MEA takes up jailed Nabha youth’s issue with Thailand

Tribune News Service

Nitin Jain

Ludhiana, December 29

The Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has taken up with its counterparts in Thailand the issue of safe release of a Nabha youth, who has been jailed in that country for illegal stay and fake visa documents.

‘Will provide all possible assistance’

• Kesang Wangdi, the First Secretary at the Indian Embassy in Bangkok, said possessing fake visa was a serious criminal offence and was subject to due process of law
• “Without infringing on the legal process of Thailand, the Embassy will provide all possible assistance to Karan and his family,” he said

Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora had taken up the matter with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar after the distressed family of 20-year-old Karan Singh had approached him for help.

Responding to the ministry’s communication, the First Secretary at the Embassy of India in Bangkok, Kesang Wangdi, said the matter had been taken up with Thailand authorities at the Songkhla provincial prison, where Karan was jailed.

The Hat Yai police said the Punjabi youth had been charged for illegal stay and possessing fake visa stamp/ documents and the case was under investigation at the Hat Yai police station.

“The Mission is seeking the present status of the case and formal communication from Thai authorities in this regard is awaited,” the Embassy official wrote, adding that the Mission had requested the prison authorities at Songkhla prison to provide access to the imprisoned youth.

The Indian Embassy has also provided a mobile number of Karan’s family for arranging video call with him as per norms and regulations of the Thai prison.

However, the First Secretary made it clear that possessing fake visa was a serious criminal offence and was subject to due process of law and criminal justice system as per the law of land. “Without infringing on the legal process of Thai law, the Embassy will provide all possible assistance to Karan and his family,” he said.

A resident of Mandaur village in Nabha, Karan was detained in Thailand on November 2. In a representation to Jaishankar, MP Arora had on Wednesday informed the MEA that Karan had gone to Malaysia around eight months ago in search of employment but after failing to get any work, he sought to return to India via Thailand.

“We believe that a combination of negligence and potentially misleading guidance from the travel agents led to his arrest and detention by Thai immigration authorities,” Arora had said, seeking Jaishankar’s immediate intervention in the case.

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