I am a Canadian expat who's been living in Thailand for the last 10years. I recently went to renew my passport at the Canadian embassy in Bangkok as it expires early 2014. The embassy got a letter from passport Canada stating that I am a subject for an arrest warrant in Hong Kong and my new passport will not be issued to me and my old one will not be returned. The arrest warrant is regarding a money laundering case that happened 7 years ago. I deny this charge as I was a victim of identity charge where someone forged my name to gain access to my Hong Kong bank account online codes at the time and laundered money into it. I was wanted for questioning and went for a hearing in Thailand at the securities exchange commission as the compliant regarding my case came from the Hong Kong securities futures commission regarding a company and bank account I opened in Hong Kong in March of 2006. At the result of my hearing I was told by the authorities that my name was cleared as I was in Canada at the time of the crime and they knew who was the culprit who laundered the money as he was stupid enough to launder the money to his local Thai bank accounts. I was told I can go and for me not to worry about it. Unfortunately I don't have any document from my hearing as i was there just to answer some questions and to give copies of my passport. I tried contacting the Thai authorities but they said to me that they don't have any information on that meeting as it happened a long time ago.
Seven years go by and I haven't herd of the subject ever being brought up, I was able to renew my passport with the Canadian embassy 5 years ago and travel freely without any problems until now. The embassy says they say can't help me and I am virtually stranded without any form of ID as a passport is the only valid piece of ID that is accepted in Thailand. Thailand and Hong Kong don't have an extradition treaty as this is not an Internationale warrant as I was able to travel abroad until now without being red flagged at immigration. Upon finding out about the arrest warrant I immediately contacted the Hong police force demanding answers as to when this arrest warrant was issued and why I have an arrest warrant in my name as I was a victim of identity theft which was proven when I went to my hearing in Bangkok in December of 2006. Unfortunately the Hong Kong police force were not very helpful to me as they couldn't answer any of my questions and keep transferring me to different departments. They advised me to contact my consulate about obtaining a certificate of no criminal which has to go thru the Canadian embassy as I am a foreign national before they can discus about my warrant.
I am outraged and disbelieved that passport Canada refused to give me back my old passport when I explained to the consular that I don't have any means of Identification. I explained that they can revoke the passport, and cut the corners out if necessary as I just need it for ID purposes ONLY as it expires in May 2014 as I can't travel on a revoked passport which I'm sure they know. I asked passport Canada to explain to me what am I suppose to use for identification in a foreign country as the only form of Identity that is valid for a foreigner in Thailand in a passport. If I have an emergency and my passport is required by any local authority, what am I suppose to do as all hospitals in Thailand require seeing your passport before you can see a doctor which is standard procedure for foreigners abroad. Also if I decide to hire a lawyer in Hong Kong to help me fight this, how can I pay their legal fees as all financial institutions in Thailand, even western union require your original passport when making an international payment and of course they don't have any answers for me. I just can't understand how the Canadian government can leave one of their own citizens stranded abroad with no means of identification as I tried filing for an appeal with the Federal court of Canada as my health and safety are in jeopardy as I don't have means of ID encase I am ill or have an emergency which is violation of my human rights. But no one seems to want or care to help me out in my time in need. I am not a terrorist, or pose any harm to the safety of Canada or its passport as I am a law abiding citizen who is been wrongfully charged with a white collar crime in a foreign country that I didn't commit.
I tried contacting passport Canada and the minister of foreign affairs for answers but all they state is that I can appeal this ruling with the Canadian federal court which I cant do because I have no means of paying for their filing fee without a passport from Thailand. I have no intentions of going to Hong Kong to fight this as I will be arrested as soon as I step foot in Hong Kong before any trial can take place which can take months or sometimes years to start in a country which has a reputation of an injustice legal system which I will not go threw as I went thru this already seven years ago in my hearing and refuse to go thru it again, nor do I have any intentions of becoming a fugitive living in exile without a valid passport and on overstay on my Thai visa even if there is no extradition treaty between Thailand and Hong Kong nor I certainly have no intention to take the blame for somebody's else actions and going to prison over it. I am looking for any advice as I am really stuck and don't know what to do.
Seven years go by and I haven't herd of the subject ever being brought up, I was able to renew my passport with the Canadian embassy 5 years ago and travel freely without any problems until now. The embassy says they say can't help me and I am virtually stranded without any form of ID as a passport is the only valid piece of ID that is accepted in Thailand. Thailand and Hong Kong don't have an extradition treaty as this is not an Internationale warrant as I was able to travel abroad until now without being red flagged at immigration. Upon finding out about the arrest warrant I immediately contacted the Hong police force demanding answers as to when this arrest warrant was issued and why I have an arrest warrant in my name as I was a victim of identity theft which was proven when I went to my hearing in Bangkok in December of 2006. Unfortunately the Hong Kong police force were not very helpful to me as they couldn't answer any of my questions and keep transferring me to different departments. They advised me to contact my consulate about obtaining a certificate of no criminal which has to go thru the Canadian embassy as I am a foreign national before they can discus about my warrant.
I am outraged and disbelieved that passport Canada refused to give me back my old passport when I explained to the consular that I don't have any means of Identification. I explained that they can revoke the passport, and cut the corners out if necessary as I just need it for ID purposes ONLY as it expires in May 2014 as I can't travel on a revoked passport which I'm sure they know. I asked passport Canada to explain to me what am I suppose to use for identification in a foreign country as the only form of Identity that is valid for a foreigner in Thailand in a passport. If I have an emergency and my passport is required by any local authority, what am I suppose to do as all hospitals in Thailand require seeing your passport before you can see a doctor which is standard procedure for foreigners abroad. Also if I decide to hire a lawyer in Hong Kong to help me fight this, how can I pay their legal fees as all financial institutions in Thailand, even western union require your original passport when making an international payment and of course they don't have any answers for me. I just can't understand how the Canadian government can leave one of their own citizens stranded abroad with no means of identification as I tried filing for an appeal with the Federal court of Canada as my health and safety are in jeopardy as I don't have means of ID encase I am ill or have an emergency which is violation of my human rights. But no one seems to want or care to help me out in my time in need. I am not a terrorist, or pose any harm to the safety of Canada or its passport as I am a law abiding citizen who is been wrongfully charged with a white collar crime in a foreign country that I didn't commit.
I tried contacting passport Canada and the minister of foreign affairs for answers but all they state is that I can appeal this ruling with the Canadian federal court which I cant do because I have no means of paying for their filing fee without a passport from Thailand. I have no intentions of going to Hong Kong to fight this as I will be arrested as soon as I step foot in Hong Kong before any trial can take place which can take months or sometimes years to start in a country which has a reputation of an injustice legal system which I will not go threw as I went thru this already seven years ago in my hearing and refuse to go thru it again, nor do I have any intentions of becoming a fugitive living in exile without a valid passport and on overstay on my Thai visa even if there is no extradition treaty between Thailand and Hong Kong nor I certainly have no intention to take the blame for somebody's else actions and going to prison over it. I am looking for any advice as I am really stuck and don't know what to do.
