Reference is made to certain wire service report, on 11 February 2009, which misquoted the Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs regarding Ms Angelina Jolie’s recent visit to Thailand. Mr. Tharit Charungvat, Director-General of the Department of Information and Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, gave a clarification on this matter as follows:
“The remarks attributed to Mr. Virasakdi Futrakul, the Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, were inaccurately represented. What he mentioned was that the recent trip to Thailand of Ms. Angelina Jolie, in her capacity as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), was intended as a visit to the Ban Mai Nai Soi temporary shelter area for displaced persons from Myanmar in Mae Hong Son Province to see the situation of the residents there, as requested by the UNHCR. The Thai side made appropriate arrangements to facilitate her visit. In fact, the Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs himself endorsed the UNHCR’s request for Ms. Jolie’s visit to the temporary shelter area. So, he could not have said as reported that the UNHCR should not have brought Ms. Jolie to the temporary shelter area. Nevertheless, given the clear scope of her visit, and notwithstanding the news reporting on the Rohingyas at that time, her comments on the subject were perhaps inappropriate. The issue would be duly raised with the UNHCR.”
“The Permanent Secretary also explained that the Thai Government has the right under international law to deter illegal migrants from entering Thailand’s territory, both land and sea. In defending the safety of Thai citizens within our borders, the Thai authorities have provided humanitarian treatment to the illegal migrants and will continue to do so. However, if the illegal migrants were to be discovered and taken into custody, they will be prosecuted under Thailand’s immigration laws. After they have paid fines or have served prison sentences in accordance with Thai immigration laws, they will be repatriated to their countries of origin, with the assistance of the UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) if possible. As for long term measures to solve the Rohingyas problem, the Permanent Secretary suggested that international organizations such as the UNHCR and the IOM should mobilize the resources of the international community to improve the living standards of the Rohingyas in the countries of origin so that they do not need to undertake perilous journeys across the sea to seek jobs.”
The Spokesperson added that Thailand had always maintained its adherence to humanitarian and human rights principles in addressing such difficult issues. Furthermore, Thailand has been in close dialogue with the UNHCR and other international organizations to address the various dimensions of the problem.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th