Ambassador seeks 12-month visas for Filipinos

PHUKET TOWN: Filipinos who work in Phuket should be able to obtain one-year visas instead of three-month or six-month visas, the new Philippines Ambassador to Thailand, Antonio V Rodriguez, said today at the end of his first official visit to the island. Making the plea in talks with Vice Governor Niran Kalayanamit, he noted that many entertainers and musicians were among the 300 to 400 Filipinos who work on Phuket. The group is substantial enough to have formed its own association, he added. Another issue raised by Mr Rodriguez was the conditions under which Filipino fishermen were hired to work on Taiwanese boats sailing out of Phuket. “Some of the workers are not paid according to their contracts and their passports are held by their employers,” he said. The ambassador, appointed in September, also asked about bird flu and was assured by V/Gov Niran that Phuket is free of the disease. Ambassador Rodriguez arrived on the island on Saturday and returned to Bangkok today.