Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/05/06
By: Tang Pei-chun and Y.F. Low

Taipei, May 6 (CNA) Former Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said on Friday that her plan to visit Thailand to attend an international conference has been canceled because her visa application was rejected by the Thai government.

Lu told reporters that she had planned to depart Thursday to take part in the Istanbul Summit 2016 to be held by the Journalists and Writers Foundation on May 7-8 in Bangkok but could not obtain a visa.

After enquiring about the matter with Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs through Taiwan’s representative office in that country, she was told that the ministry could not decide on her visa application on its own and needed to submit it to the Cabinet for approval in light of her status as a former vice president, according to Lu.

But due to a lack of processing time, the Thai government decided to turn down the application and put off the visa issuance, she said.     [FULL  STORY]