Paul Blomfield (Sheffield Central, Labour) To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what legal assistance his Department is providing to Andy Hall who has been accused of criminal defamation in ThailandHansard source (Citation: HC Deb, Responds to Questions on Natural Fruit vs. Andy Hall Case in British Parliamentary Session January 2014, c6W)
Hugo Swire (The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office; East Devon, Conservative)
We are aware of Mr Hall’s case and are in regular touch with him. As set out in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office‘s (FCO) Consular guidance, we provide general information about local police and legal procedures, but we cannot provide legal assistance or advice to British nationals. Officials at the British embassy in Bangkok have met with Mr Hall to listen to his concerns and advise him of the consular assistance we can offer.
Information about the consular services the FCO provides can be found at the following link:
Thailand
Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what legal assistance his Department is providing to Andy Hall who has been accused of criminal defamation in Thailand. [182815]
20 Jan 2014 : Column 7W
Mr Swire: We are aware of Mr Hall’s case and are in regular touch with him. As set out in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) Consular guidance, we provide general information about local police and legal procedures, but we cannot provide legal assistance or advice to British nationals. Officials at the British embassy in Bangkok have met with Mr Hall to listen to his concerns and advise him of the consular assistance we can offer.
Information about the consular services the FCO provides can be found at the following link:
http://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment _data/file/35519/support-for-british-nationaIs-abroad.pdf
Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what EU mechanisms for supporting human rights defenders are being applied in the case of Andy Hall. [182816]
Mr Swire: Officials at the British embassy in Bangkok and in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London are aware of Mr Hall’s case and have been in regular touch with him since March 2013.
During my visit to Thailand in May 2013, I raised Mr Hall’s case with Thailand’s Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jullapong Nonsrichai. British embassy staff have also raised the importance of Mr Hall receiving an independent trial with officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2014-01-20a.182815.h&s=speaker%3A11265#g182815.r0
Andy Hall 