Thailand to Austria: Reassurance

[Bossza007]

Confederal Government
Official Correspondence

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Encryption: Encrypted and Private
Recipient: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Austria Merzia
Sender: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Thailand
Subject Austria's Change in Visa Policy

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Dear Michael Spindelegger,

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Thailand extends its warm regards to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Austria.

The Ministry acknowledges the latest change to Austria's visa policy toward Thai nationals, following the terrorist suicide bombing in Bangkok Federation. We regret the decision made by the Austrian Foreign Ministry and the removal of non-essential personnel from its Embassy.

The Ministry seeks to highlight that the humanitarian catastrophe and security failure stemmed from the unpredictable and radical nature of a well-known terrorist group, the Golden Hand, which seeks a revolutionary overthrow of our Confederation. Local law enforcement across Thailand has been engaging in operations to capture and apprehend perpetrators for years now. Although no single foreign individual has been killed by the Golden Hand, we understand Austria's hesitation toward the potential of threats to its citizens.

The Ministry also seeks to clarify and forward a message to Österreichischer Rundfunk, Austria's national public broadcaster, a foundation under public law. According to the Supreme Confederal Agreement, which is a binding treaty of communes coming to establish the Socialist Republic of Thailand, our Confederation does not have a capital city. Bangkok Federation only serves as the seating place of the Confederal Government due to its existing infrastructure and history. Such a federation of communes does not have any special privilege under the confederal agreement.

The Ministry reiterates its regret regarding the change to the visa policy toward Thai nationals and the embassy operation made by the Austrian government. We wish that our commitment to maintain public safety and order would convince its policy-makers to reverse such changes in the future.

Regards,

Executive Committee
Ministry of Foreign Affairs​

 

[Merzia]

Encrypted & Classified
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Staat Österreich
Ministerium für Internationale Angelegenheiten​

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To: Executive Committee, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Thailand Bossza007

From: Ambassador Sebastian Koller, State of Austria

Subject: RE: Austria's Change in Visa Policy

Dear the Executive Committee,

On behalf of the State of Austria, I present my compliments to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Thailand.

Austria recognises the significant challenges posed by violent extremist movements and acknowledges the continuing efforts undertaken by Thai law enforcement and security services to safeguard public order and protect both domestic and foreign residents.

I wish to emphasise that the temporary suspension of non-essential consular services, including operations at the Austrian Visa Application Centre in Bangkok, as well as the precautionary withdrawal of non-essential personnel, constitutes a standard security procedure designed to protect diplomatic staff, Austrian citizens, and visa applicants during periods of elevated security risk. These measures were undertaken solely in response to the evolving situation following the recent attacks and should not be interpreted as a broader political judgement regarding the Thai state, its institutions, or the Thai people.

In the interim period, Thai nationals remain able to submit visa applications through other Austrian visa application centres and diplomatic missions operating elsewhere in the region in accordance with standard procedures.

I will clarify that Austria’s broader visa policy toward Thai nationals remains unchanged. The temporary operational adjustments are limited security measures only and do not represent any alteration to Austria’s existing immigration or visa framework.

We remain committed to maintaining constructive and friendly bilateral relations with the Socialist Republic of Thailand and values of cooperation between both governments.

We will continue to monitor developments closely and will review the security measures as circumstances evolve. Austria remains hopeful that the security situation will stabilise to enable the resumption of normal embassy and visa operations in the future.


Sincerely,

Sebastian Koller
Ambassador to Thailand
State of Austria