Thailand's consular services in Turkey remain closed

BANGKOK, July 13 (TNA) - Consular services at the Thai Embassy to Turkey have been suspended for five days for the sake of safety after an attack at the Thai Consulate in Istanbul. The Thai Embassy in Ankara, Turkey's capital, announced on its Facebook page on Monday that it operates on official hours as usual, but its consular department remains closed. According to the Thai Embassy's statement, the consular department has suspended its services since July 8 after protesters broke into the Consulate office in Istanbul to show their dissatisfaction with Thailand's repatriation of over 100 illegal Uyghur migrants back to China. National Security Council (NSC) Secretary-General Anusit Kunakorn explained, meanwhile, that the illegal Uyghur migrants were returned to their motherland as their citizenship was verified and actions on the issue were based on laws and human rights. The NSC chief told journalists that China is ready to let concerned parties observe the conditions of the Uyghur ethnics and NSC's staff will go to China for the purpose as soon as possible. Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha was chairing an NSC meeting on Monday afternoon, with the Uyghur repatriation expected to be on the agenda. (TNA)