Cambodian Diplomatic Passports Issued to Foreigners to be Annulled
Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2019 10:23 pm
Diplomatic passports issued to foreigners to be annulled
Publication date 14 January 2019 | 07:47 ICT
The government last week released a letter of instruction on the provision of diplomatic passports to foreigners appointed as advisers and assistants to the political elite and government institutions.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation will move to annul diplomatic passports issued to those not born in Cambodia.
Analysts say the move may be in relation to reports that former Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra used a Cambodian passport to register as a company director in Hong Kong.
The government last week released a letter of instruction on the provision of diplomatic passports to foreigners appointed as advisers and assistants to the political elite and government institutions.
The two-page instruction released on Wednesday by Prime Minister HE, which The Post received on Saturday, says some foreigners appointed as advisers and assistants to high-ranking officials and institutions had become naturalised Cambodians and applied for diplomatic passports.
The letter of instruction says in order to prevent such passports being used incorrectly as stated in a 2008 sub-decree, the government instructs that Cambodian diplomatic passports must not be issued to those who are not Cambodia-born unless it is a “most necessary case”.
“All ministries and institutions have the duty to collect the diplomatic passports that they applied for their advisers and assistants who are not Cambodian by birth, and hand the passports over to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation no later than a month from the date of this instruction,” said the letter, which was signed by Prime Minister HE.
Ministry of Interior spokesman Phat Sophanith said on Sunday that the Ministry of Interior did not control diplomatic passports and hence did not have figures as to how many have been issued. He said the Ministry of Interior issues only normal passports.
“However, we will be enforcing [the instruction] from Prime Minister HE,” he said.
Kin Phea, the director-general of the International Relations Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said the instruction may be linked to the reports about Yingluck or other cases involving diplomatic passports.
However, he said that Cambodia denied the media reports and no action would be necessary if Thailand did not request cooperation in the Yingluck case.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... e-annulled
Publication date 14 January 2019 | 07:47 ICT
The government last week released a letter of instruction on the provision of diplomatic passports to foreigners appointed as advisers and assistants to the political elite and government institutions.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation will move to annul diplomatic passports issued to those not born in Cambodia.
Analysts say the move may be in relation to reports that former Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra used a Cambodian passport to register as a company director in Hong Kong.
The government last week released a letter of instruction on the provision of diplomatic passports to foreigners appointed as advisers and assistants to the political elite and government institutions.
The two-page instruction released on Wednesday by Prime Minister HE, which The Post received on Saturday, says some foreigners appointed as advisers and assistants to high-ranking officials and institutions had become naturalised Cambodians and applied for diplomatic passports.
The letter of instruction says in order to prevent such passports being used incorrectly as stated in a 2008 sub-decree, the government instructs that Cambodian diplomatic passports must not be issued to those who are not Cambodia-born unless it is a “most necessary case”.
“All ministries and institutions have the duty to collect the diplomatic passports that they applied for their advisers and assistants who are not Cambodian by birth, and hand the passports over to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation no later than a month from the date of this instruction,” said the letter, which was signed by Prime Minister HE.
Ministry of Interior spokesman Phat Sophanith said on Sunday that the Ministry of Interior did not control diplomatic passports and hence did not have figures as to how many have been issued. He said the Ministry of Interior issues only normal passports.
“However, we will be enforcing [the instruction] from Prime Minister HE,” he said.
Kin Phea, the director-general of the International Relations Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said the instruction may be linked to the reports about Yingluck or other cases involving diplomatic passports.
However, he said that Cambodia denied the media reports and no action would be necessary if Thailand did not request cooperation in the Yingluck case.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... e-annulled