ASHGABAT -- In a security move, Turkmenistan is barring arriving airline passengers from bringing in new foreign cellphones, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)'s Turkmen service reported September 5, quoting a notice posted at Ashgabat International Airport. The decision comes from the government's inter-agency commission on radio frequencies.
"If a passenger flying into Ashgabat is found to have a new cellphone, it will be confiscated unless the passenger has special permission to bring it in," a source at Turkmenistan's customs service told RFE/RL. "Otherwise, the passenger will have to take the phone back abroad."