World

Thailand leans towards more humane refugee policy

Thailand’s immigration chief Surachate Hakparn vowed on January 17 not to force refugees to return home “involuntarily” after a Saudi woman’s plea for resettlement drew global attention to the Southeast Asian country, which does not recognise asylum seekers.
Thailand leans towards more humane refugee policy ảnh 1Immigration chief Surachate Hakparn spoke during a news conference on January 11 (Photo: Reuters)

Hanoi (VNA) – Thailand’s immigration chief Surachate Hakparn vowed on January 17 not to force refugees to return home “involuntarily” after a Saudi woman’s plea for resettlement drew global attention to the Southeast Asian country, which does not recognise asylum seekers.

Surachate told an audience at the foreign correspondents’ club that he would take a new approach and that under his supervision, there will be no one involuntarily sent back to their home country if they do not want to go back.

He also said that the processing of Saudi national Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun’s experience would not serve as a model for future cases in Thailand, and that refugees will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The country is not a signatory to the United Nations convention on refugees. The quick processing of Rahaf’s case was unprecedented for Thailand and was overseen from start to finish by Surachate himself. –VNA 

VNA
#Thailand’s immigration chief Surachate Hakparn#asylum seekers#United Nations convention on refugees#refugee policy#vietnamplus#Vietnam News Agency
Follow VietnamPlus

Related News

Thailand extends waiver on visa fee for foreign tourists

Thailand extends waiver on visa fee for foreign tourists

Thailand has decided to extend the waiver on visa-on-arrival fee for citizens of particular nations in order to attract more foreign tourists during the traditional lunar New Year of some Asian countries which falls on February 5.

See more

At Pulau Seraya power station (Photo: Straitimes)

Singapore begins construction on hydrogen-fueled power plant

Singapore on October 23 began the construction of an 800 million USD power plant that has the capability to use hydrogen to generate electricity, as part of a push to utilise the fuel to reach Singapore’s net-zero carbon emissions target by 2050.

Delegates at the event (Photo: VNA)

125th anniversary of Permanent Court of Arbitration celebrated

The Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations and missions of the Philippines, Australia, Egypt, Guatemala, Hungary, Thailand, France, Eritrea and Austria, organised a ceremony on October 22 to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), as part of the International Law Week at the UN General Assembly's Legal Committee (Sixth Committee).

CEO of the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation Anuar Fariz Fadzil (Photo: focusmalaysia.my)

Malaysia continues placing emphasis on digitalisation

The Budget 2025 provides significant support to further accelerate Malaysia’s digitalisation, encourage adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and drive inclusive growth, further positioning Malaysia as a leading digital hub within the ASEAN region, according to CEO of the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) Anuar Fariz Fadzil.

Malaysia's economic reforms boost investment inflow (Photo: thestar.com.my)

Malaysia's economic reforms boost investment inflow

Malaysia has attracted substantial foreign investments, reaching 22.2 billion MYR (5.16 billion USD) in the third quarter of 2024, the highest level for the same period since 2012, according to UOB's Global Markets and Economics report.

Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN speaks at the debate (Photo: VNA)

Maintaining peace, stability a must for progress on human rights: Ambassador

Progress in human rights can only be achieved by maintaining peace and stability, respecting the rule of law at both the international and national levels, and ensuring respect for the principles of national sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs, said Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN.

A visitor browses travel promotions at a travel fair in Nonthaburi province. (Photo: Bangkok Post)

Thailand plans enhanced support for domestic tourism

Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports is aiming to increase subsidy to local tourists in the upcoming stimulus scheme to 50% and would like to change the criteria for online travel agents, mandating them to register in Thailand to avoid losing income to foreign companies.

Oil field offshore Indonesia. (Photo: thejakartapost.com)

Indonesia begins major oil, gas exploration in Sulawesi

Indonesia's state-owned oil company Pertamina, along with foreign partners Sinopec from China and Kuwait’s Kufpec, has signed a contract to explore the Melati oil and gas block, located off the coast of Sulawesi. The block is estimated to contain trillions of cubic feet of gas reserves.