Foreign Ministry Explains Service Passport Collection

[geovalin]

Khmer Times/Ven Rathavong

The Foreign Affairs Ministry released a statement yesterday clarifying the policies that will be used to collect service passports from public servants after they have returned from their missions abroad and are no longer authorized to use them.

The statement comes on the heels of an announcement last week that border officials would begin collecting service passports from public servants when they crossed back into the Kingdom on March 21. The passports, according to Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, will be held by the Ministry of Interior until they are needed for additional missions abroad.

The statement released yesterday added that the ministry will not charge public servants if and when they need to be reissued a passport, and said that the ministry was aware of previous instances of public servants using service passport to work abroad illegally.

"It surprised the authorities of that country [south Korea, where migrant workers were found using service passports last month] and interested them because they did not understand why illegal migrant workers held service passport," the statement read.

read more: http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/22560/foreign-ministry-explains-service-passport-collection/