BANGKOK (TrustLaw) – Thai Prime Minister’s Office Minister Nalinee Taveesin, sanctioned by the U.S. for her ties to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, has been appointed to promote Thailand’s national image, the Bangkok Post reported.
Nalinee was barred from financial dealings with U.S. citizens and had her assets frozen in the country in 2008 for "secretly supporting the kleptocratic practices of one of Africa's most corrupt regimes," according to the U.S Department of Treasury.
Yet, the Thai government has given Nalinee responsibility for the National Identity Office, established in 2006 to promote “the unique and noble values that distinguish Thailand from others,” the paper said.
Nalinee has so far rejected calls to step down, saying her affiliations with Mugabe and his wife were “strictly social.”
According to the Bangkok Post, Nalinee said she acted as a liaison officer for the Zimbabwean president and his wife during their visits to Thailand and helped coordinate and provide advice to their family members who pursued their studies in the country.
"I have never imagined that friendship will have adverse effects on me, especially when I've decided to enter politics," she was reported as saying.
(Editing by Maria Caspani)
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