Probe ordered after visa slips' theft
Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul has ordered a probe into the operations of Thai embassies across the world after the recent disappearance of 300 visa slips from the mission in Kuala Lumpur. He added that any officials found involved in this irre
Surapong said he had instructed investigators to inspect every step of the operation – from when the visa slips were ordered to how they were posted and received at the other end – to see if there might be problems or any loopholes.
Other than the disappearance in Malaysia, Surapong said he had learned on Tuesday that 500 slips had gone missing from the Thai Consulate in Laos’ Savannakhet province. He has called on the Department of Consular Affairs and the ministry’s deputy permanent secretary to look into the matter.
New stickers considered
The authorities are now looking into the possibility of introducing visa stickers that include the photo of the passport holder, he said.
Since the disappearance of the stickers in Malaysia was being blamed on a locally hired employee, he said the ministry would introduce strict measures to check the background of all embassy and consulate staff hired locally.
After the disappearance of the visa slips hit the headlines, dozens of tourists trying to enter Thailand on visas from Malaysia with the cancelled serial numbers were arrested.
