“Nalinee” says she isn’t on US blacklist

BANGKOK, January 22 (TNA) - Newly appointed Minister attached to the PM’s Office Nalinee Taveesin said Sunday she is not on the US blacklist, confirming that she would use her knowledge and good relations with leaders of several countries in working for the benefit of Thailand. Nalinee, who is due to give an oath of allegiance to His Majesty the King along with other newly appointed ministers on Monday, read her prepared statement at a press conference held at the headquarters of the ruling Pheu Thai Party that the blacklisting issue was resulted from a “misunderstanding” and the US government never gave her a chance to clear herself in line with judicial process. She said she had recently assigned a former senior US Federal Bureau of Investigation official to enquire about this matter so that she could clear herself from the charges. Nalinee is reportedly blacklisted and named by the US as a business crony of Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe. In 2008, the US Treasury Department used the term crony to describe Nalinee and three other persons’ relationship with President Mugabe. Her assets in the US being frozen and Washington banned her from doing business or conducting any financial or commercial transactions with US citizens. Nalinee said she is not on the US blacklist and could still travel to that country. Nalinee said she would discuss on dividing work responsibilities with two others ministers attached to the PM’s Office on Monday. (TNA)