The Department of Consular Affairs will open a temporary office to issue passports at the government complex on Tuesday after reaching an agreement with anti-government protesters yesterday.
The department’s headquarters on Chaeng Watthana Road has been blockaded by People’s Democratic Reform Committee protesters, led by Luang Pu Buddha Issara.
Department deputy chief Prasitthiporn Wetprasit held talks with the monk yesterday morning and reached a deal to allow access to part of the adjacent government office complex for the general public to seek and obtain new passports.
However, the department itself will remain closed to the general public. Only its passport processing unit will be shifted to the complex.
Phra Buddha Issara said some staff members assigned to work at the department would be able to enter the premises, the department announced on Facebook.
The passport unit will operate its temporary office on the seventh floor of Tower B of the government complex from 9am to 2.30pm, starting on Tuesday.
It is expected the unit will be able to serve up to 500 people a day, far short of the department’s usual capacity of 2,000 passport applications.
Because of the blockade of the department over the past few months, passport application and issuing services have been handled at the department’s branches at Bang Na and Pin Klao and in some major provinces.
Many applicants have complained of lengthy queues.
Phra Buddha Issara said earlier he was considering allowing state agencies which handle public services, such as the Department of Consular Affairs, to resume work.
Protesters have also removed some sandbag barriers on Chaeng Watthana Road to ease the impact on motorists.