Thai woman mulls suing UK for B100m
Bangkok Post: 29 Nov 2010
Thai woman mulls suing UK for B100mA Thai woman is considering filing a 100 million baht lawsuit against the UK Border Agency, accusing of it "unfair" rejection of her re-entry into Britain to extend her residence permit and divorce her millionaire Scottish husband.Kanokrat Nimsamoot Booth, a former journalist in Thailand, claims immigration officials from the agency, part of the UK Home Office, confiscated her marriage certificate and other official papers when she arrived at Glasgow airport in May. They also terminated her residence permit without explanation.
Ms Kanokrat, 41, has since been forced to return to Thailand and put her bid to divorce her husband on hold.
She was speaking at a panel discussion organised by the Foreign Ministry at the weekend about the life of Thai women who are married to foreigners.
Ms Kanokrat said she married Dennis Booth, a 67-year-old Scottish businessman, three years ago.
Their relationship deteriorated over the past year because her husband had become upset about her regular trips to Thailand and suspected she was having an affair.
She said she had only come back to take care of her parents and her two sons from a previous marriage.
Ms Kanokrat flew back to Glasgow on May 6 to extend her residence permit before it expired and to divorce her husband, only to be denied entry, she said.
An officer asked her routine questions and then informed her he needed to search her hand luggage. She said he took away her belongings and official documents, including an original marriage certificate.
Ms Kanokrat said she was then taken for an interview during which her requests for an interpreter and for contact with the Thai embassy were rejected.
"Most of the questions they asked me involved my relationship with my husband," she said.
She was formally rejected entry after the interview and then sent to a police station where she was locked up. She was told she would be sent back to Thailand. She was handed back most of her belongings but not her documents.
Ms Kanokrat said she asked the officials about the papers, to which one replied: "You should ask your husband about them".
Ms Kanokrat has filed an appeal with a British court since her return to Thailand, demanding that the Home Office extend her residence permit so she can proceed with the divorce.
She has also asked the court to order the UK Border Agency to return all her papers and grant her entry to the country.
She plans to file a civil suit against the immigration office with legal support from the Lawyers Council of Thailand, she said. Thai authorities including the Foreign Ministry and public prosecutor have turned down her request for legal aid, saying they lack understanding of British law.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/208583/thai-woman-mulls-suing-uk-for-b100m
Search Option
Recent Posts
Todays Birthdays
