The Swedish Embassy In Bangkok answers to the allegations concerning that the Swedish visa procedures make the trade with Thai girls easier. The allegations was made by trafficking expert Kajsa Wahlberg, from the Swedish Police, to TV4Nyheterne this Sunday.
The Swedish Embassy in Bangkok replies:
“I don’t recognise that it should be easier to get into Sweden than other Schengen countries, because we coordinate rules and standards with the other countries. The Swedish visa procedures are simply not less strict than the other countries in Schengen,” says the Swedish Chargé d’affaires Kaarlo Laakso.
20.000 applicants in 2009
Without any doubt Sweden is a popular destination for Thais. In 2009 the Swedish Embassy in Bangkok had about 20.000 applications in total, in camparison the Danish Embassy recieved 5200 applications in 2009.
At the Swedish Embassy they recieved 10.700 visa applications and of them 81 percent was approved. Same year the Embassy handled 9100 work permits and almost all of them where approved.
Wrong intentions and bad behaviour
The Swedish Embassy in Bangkok do recognise that some people go to Sweden with the wrong intentions:
“We know that some people are lying to us and going to Sweden with the wrong purposes. But we really try to stop them. We do a lot to avoid sending people with the wrong purpose going to Sweden. But I am also sure that we can not get 100 percent right,” says Swedish Chargé d’affaires Kaarlo Laakso.
Read also: Sweden Is a Country for Entry Trafficking
