Pacific

Vanuatu firm on Ghosh passport refusal

14:44 pm on 1 February 2010

The Vanuatu authorities have restated that they will not renew the Vanuatu passport of an Indian national, Amarendra Nath Ghosh.

The citizenship commission has upheld its November decision that Mr Ghosh is not a Vanuatu citizen and therefore cannot have his passport renewed.

The commission sat on the eve of the Mr Ghosh's lawyer's ultimatum to renew his Vanuatu passport or face legal action.

It says it will not be intimidated by his lawyer.

The Vanuatu authorities say Mr Ghosh was given a passport in 2000 in breach of the proper procedures and the country's laws.

To become a Vanuatu citizen, a foreigner must first spend 10 years in the country.

Mr Ghosh has only spent a few months.

He was made the honorary Thai consul by a former prime minister, Barak Sope, while offering the government a supposedly enormous ruby valued at 175 million US dollars.