Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Thai counterpart on the effect of reform to the law on asylum seekers on refugees in that country.

We understand that asylum issues are not specifically covered under Thai legislation, but that the authorities are considering new laws around this issue. We will seek to discuss this in more detail when the opportunity arises. The UK has repeatedly urged Thailand to sign the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees and has raised asylum cases and immigration crackdowns with the Thai authorities.

On 2 November 2018, the Minister of State for the Commonwealth and UN, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, spoke to the Thai Ambassador in London to raise our concerns over the detention of foreign nationals in Thailand. Our Embassy in Bangkok also raised the issues with the Ministry of the Interior. The UNHCR are working closely with the Royal Thai Government over asylum, resettlement issues, and improving conditions for genuine claimants, for example by giving them documentation that allows them to access services and protects them from persecution.