On Wednesday, the American embassy in Bangkoksylum denied reports that anti-government protest leaders had applied for political asylum in the United States, saying the report indicated a lack of understanding of how the process worked.
In an email responding to the report, the embassy said there was a wide range of disinformation alleging US involvement in Thai politics circulating online.
The embassy insisted the report about political asylum was untrue.
“To apply for asylum, an asylum seeker must be physically present in the United States. Asylum cases are processed by US Citizenship and Immigration Services, not other US agencies,” said the US embassy, which was responding to an inquiry via telephone.
Earlier, Arnond Sakworawich, an academic at the National Institute of Development Administration, posted on Facebook that several Free Youth protest leaders had applied for political asylum in the US.
He claimed the “CIA” had accepted their bids, paving the way for these activists to live and pursue their studies there.
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