Several influential Thai lawmakers panned the government over the weekend for its decision not to grant visas to a 19-member Taiwan legislative delegation originally scheduled to arrive in Thailand yesterday.
Sukhumbhand Paribatra, a member of the House of Representatives who formerly served as vice minister of foreign affairs, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' visa snub was yet another example of the Thai Rak Thai Party-led administration's overcompliance with Beijing's demands.
Sukhumbhand said that when his party was in power, the government never rejected visa applications from any Taiwanese citizens as it did not think that China would oppose engagement between Thailand and Taiwan.
The Taiwan delegation, to be led by vice speaker of the Legislative Yuan, P.K. Chiang (
The Thai government, however, asked the group to defer its trip as a group of Chinese officials is slated to visit Bangkok this week. The delegation therefore decided to cancel its Thailand visit altogether. The delegation will instead leave Taipei Tuesday for a six-day visit to Malaysia and the Philippines.
Kraisak Choonhavan, chairman of the Thai Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, said he was indignant about the government's move toward Taiwan.
Kraisak said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must offer detailed explanations for the real reasons behind its decision to deny visas to the delegation.
Kraisak said he is worried that the decision might jeopardize the substantive Taiwan-Thai relations.
At stake are the job prospects of the 130,000 Thai citizens now legally working in Taiwan and Taiwan's huge investments in Thailand, he said. Taiwan is Thailand's third-largest source of foreign investment after Japan and Hong Kong.
Senator Sawai Promanee, a former vice minister of labor affairs, said the government's visa snub was unreasonable. "They should be allowed to visit Thailand just like any other Taiwanese citizens," he said.
Meanwhile, Thailand's foreign ministry denied yesterday that Chiang's delegation had failed to obtain visas for a visit here due to pressure from China, and said they had simply applied too late for them.
"We did not deny them visas, but their request gave us too short a period of time to issue them," foreign ministry spokesman Sihasak Phuangketkeow told reporters.
"They applied for a visa on the 14th of January and they wanted to come on the 19th, which did not give us enough time. At this level of visit, we need more than just four days," she said.
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