Swedish consulate to close

PHUKET CITY: The Swedish Consulate in Phuket will cease operations June 30 next year.

The consulate, which opened in late 2004 to assist Swedish victims of the tsunami disaster, will be one of four Swedish diplomatic missions closing worldwide for financial reasons, acting Consul General Christina Palm told the Gazette.

Swedish victim-identification work finished in June 2006, but the consulate remained open until the new cost-cutting measures to provide citizen-services to the many Swedish nationals visiting the Andaman region, she said.

Many Swedish citizens arriving in Phuket require assistance after losing passports, becoming hospitalized due to illness or accident or getting into legal trouble, she added.

The Swedish Embassy hopes to appoint more Honorary Consuls in Phuket to help Swedes after the consulate closes.

The Honorary Consuls may recruit local staff for assistance, she added.

The Swedish Consulate moved from its temporary location at the Pearl Village Hotel after the tsunami to set up an office in Phuket City, shared with the temporary Norwegian Consulate until its closure on December 1, 2006.

Miss Christina Palm took over from former Consul General Alf Karlsson, while Pearl Group Managing Director Wichit Na-Ranong is currently listed as the only Swedish Honorary Consul in Phuket.

For more information call the Swedish Consulate in Phuket at 076-380000.