22 Sep 2010

Vanuatu's department of foreign affairs no longer issues passports

9:55 am on 22 September 2010

Vanuatu's department of foreign affairs says it has not issued diplomatic passports since the beginning of this year.

They say the issuance of passports is now in the hands of the immigration department.

The department of foreign affairs comments follows allegations the former honorory consul of Vanuatu to Singapore, Alex Chung, is currently on the run with his girlfriend on diplomatic passports.

The director of passports office, Henry Tamashiro, says his office has not yet received a request from the government to cancel the passport of Mr Chung and his girlfriend.

But he says all current diplomatic passports will be cancelled once the new biometric passport systems comes online at end of this month.

Alex Chung is wanted by the Vanuatu police and the Singapore police over the sale of two containers of fireworks during the 30th independence anniversary of Vanuatu.