Mega yacht owner, Vanuatu Consul in Singapore?
As Port Vila woke to the news of the arrest of the mega yacht early this week, an individual believed to be the owner of the yacht who reportedly registered it in 2005 as a diplomatic yacht of Vanuatu, Anh Quan Saken, was hundreds of kilometres away in Singapore assisting Vanuatu’s football ace, Seule Soromon.
Vanuatu’s football star who plies his skills in New Zealand, but has no business or personal connections whatsoever with Anh Quan Saken, told Daily Post via email that he was on his way with his wife to Phuket in Thailand on Sunday this week when he faced immigration problems with his visa.
In Thailand, Soromon was then sent back to Singapore without his wife on the same day where he stayed at the airport until 5am on Monday.
He then took a taxi to the Royal Thai Embassy to fill in the appropriate visa forms when he saw the “Vanuatu Consul” Ahn Quan Saken enter with a brief case that had a red “Diplomatic bag” sticker on it.
Soromon who was wearing a Tupuji Imere Evergreen t-shirt at that time, said he recognised Consul Saken as he had boarded the same flight with him from Port Vila to Auckland on Saturday morning.
“I was very lucky the Honourable Consul saw me and recognised me from an earlier flight and as a Vanuatu citizen.
“He approached me and asked if he could help.
“The Honourable Consul then helped me by paying for my flight to Phuket for the 25th, accommodation for 2 nights in Singapore and all visa expenses.
“I am so grateful for the assistance he has given me and truly believe he really cares for the people of Vanuatu.
“He showed me great kindness and I am extremely thankful for the work he has done for me,” the football ace, who was not aware of the raid in Vanuatu, told Daily Post.
“Consul Saken” was expected to accompany Soromon yesterday to get his visa in Singapore at the Thai Embassy to go to Phuket to meet his wife.
Words of thanks by the footballer were also addressed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alfred Carlot about the assistance of Vanuatu’s Consul Anh Quan Saken.
Daily Post tried yesterday to get confirmation if Anh Quan Saken is Vanuatu’s Consul in Singapore but no one at Foreign Affairs was available to make any comment.
Daily Post could not also reach anyone at the Citizenship Office to find out if the name “Saken” in Anh Quan Saken, who is believed to have become a citizen of Vanuatu this year, had any connections to Madame Thitam Goiset, who also uses the “custom name” “Saken” in her title as Paramount Chief Te Moli Venaos Mol Saken Goiset.
Goiset was also behind the Latvian-born Juris Gulbis’s citizenship. Gulbis is the Ambassador of Abkhazia in the Asia-Pacific region.
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