VARIATIONS OF THE 007 PATTERN ARE
STILL AVAILABLE TO THE WELL-CONNECTED FOR USD 2,000 - 3,000, PAYABLE
TO THE HEAD OF THE TRAFFIC POLICE.
UPWARD MOBILITY
CUSTOM LICENSE PLATES AREN'T RESERVED FOR YEREVAN'S RICH. REGIONAL
BOSSES HAVE THEIR OWN THEMES: 03 XX 001 MEANS LITTLE IN YEREVAN BUT
TELLS RESIDENTS OF GYUMRI THAT THE OWNER IS FRIENDS OR FAMILY WITH
GYUMRI'S MINISTER OF PARLIAMENT. MIDDLE CLASS CITIZENS ARE PAYING MORE
MODEST SUMS FOR LESS PRESTIGIOUS PLATES--THAT IS, THOSE WITH
MISMATCHED NUMBERS OR WITHOUT THE TWO ZEROS. A LADA NIVA FOR SALE AT A
YEREVAN CAR MARKET WITH LICENSE PLATE 08 LT 009 COSTS USD 3,000
WITHOUT PLATES, USD 4,500 WITH. THE STRAIGHT 12 LL 345, OR THE FULL
HOUSE, 44 LL 333, CAN GO FOR AS LITTLE AS USD 150.
SAFETY IN NUMBERS
BESIDES THE BENEFITS OF VANITY AND PRESTIGE, LUCKY NUMBER PLATES BRING
IMMUNITY FROM HARASSMENT BY THE TRAFFIC POLICE. BECAUSE SPECIAL PLATES
SIGNIFY A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP--FIDUCIARY OR OTHERWISE--WITH THE HEAD
OF TRAFFIC POLICE, THE STREET POLICE ARE UNDERSTANDABLY RELUCTANT TO
STOP CARS BEARING CUSTOM NUMBERS. WHILE A BRAZEN TRAFFIC COP MIGHT
NEVERTHELESS STOP A CAR BEARING THE SIMPLE 12 XX 123 (WHICH SIGNALS,
AFTER ALL, LITTLE CONNECTION AND A WILLINGNESS TO PAY PETTY BRIBES), A
PLATE BEARING, FOR EXAMPLE, 05 XX 555 (BELONGING TO MANVEL GRIGORIAN,
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF DEFENSE, FORMER TRUCK DRIVER AND KARABAKH WAR
HERO, ONCE ACCUSED OF ACCEPTING KICKBACKS FROM PUBLIC UTILITIES IN
ECHMIADZIN) IS 'AS GOOD AS RED [DIPLOMATIC] PLATES' SAYS AN EMBASSY
DRIVER AND FORMER TRAFFIC POLICE OFFICER.
COMMENT: A LITTLE MORE EQUAL? EVEN THOSE ARMENIANS WHO ARE UNWILLING
TO PAY FOR CUSTOM LICENSE NUMBERS ARE SURPRISINGLY WILLING TO ACCEPT
THE PRACTICE AS LEGITIMATE. IT IS NOT PERCEIVED AS REAL CORRUPTION,
NOTED THE EMBASSY FRAUD INVESTIGATOR, BECAUSE ANYONE CAN RECEIVE A
NORMAL (RANDOM) LICENSE PLATE WITHOUT PAYING A FACILITATION FEE AND,
OF COURSE, ALL PRIVATE NUMBERS TECHNICALLY HAVE THE SAME LEGAL STATUS.
PERHAPS ARMENIANS ARE SO KEEN TO ACCEPT (AND SUPPORT) THE SYSTEM
BECAUSE IT SIMPLY ADDS CLARITY TO FAMILIAR SYSTEMS OF NEPOTISM AND
FAVORITISM. AT LEAST YOU ALWAYS KNOW WHO'S CUTTING IN FRONT OF YOU...
From: A. Papazian