I have finally obtained cast-iron proof that a Thai national was granted refugee status in the UK in 2009 after I made direct contact with the relevant UK Government ministry responsible for deciding who recieves refugee status in the UK.
The result was that a spokesperson from the UK's Home Office, the UK Government ministry that controls the Border Agency, confirmed that at least one Thai national was granted refugee status in the UK in 2009.
In addition to this I also contacted the Refugee Council, the largest independent body in the UK which deals with asylum seekers and refugees, to get their insight into whether the refugee documentation provided to me by my interview subject was, in their opinion, likely to be authentic. A spokesperson from the Refugee Council stated that the papers I was provided with do look like documents that would verify that a person has refugee status. However, they did say only the Home Office can confirm the status of a client and its authenticity.
Adding all this together, I am more than happy that my original story and interview was 100% accurate. What is now clear is that a precedent has been set and more Thai nationals seeking refuge from political violence and intimidation could emerge. One simple fact must be considered in all of this - that the present Thai regime does very little to control the extremist acts of intimidation, threats & violence perpetrated by the supporters and members of the PAD. The evidence of the present regime's collusion with the PAD is overwhelming and substantial, as is the same regime's refusal to uphold the rule of law vis a vis the actions of the PAD. One may even go so far to assume that the PAD acts as an agent of the regime, such is the legal and politcal cover it recieves. This has become one of the salient features of Thailand's present political predicament.
If anyone has any proof to refute the evidence I've produced so far as to the veracity of my interview subject's refugee status, please put it in the comments section. Just saying it isn't so or calling my "biased" doesn't count, I'm afraid.
